2024 May 23

On May 22, Marie O’Shaughnessy photographed two dragonflies at Outerbridge Park.  First, a California Darner:

 California Darner Rhionaeschna californica  (Odo.: Aeshnidae)
Marie O’Shaughnessy

   Most of the dragonflies (Anisoptera) that have appeared on this site have belonged to one or other of the two Families Aeshnidae and Libellulidae. Only occasionally is another Family represented.  It is nice, therefore to see the following photograph, by Marie, of a representative of the Corduliidae:

American Emerald  Cordulia shurtleffii  (Odo.: Corduliidae) Marie O’Shaughnessy

American Emerald  Cordulia shurtleffii  (Odo.: Corduliidae) Marie O’Shaughnessy

Jeff Gaskin writes:  There was a Propertius Duskywing on the way up Christmas Hill this morning, May 23.  It was the only butterfly I saw on the hill.

Aziza Cooper writes: Today, May 23, in the Sooke Hills Wilderness Regional Park on the Townsend’s Trail, I found one Cedar Hairstreak. There were also about 50 Western Spring Azures on the high elevation trails.

Cedar Hairstreak  Callophrys gryneus  (Lep.: Lycaenidae)   Aziza Cooper

   Aziza continues: On May 23, I could not find any butterflies at the lupin site near the Trans Canada overpass at Island Highway and the east end of Atkins Road. Along the Island Highway was one Pale Tiger Swallowtail.

On May 22, about 6 pm on Mount Tolmie, there were two Painted Ladies.

Painted Lady  Vanessa cardui  (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Aziza Cooper

2024 May 23 morning

   Here’s a moth that emerged from a pupa given to Jeremy Tatum from a garden in Victoria.

Large Yellow Underwing Noctua pronuba (Lep.: Noctuidae)
Jeremy Tatum

Marie O’Shaughnessy sends a photograph of a tent caterpillar from Outerbridge Park:

Malacosoma californica (Lep.: Lasiocampidae)  Marie O’Shaughnessy

   The spellings  –ica and -icum may be found in various sources.  We follow here the ATC spelling -ica.

2024 May 22

   After finding a caterpillar of Plutella xylostella in his caulifower a few days ago (see the moth that emerged from this in the May 19 posting), Ian Cooper found an adult moth in his house a few days later.

Plutella xylostella  (Lep.: Plutellidae)  Ian Cooper

Plutella xylostella  (Lep.: Plutellidae)  Ian Cooper

2024 May 21

Jeremy Tatum writes:  During the May 10 -12 Insect Bioblitz in Upland Park, I found a young caterpillar.  It has grown since then, and is now large enough to identify.  Here it is – it is Tetracis jubararia:

Tetracis jubararia (Lep.: Geometridae)   Jeremy Tatum

Marie O’Shaughnessy photographed a Painted Lady near the Jeffrey Pine at the top of Mount Tolmie on May 20.

Painted Lady Vanessa cardui   (Lep.:  Nymphalidae)   Marie O’Shaughnessy

Painted Lady Vanessa cardui   (Lep.:  Nymphalidae)   Marie O’Shaughnessy

Although there seem to have been few butterflies in the immediate vicinity of Victoria in the last few days, things were better during the May 20 VNHS cycling tour from Sooke Potholes to Leechtown, from which we have received indirect reports of Western Spring Azures, a Western Pine Elfin and various tiger swallowtails, commas and tortoiseshells.  We also heard reports of two possible Milbert’s Tortoiseshells from Hornby Island.  And Geoffrey Newell photographed a Milbert’s Toroiseshell at Maber Flats.  See
https://www.flickr.com/photos/139530418@N08/53737240141/

Ian Cooper went out in the middle of the night last night to photograph some invertebrates, and he got caught in heavy rain, which did not stop.  This did not deter him, and he carried on to get several photographs, including the ones below.

Clubiona sp. (Ara.: Clubionidae)  Ian Cooper

Probably Rugathodes sexpunctatus (Ara.: Theridiidae)   Ian Cooper

Probably Cybaeus sp. (Ara.: Cybaeidae)   Ian Cooper

Protolophus sp. (Opiliones: Protolophidae)   Ian Cooper

Weevil  (Col.: Curculionidae)  Ian Cooper
Identification pending – watch this space!

2024 May 20

   Val George writes:  This Cardinal Meadowhawk was at Swan Lake this afternoon, May 20 – first meadowhawk I’ve seen this year.  [It is the first libellulid reported to Invert Alert this year – Jeremy Tatum]

Cardinal Meadowhawk  Sympetrum illotum (Odo.: Libellulidae)   Val George