July 14

   Val George writes:  This morning, July 14, the VNHS birding group found this Sheep Moth caterpillar, Hemileuca eglanterina, in Uplands Park in Oak Bay.   Jeremy Tatum remarks:  This caterpillar should be handled (if at all) with care.  Some people (including myself) find that the caterpillar may give them a rash.

Sheep Moth Hemileuca eglanterina (Lep.: Saturniidae)  Val George

   Mike Yip writes from Nanoose Bay:  A bunch of these slimy looking larvae have been defoliating my wife’s quince tree. They are about 8 – 9 mm and haven’t bothered any of the apple or pear trees. Any idea what they are?   Jeremy Tatum replies: They are the larvae of a sawfly Eriocampoides limacina, also known as Caliroa cerasi.  They are often to be found on cherry trees.  I wouldn’t altogether trust them with apple or pear.  “Limacina” means “slug-lke”.  “Cerasi” means “of the cherry”.

Caliroa cerasi (Eriocampoides limacina)(Hym.: Tenthredinidae)  Mike Yip

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  I saw two Pine Whites at the top of a Douglas Fir south of Beaver Lake this afternoon.  This evening there was but a single Painted Lady at the top of Mount Tolmie.

July 13 evening

   Jochen Möhr sends a picture of Macaria signaria from Metchosin:

Macaria signaria (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

   Jeff Gaskin writes:  Today, July 13, I saw my first Pine Whites of the season.  Four were along Goldstream Avenue by the Colwood Golf Course,  one was along Duke Road, and finally one was in Witty’s Lagoon Park.  All were seen quite high up in Douglas Fir trees.

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  This evening at 7:00 pm July 13 there was one Red Admiral on the Mount Tolmie reservoir, and one Painted Lady near the Jeffery Pine.

June 13 morning

   Jochen Möhr sends a picture of a beetle from Metchosin.  Thanks to Scott Gilmore for identifying it as Xylotrechus longitarsus or X. undulatus.

Xylotrechus longitarsus/undulatus (Col.: Cerambycidae)  Jochen Möhr

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  At Mount Douglas last night (June 12) at 7:00 pm, four Painted Ladies and a Red Admiral.

July 12

   Marie O’Shaughnessy sends a photograph of a pair of Blue-eyed Darners mating at Swan Lake yesterday.

Blue-eyed Darners Rhionaeschna multicolor (Odo.: Aeshnidae)  Marie O’Shaughnessy

   Cheryl Hoyle sends a photograph of a jumping spider from View Royal, July 11.

Phidippus johnsoni (Ara.: Salticidae)  Cheryl Hoyle

    More moths from Metchosin.   Photographed by Jochen Möhr.    Identified by …  Jochen Möhr.

Drepana arcuata (Lep.: Drepanidae – Drepaninae)  Jochen Möhr

Hesperumia sulphuraria (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

Perizoma costiguttata (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  Nothing on Mount Tolmie reservoir last night (7:00 pm July 11), but two Painted Ladies near the Jeffery Pine.

July 11

   Jeremy Tatum writes that last night (July 10) at 7:00 pm there were two Painted Ladies and a Red Admiral flying erratically at the top of Christmas Hill, doubtless because of the strong smell of marijuana there.

   Marie O’Shaughnessy writes: There seem to be plenty of Lorquin’s Admirals along with Cabbage Whites and Western Tiger Swallowtails, especially in the Oak Bay area, with continuing dry and hot conditions. Lovely to see so many butterflies these days.

Lorquin’s Admiral  Limenitis lorquini (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Marie O’Shaughnessy

   Here is an interesting upperside-and-underside photograph of a tortricid photographed by Bryan Gates.  It needs dissection to be absolutely sure of the identification, but we are grateful to Jason Dombrowskie for identifying it (with this caution) as probably Pandemis cerasana.

Probably Pandemis cerasana (Lep.: Tortricidae)  Bryan Gates

   Here are two more moths from Metchosin, photographed by Jochen Möhr and identified by Libby Avis.

Schizura unicornis (Lep.: Notodontidae)  Jochen Möhr

Common Emerald Hemithea aestivaria (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

   Rosemary Jorna writes:  Another sighting, this time from Kemp Lake. A swallowtail butterfly was moving oddly on my neighbour’s lawn, When I looked closely it was obviously dead and this wasp was butchering it (July 10, 2018, Kemp Lake area).   It made several trips as the corpse was drifting round the yard in the wind.  This was the best shot I got in tracking it on and off for about half an hour. Then the butterfly disappeared, probably blown away as the wind picked up

Wasp and swallowtail butterfly      Rosemary Jorna