2025 August 9 morning
Some recent pictures by Ian Cooper:
Moth Fly (Dip.: Psychodidae) Ian Cooper
Tipula (probably pubera) (Dip.: Tipulidae) Ian Cooper
Arion rufus (Pul.: Arionidae) Ian Cooper
Limax maximus (Pul.: Limacidae) Ian Cooper
Cybaeus signifer (Ara.: Cybaeidae) Ian Coopr
2024 August 8
Ian obtained these six photographs below on August 6 near the 9 km marker in View Royal.
Harvestman (Opiliones) Ian Cooper
Cybaeus signifer (Ara.: Cybaeidae) Ian Cooper
Folding-door spider – Antrodiaetus pacificus (Ara. – Myg.: Antrodiaetidae) Ian Cooper
Running crab spider: Philodromus dispar (Ara.: Philodromidae) Ian Cooper
Pterostichus sp. (Col.: Carabidae) Ian Cooper
Raspberry Weevil – Otiorhynchus singularis (Col.: Curculionidae) Ian Cooper
Marie O’Shaughnessy photographed the beetle below in Outerbridge Park and the bee along Munn Road recently.
Golden Jewel Beetle Buprestis aurulenta (Col.: Buprestidae) Marie O’Shaughnessy
Bombus vancouverensis (Hym.: Apidae) Marie O’Shaughnessy
Steven Roias writes: It’s Bombus vancouverensis. They seem to be outnumbering vosnesenskii this year, or at least at many locales.
2024 August 7
Val George writes: This Palthis angulalis moth was on the wall of my Oak Bay house yesterday morning, August 6.
Palthis angulalis (Lep.: Erebidae – Herminiinae) Ian Cooper
On August 4, Ian Cooper took a series of photographs, along the Galloping Goose trail, of a dome spider Neriene sp. working on her web, occasionally being pestered with intent by a male.
Female dome spider – Neriene sp. (Ara.: Linyphiidae ) Ian Cooper
She was fiddling with a fir needle in her web for some unknown reason.
Same individual, seen in its habitual spot in its dome web
Enlargement of previous picture
I spotted this spider nearby and initially thought it was a random ‘other spider’ in the vicinity. Then realized it was stealthily approaching the dome web and it occurred to me that it may be a male dome spider making his approach to the female dome spider.
Another view of the male, getting closer
This one clearly shows the spider’s prominent male pedipalps, confirming it is indeed a male spider
2024 August 6
The grasshopper below was photographed at Island View Beach during Sunday’s (August 4) VNHS Butterfly Walk. James Miskelly writes: “This is Trimerotropis pallidipennis. On the coast it’s highly associated with sand and it’s a common species at Island View.”
Trimerotropis pallidipennis (Orth.: Acrididae) Aziza Cooper
The moth below was photographed by the Galloping Goose Trail in View Royal on August 4. Libby Avis writes that it is Parabagrotis insularis, a very variable species.
Parabagrotis insularis (Lep.: Noctuidae) Ian Cooper
Marie O’Shaughnessy visited Outerbridge Park on Saturday Aug, 3rd. 2024.
She saw:
5 Cabbage Whites, and two were busy attempting the mating game
11 skippers – I believe most were Woodland Skippers
2 Lorquin’s Admirals
6 Cardinal Meadowhawks
2 Paddle-tailed Darners
3 Striped Meadowhawks
2 Blue Dashers
1 Blue-eyed Darner
She sends these photographs:
Woodland Skipper Ochlodes sylvanoides (Lep.: Hesperiidae) Marie O’Shaughnessy
Cabbage Whites Pieris rapae (Lep.: Pieridae) Marie O’Shaughnessy
I believe (writes Jeremy Tatum) that she is trying to tell him that she is not interested.
She has two spots on her forewing; he has one.
Lorquin’s Admiral Limenitis lorquini (Lep.: Nymphalidae) Marie O’Shaughnessy
Cardinal Meadowhawks Sympetrum illotum (Odo.: Libellulidae) Marie O’Shaughnessy
Striped Meadowhawk Sympetrum pallipes (Odo.: Libellulidae) Marie O’Shaughnessy
Paddle-tailed Darner Aeshna palmata (Odo.: Aeshnidae) Marie O’Shaughnessy
2024 August 5 evening
Here’s another photograph from yesterday’s (August 4) VNHS Butterfly Walk:
Soldier beetles Rhagonycha fulva (Col.: Cantharidae) Aziza Cooper
Val George writes: This moth, Plemyria georgii, was on the wall of the Nature House at Goldstream Park this morning, August 5.
Plemyria georgii (Lep.: Geometridae) Val George
The following were photographed by Ian Cooper last night, August 4, by the Galloping Goose Trail in View Royal near the 9 km marker.
Telphusa sedulitella (Lep.: Gelechiidae) Ian Cooper
Arion rufus (Pul.: Arionidae) Ian Cooper
Drumming Katydid Meconema thalassinum (Orth.: Tettigoniidae) Ian Cooper
Camel Cricket Pristoceuthophilus celatus (Orth.: Rhaphidophoridae) Ian Cooper
Male Eratigena duellica (Ara: Agelenidae) Ian Cooper