2020 July 23 morning

   Val George writes:  July 22, I saw my first Pine Whites of the year.  There were 6 or 7 flying around the tops of a Douglas Fir stand at Witty’s Lagoon.

Scott Gilmore got these photos of a water mite from Battleship Lake in Strathcona Provincial Park on the 20^th July.   Dr Heather Proctor tells us that it is in the Superfamily Hygrobatoidea, and probably in the Family Pionidae, and possibly genus Piona.  In order to be more certain, she would need to see the genital plates, which might be visible in a ventral view, but are often obscured by other internal organs.

Invert Alert has had very few photographs of aquatic invertebrates.  We hope more photographers will rise to the challenge.

Possibly Piona (Acari: Pionidae)  Scott Gilmore

Possibly Piona (Acari: Pionidae)  Scott Gilmore

Possibly Piona (Acari: Pionidae)  Scott Gilmore

2020 July 22

   Ron Flower writes:  Today Wednesday 22nd of July, out in the Saanich Peninsula at the corner of Wallace Drive and Newman Road there is a grain field that had hundreds of Cabbage Whites flying and mating.  Also while at the Red Barn Nora got this photograph of a beautiful moth:

Garden Tiger Arctia caja (Lep.: Erebidae – Arctiinae)  Nora Flower

   Jeff Gaskin writes:   Today, July 22, on one Buddleia bush I saw a Mourning Cloak, 8 Lorquin’s Admirals, and a Western Tiger Swallowtail.  This was in Saxe Point Park around 10:30 a.m.

   Jochen Möhr’s moths from Metchosin this morning:

1 Enypia packardata

2 Eulithis xylina

3 Hesperumia latipennis

1 Homorthodes hanhami

1 Iridopsis emasculatum

1 Lacinipolia strigicollis

1 Leucoma salicis

3 Panthea virginarius

1 Pyrausta perrubralis

1 Smerinthus ophthalmica/cerisyi

Hesperumia latipennis (Lep.: Geometridae)    Jochen Möhr

Pyrausta perrubralis (Lep.: Crambidae)  Jochen Möhr

Panthea virginarius (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr 

Smerinthus ophthalmica Lep.: Sphingidae)  Jochen Möhr 

Enypia packardata (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

Leucoma salicis (Lep.: Erebidae – Lymantriinae)  Jochen Möhr

2020 July 21

   Ren Ferguson reports the finding by David Caudwell of a Great Arctic at the top of Mount Bruce on Salt Spring Island last week.

Jochen Möhr’s moths from Metchosin this morning:

1 Campaea perlata

1 Drepanulatrix secundaria

2 Eulithis xylina

1 Gabriola dyari

1 Hydriomena californica/marinata

2 Hesperumia sulphuraria

2 Lacinipolia strigicollis

1 Malacosoma californicum

1 Nadata gibbosa

1 Panthea virginarius

1 Sicya crocearia 

Eulithis xylina (Lep.: Geometridae)   Jochen Möhr

Gabriola dyari (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

Campaea perlata (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

Malacosoma californicum (Lep.: Lasiocampidae)  Jochen Möhr

Nadata gibbosa (Lep.: Notodontidae)  Jochen Möhr

Lacinipolia strigicollis (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr

Panthea virginarius (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr

Sicya crocearia (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

2020 July 20

   Roleen Sevillena sends a photograph of a moth from outside the door of the Swan Lake Nature Centre:

Nematocampa resistaria (Lep.: Geometridae)  Roleen Sevillena

    Jody Wells sends photographs of a dragonfly and a bee, kindly identified by Annie Pang.

Male Common Whitetail Plathemis lydia (Odo.: Libellulidae)  Jody Wells

Bombus vosnesenskii (Hym.: Apidae)  Jody Wells

   Gordon Hart sends a photograph of an adult male Malacosoma californicum – whose caterpillar is the familiar orange and black tent caterpillar.

Male Malacosoma californicum (Lep.: Lasiocampidae)  Gordon Hart

   Jochen Möhr’s moths from Metchosin this morning:

1 Eulithis xylina

1 Lacinipolia strigicollis

1 Nadata gibbosa

3 Nemoria darwiniata

1 Panthea virginarius

1 Pyrausta perrubralis

4 Sicya crocearia 

1 Macaria signaria

1 Cyclophora pendulinaria

    Jeff Gaskin writes:  Today, July 20,  I walked around the Royal Roads University and neighbouring streets and found a total of 28 Pine Whites, 34 Cabbage Whites, 4 Lorquin’s Admirals, and a Western Tiger Swallowtail.

2020 July 19 afternoon

  Annie Pang sends pictures of two bees:

Lasioglossum sp.: (Hym.:  Halictidae)  Annie Pang

Bombus mixtus (Hym.: Apidae)   Annie Pang

   Here are some photographs by Scott Gilmore from Mount Washington, yesterday and today:

Okanagana canadensis (Hem.: Cicadidae)  Scott Gilmore

Great Arctic Oeneis nevadensis (Lep.: Nymphalidae – Satyrinae)  Scott Gilmore

Wolf spider Pardosa (perhaps lowriei) (Ara.: Lycosidae)  Scott Gilmore

[Thanks to Dr Robb Bennett for the identification.]

    Gordon Hart writes:

Yesterday, Saturday, we did Strawberry Knoll Park, a small oak hillside between Hastings Flats and Courtland Flats off Interurban, and found two Lorquin’s Admirals, one Western Tiger Swallowtail, and at least five Cabbage Whites. At home, we had four Lorquin’s Admirals, one Western Tiger Swallowtail, and a Cabbage White.

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

…and a bee, which shall remain unidentified!

   Here are three insects photographed by Rosemary Jorna, Kemp Lake, July 19.

13-spotted Ladybird Beetle Hippodamus tredecimpunctata (Col.: Coccinellidae) Rosemary Jorna

European Paper Wasp  Polistes dominula (Hym.: Vespidae)  Rosemary Jorna

Toxomerus geminatus (Dip.: Syrphidae)  Rosemary Jorna

   Jochen Möhr sends a photograph of a fly, kindly identified for us by Dr Jeff Skevington:

Meliscaeva cinctella (Dip.: Syrphidae)  Jochen Möhr