Invertebrate Alert – Page 85 – Victoria Natural History Society

2023 August 16

2023 August 16

Jeff Gaskin writes:

Today, August 16, I saw a Lorquin’s Admiral on Lochside Drive south of Lohbrunner Road or about 50 metres north of the famous fence.

Cheryl Hoyle sends photographs of some bugs from View Royal:

Probably Euschistus conspersus (Hem.: Pentatomidae)
Cheryl Hoyle

Banasa dimiata (Hem.: Pentatomidae) Cheryl Hoyle

Graphocephala fennahi (Hem.: Cicadellidae) Cheryl Hoyle

On August 15 Jochen Möhr wrote:

Looks like the Creator perceived my disappointment and sent a few more lepidoptera my way:

This morning:
1 Tolype distincta, and three Emeralds, which I would identify as
2 Campea perlata and
1 Nemoria darwiniata.

There was also definitely one Callizzia amorata, but it was gone by the time I got hold of my camera. This evening, there were also at least two Alucita montana, which again I was unable to record.

Campaea perlata (L) and Nemoria darwiniata (R)
(Lep.: Geometridae)
Jochen Möhr

Campaea perlata (Lep.: Geometridae) Jochen Möhr

Tolype distincta (Lep.: Lasiocampidae) Jochen Möhr

On August 16, Jochen continues:

This morning, yesterday’s Tolype distincta was still there. Plus a Pyrausta perrubralis and an Alucita montana outside my window, hence photographed from the underside. And finally two Spargania magnoliata.

Pyrausta perrubralis (Lep.: Crambidae) Jochen Möhr

Alucita montana underside (Lep.: Alucitidae) Jochen Möhr

Spargania magnoliata (Lep.: Geometridae) Jochen Möhr

2023 August 15

2023 August 15

Jeff Gaskin writes:

Yesterday, August 14, I went up to Christmas Hill. For about 45 minutes after reaching the top I saw nothing. Then the butterflies started to appear just before 6 p.m. First, I saw a Painted Lady and then two more Painted Ladies showed up, and then finally at 6:15 p.m. the butterfly I was waiting for showed up, a Red Admiral.

Today, August 15, I saw just three species of butterflies at Swan Lake. They included a Lorquin’s Admiral, still in pretty good condition near the floating board walk, 31 Woodland Skippers, 30 of them were on asters which were newly planted on Nelthorpe Street. and three Cabbage Whites.

The dragonflies I saw at Swan Lake included at least three Black Saddlebags. The others included a dozen or more Blue Dashers, a Western Pondhawk, four Eight-spotted Skimmers, a few Paddle-tailed Darners, and some Blue-eyed Darners.

Gordon Hart writes:

We had at least two Pine Whites yesterday here at home in the Highlands, Monday August 14, nectaring on a white Hydrangea. There was also a Lorquin’s Admiral and a few Woodland Skippers. The previous day, Sunday, August 13, we visited the Horticultural Centre of the Pacific (HCP) Gardens, and saw a Black Saddlebags and some Tule Bluets in the pond by the Japanese Garden. In a flowering bush nearby, amongst the Woodland Skippers and bumble bees, mostly Yellow-faced Bees B. vosnosenskii, there was a Western Conifer Seed Bug Leptoglossus occidentalis, and a long-horned bee Melissodes sp., carrying pollen on its hind legs.

Long-horned Bee Melissodes sp. (Hym.: Apidae) Gordon Hart

Male Pine White Neophasia menapia (Lep.: Pieridae)
Gordon Hart
(plus small bee if you look carefully)

Western Conifer Seed Bug Leptoglossus occidentalis
(Hem.: Coreidae)
Gordon Hart

Aziza Cooper writes: On Sunday, Aug. 13, at Swan Lake there was a large grasshopper [kindly identified for us by James Miskelly as a Two-striped Grasshopper Melanoplus bivittatus] and some big globe-like webs [Fall Webworm] in a cottonwood tree. At Mount Tolmie in the late afternoon there were two Painted Ladies and one Red Admiral.

On Monday, Aug. 14, at McIntyre reservoir there was an insect on Queen Anne’s Lace (Wild Carrot).

Today, Aug. 15, at the trail north of Blenkinsop Lake there was one Western Tiger Swallowtail and three Cabbage Whites.

Melanoplus bivittatus (Orth.: Acrididae) Aziza Cooper

Possibly Halictus sp. (Hym.: Halictidae) Aziza Cooper

Fall Webworm Hyphantria cunea (Lep.: Erebidae – Arctiinae) Aziza Cooper

2023 August 14

2023 August 14

Jeff Gaskin writes: Kirsten Mills just told me that at Beckwith Park today, August 14, she saw a very late Pale Tiger Swallowtail. The dragonflies she saw included : 3 Black Saddlebags, a Common Green Darner, 5 Blue Dashers, and 2 Blue-eyed Darners.

2023 August 13

2023 August 13

Here is another of the moths that Val George photographed at his Oak Bay house yesterday (August 12):

Plemyria georgii (Lep.: Geometridae) Val George

Mike McGrenere photographed this caterpillar and the dragonflies at McIntyre reservoir today, August 13:

Virginia Ermine Spilosoma virginica (Lep.: Erebidae – Arctiinae) Mike McGrenere

Common Green Darners Anax junius (Odo.: Aeshnidae) Mike McGrenere

Kirsten Mills photographed this dragonfly at Muir Creek August 11, identified by Dr Rob Cannings and Jeremy Gatten as a Shadow Darner:

Shadow Darner Aeshna umbrosa (Odo.: Aeshnidae) Kirsten Mills.

Aziza Cooper reports that, at the top of Mount Tolmie at 6:30 this evening, were two Painted Ladies and a Red Admiral.

2023 August 12

2023 August 12

Marie O’Shaughnessy writes that there were two Painted Ladies and a Red Admiral on the top of Mount Tolmie at 5:30 on August 10 – and Jeremy Tatum found the same three at the same time on August 11. And on August 12, at 5:00 pm, Aziza Cooper saw two Painted Ladies still there.

Ron Flower writes: At Island View Beach back field we saw 2 Ringlets and 1 Lorquin’s Admiral. Then at McIntyre Reservoir we saw 2 maybe 3 Purplish Coppers on the east side of reservoir. August 11.

Aziza Cooper photographed one of the Purplish Coppers, as well as an interesting moth, which Libby Avis kindly identified as Loxostege munroeales – a crambid described as recently as 2005.

Male Purplish Copper Lycaena helloides (Lep.: Lycaenidae)
Aziza Cooper

Loxostege munroealis (Lep.: Crambidae) Aziza Cooper

Gordon Hart sends a photograph of a pair of Tule Bluets at McIntyre Reservoir, August 11.

Tule Bluets Enallagma carunculatum (Odo.: Coenagrionidae) Gordon Hart

Val George sends photographs of moths (ready identified for me!) from his Oak Bay house, August 12.

Small Magpie Moth Anania hortulata (Lep.: Crambidae)
Val George

Autographa californica (Lep.: Noctuidae – Plusiinae) Val George

Marie O’Shaughnessy photographed the dragonfly below at McIntyre Reservoir, August 11. From the dorsal photograph alone, Dr Rob Cannings wrote: Some other angles would have been nice (face, side of thorax), but it’s a pretty photo. I think it’s an Aeshna umbrosa (a blue occidentalis form) mainly because the tenth segment is all dark (no spots). The blue abdominal spots are large for the average umbrosa, though, so I had to think a lot about it. Anyway, in my experience, these spots can be almost as big in the “occidentalis” form, as they are in other species — in general, these spots in umbrosa are smaller than in others.

Shadow Darner Aeshna umbrosa (Odo.: Aeshnidae)
Marie O’Shaughnessy

Marie promptly obliged and provided the additional photographs below, which enabled Dr Cannings to write: Yes, these photos confirm that this is a female Aeshna umbrosa. The pale blue-green face with a light brown line across it and the lateral thoracic stripe — narrow, straight and outlined in dark colour. Lovely photos showing oviposition.

We thank Dr Cannings for the trouble he took to make this tricky determination.

Shadow Darner Aeshna umbrosa (Odo.: Aeshnidae)
Marie O’Shaughnessy