2023 September 14

Yesterday afternoon, July 13, Kirsten Mills and Jeff Gaskin  saw a rather worn Lorquin’s Admiral in Koksilah River Provincial Park, in the Cowichan Valley.

2023 September 13

    Marie O’Shaughnessy writes:  I was at Martindale,  McIntyre Reservoir, Sept 11th after 4 pm, and saw 2 Variegated Meadowhawks
2 Blue Dashers
1 Cardinal Meadowhawk
1 Blue Dasher
2 Paddletailed Darners

Also 2 Paddletailed Darners along Lamont Road, Martindale .

I saw 3 Cabbage Whites at this location and a further four along Martindale Road.

Marie comments that it has been a good season for Variegated Meadowhawks.  She sends this photograph of one from McIntyre reservoir.

Variegated Meadowhawk Sympetrum corruptum  (Odo.: Libellulidae)  Marie O’Shaughnessy

At Outerbridge Park she saw just two Cabbage Whites and one Paddle-tailed Darner.

She sends a photograph of an Orb-weaver Spider from there, with a wasp as prey.

Araneus diadematus (Ara.: Araneidae)  Marie O’Shaughnessy

2023 September 12 evening

Val George writes:  This morning, September 12, there were two Mouse Moths Amphipyra tragopoginis on the walls of my Oak Bay house.   Here is one of them.

Jeremy Tatum writes:  The three dots forming a narrow triangle identify the species.The caterpillar feeds on various low-growing plants, but is particularly fond of the pappus of Tragopogon.  “Tragopogon” means “Goat’s Beard”.

Mouse Moth Amphipyra tragopoginis  (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Val George

2023 September 12 morning

There was no Invert Alert for September 11.

This almost featureless small green caterpillar, found at Blenkinsop Lake yesterday, at first sight would appear to be almost impossible to identify.  But then we notice that it has only three pairs of midabdominal prolegs, and we immediately think of a snout moth, Hypena sp.  Then we notice that it does in fact have four pairs – although the first pair is much reduced.  Also, the foodplant is not nettle – it is Dogwood Cornus stolonifera.  Yet everything about it still looks like Hypena.  These clues quickly lead us to Hypena bijugalis.

The male and female adults moths are very different.  The female in particular is quite a striking creature.  I am not sure, but I think the caterpillar shown below is a female.

Hypena bijugalis  (Lep.: Erebidae -Hypeninae)      Jeremy Tatum

2023 September 10

  Jeff Gaskin writes:  On September 9,  I was up on Christmas Hill and was quite surprised that the two very worn Red Admirals, and Painted Lady which I saw a week ago were still alive.  I saw them both at 4:30 p.m.   Also, on Nelthorpe Street. I still saw two Woodland Skippers.

Also on September 9 at Swan Lake, the dragonflies I saw from the Founder’s Wharf and the floating boardwalk included the following  :   10 Paddle-tailed Darners, 6 Blue Dashers and 1 Eight-spotted Skimmer.  There was one other Paddle-tailed Darner on Christmas Hill.

Marie O’Shaughnessy writes: This lovely male Variegated Meadowhawk was hawking at the point of  Cattle Point after 3pm, September 8.

Sympetrum corruptum (Odo.: Libellulidae) Marie O’Shaughnessy