2016 July 7

    Aziza Cooper writes:  Tuesday, July 5, the VNHS Tuesday birding group went to Panama Flats. We saw one Lorquin’s Admiral, one Western Tiger Swallowtail, 5 or 6 European (Essex) Skippers and numerous Cabbage Whites. A very spiky brown caterpillar was on the trail, a black and yellow bee on thistles and some interesting bugs on Queen Anne’s Lace (Wild Carrot).

Jeremy Tatum writes:  Thanks to Linc Best for identifying the bee.

Bombus vosnesenskii (Hym.: Apidae)  Aziza Cooper

Essex Skipper Thymelicus lineola (Lep.: Hesperiidae)  Aziza Cooper

Jeremy Tatum writes:  Well, neither of the insects on the Daucus carota is a bug.  The one on the left is an ichneumonid, and the one on the right is a cantharid beetle.   Beyond that I cannot go – but we would welcome suggestions.

Ichneumonid (Hym.: Ichneumonidae), and soldier beetle (Col.: Cantharidae) Aziza Cooper

Jeremy Tatum writes:  I knew what the “very spiky brown caterpillar” was going to be before I saw the photograph!   Don’t handle these caterpillars – they can give you a nasty rash!  The caterpillars feed on various shrubs of the Families Rosaceae and Caprifoliaceae.

The June 29 Invert Alert reported Red Admirals from several localities, but I somehow managed to miss one reported on that date from Nanoose Bay, by Mike Yip. Here it is, a little late – my apologies!  Jeremy

Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Mike Yip

Mike also sends a picture of a very pretty “micro” – Pyrausta perrubralis – from Nanoose Bay today.

Pyrausta perrubralis (Lep.:  Crambidae)  Mike Yip

   Libby Avis sends a photo of a male velvet ant  Dasymutilla sp. from Rathtrevor Provincial Park, July 5^th 2016.  These insects are more closely related to wasps than to ants, and the wingless females have a reputation of having an exceedingly painful sting.  This is the first velvet ant that we have had on this site.

Velvet Ant Dasymutilla sp. (Hym.: Mutillidae)  Libby Avis

Rosemary Jorna photographed a sand wasp at Witty’s Lagoon today, July 7.

Sand wasp Bembix americana (Hym.: Crabronidae)  Rosemary Jorna

2016 July 6

   Annie Pang has drawn my attention to the following notice:

Jeremy Tatum writes:  I have often wished that we had someone who could identify pictures of Hymenoptera that are submitted to Invert Alert, so I hope that someone might be moved to attend this course!

Jeff Gaskin writes:   Today, July 6, I saw my first of the year Pine White in Cuthbert Holmes Park in a Douglas Fir tree.  Last year on July 6th I saw my first Pine White and that time it was along Sooke Road. in Colwood.

Jeremy Tatum comments:  Last year, 2015, the first Pine White was reported to Invert Alert on July 1, on Observatory Hill

Rosemary Jorna writes:   I saw this insect in a garden on Kemp Lake Rd this afternoon July 6 2016.  Jeremy Tatum comments: I got this wrong in the original version of this posting, misidentifying it as an ichneumonid looking for a beetle grub.  My appeal for further help with the identification was answered by Libby Avis, who tells us that it is a horntail, Urocerus albicornis.  It is not looking for a beetle grub at all.  Rather, it is laying its egg in the wood, and its larva subsists upon the wood.  Horntails are in the suborder “Symphyta” of the Hymenoptera, a suborder that also includes the sawflies.   Thank you, Libby!

Horntail Urocerus albicornis (Hym.:  Siricidae)  Rosemary Jorna

Horntail Urocerus albicornis (Hym.:  Siricidae)  Rosemary Jorna

Rosemary writes: There were four Western Tiger Swallowtails enjoying the sunshine. This one was flying well not at all hampered by the damage to its wings.  Kemp Lake Road, July 6.

Western Tiger Swallowtail Papilio rutulus (Lep.: Papilionidae)  Rosemary Jorna

Rosemary continues: This Ladybird beetle was in a garden on the other side of Kemp Lake Road.

Harmonia axyridis (Col.: Coccinellidae)  Rosemary Jorna

Annie Pang writes: I got this picture at Gorge Park, Victoria, July 6, 2016 on Dogwood leaves.  It was tiny so I was glad to get as close as I did.

Rob Cannings writes: This is a robber fly — Laphria ventralis (male). In Canada restricted to the southern Strait of Georgia region of coastal British Columbia. Normally, they are not what I’d call “tiny” (about 15 or so mm long) [Jeremy Tatum interjects:  the few I have seen have been enormous!], but there can be considerable variation in size among specimens of a single species of asilid.

Robber fly Laphria ventralis (Dip.: Asilidae) Annie Pang

2016 July 5

   The prepupal Lorquin’s Admiral caterpillar shown in Aziza’s photograph on the July 3 posting has now pupated.  Here is the chrysalis.

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

Jeremy Tatum

2016 July 4

   Butterflies may be a bit scarce in and near Victoria just now, but it is quite another story on Mount Cokely.   On June 29 Ron Flower photographed several splendid butterflies, most of which we don’t see here in Victoria.  See also Aziza’s June 26 list (June 27 posting).

Western Sulphur Colias occidentalis (Lep.: Pieridae)  Ron Flower

Rocky Mountain Parnassian Parnassius smintheus (Lep.: Papilionidae)  Ron Flower

   Jeremy Gatten writes:  I bought extension tubes to get a little closer for macro shots and I am quite happy with the results!

First, I found an interesting wasp, Philanthus crabroniformis, that I learned is a beewolf.  The females lay eggs on a bee host and when the carnivorous larvae emerge, they consume it.  I found it at Tod Creek Flats behind the Red Barn Market on West Saanich Road.

Next, I had a different bee fly at the old gravel pit off Veteran’s Memorial Parkway near Colwood.  Almost all bee flies I encounter locally are Bombylius major, but this one lacks the pattern on the wings and is much more golden.  It could be Systoechus oreas.  At the same location I had a very exciting find: a large dark spot on a rock turned out to be a Catocala briseis moth!

Philanthus crabroniformis (Hym.: Crabronidae)  Jeremy Gatten

Bee fly Probably Systoechus oreas (Dip.: Bibionidae)  Jeremy Gatten

Catocala briseis (Lep.: Erebidae – Catocalinae)  Jeremy Gatten

2106 July 3

   Annie Pang sends a photograph of a Seven-spotted Ladybird seen on July 2.

Seven-spotted Ladybird Coccinella septempunctata (Col.: Coccinellidae)  Annie Pang

   She also sends photographs of two Essex Skippers – one of the normal form, and the other of the uncommon pale form “pallida” from Cuthbert Holmes Park.

 Essex Skipper Thymelicus lineola (Lep.: Hesperiidae)  Annie Pang

Essex Skipper Thymelicus lineola f. “pallida” (Lep.: Hesperiidae)  Annie Pang

Aziza Cooper writes:  Today, Sunday, July 3, three butterfly watchers went to the hydro lines north of Spectacle Lake. The butterflies were very scarce. We found two Lorquin’s Admirals and one Lorquin’s Admiral caterpillar about to pupate. The only other butterfly we saw was one skipper flyby, not identifiable.

The day was quite warm but quite cloudy, and it seems the butterfly season is already coming to a close. We observed 32 species of birds and ate many delicious wild berries. The walk was very pleasant!

Aziza sends a photograph of the Lorquin’s Admiral pre-pupal caterpillar, and also of a fly that landed on Jeff Gaskin’s back-pack.  Thanks to Claudia Copley who  has tracked it down as a species of Anthrax.

Lorquin’s Admiral Limentis lorquini (Lep.: Nymphalidae)

Aziza Cooper

Anthrax sp. (Dip.: Bombyliidae)  Aziza Cooper