2023 July 24 evening

Aziza Cooper writes: July 21, on Mount Washington, I saw one Great Arctic, five Hydaspe Fritillaries, two Anise Swallowtails, two Purplish Coppers, one Anna’s Blue and one Silvery Blue.

Silvery Blue Glaucopsyche lygdamus (Lep.: Lycaenidae)
Aziza Cooper

Anna’s Blue Lycaeides anna (Lep.: Lycaenidae)  Aziza Cooper

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

Jeremy Tatum writes:  The butterfly below (a different individual from the one above) presented a bit of a puzzle.  It has little maculation, and a conspicuous a black-and-white chequered fringe.  I had originally labelled it as a Purplish Copper.  Thanks to Val George for pointing out that the conspicuous black-and-white chequered fringe is in fact characteristic of the Mariposa Copper, so I have corrected the label accordingly.

Mariposa Copper Lycaena mariposa (Lep.: Lycaenidae)
Aziza Cooper

Hydaspe Fritillary  Speyeria hydaspe  (Lep.: Nymphalidae)
Aziza Cooper

  Jeremy Tatum writes:  The Great Arctic below further weakens my shaky belief that Great Arctics appear only in even-numbered years.   Our Invertebrate Alerts shed no light on the question – as far as I can see, this is the first report on Invertebrate Alert of a Great Arctic in the years 2015 – 2023.  Perhaps we haven’t been looking hard enough.

Great Arctic  Oeneis nevadensis (Lep.: Nymphalidae – Satyrinae) Aziza Cooper

   Jochen Möhr writes from Metchosin:  This morning a Caripeta  aequaliaria.  I had seen the upper side when I first encountered it, but then, in front of the camera, it would not open its wings again before it flew off.  Sorry about that!

Caripeta  aequaliaria  (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

Caripeta  aequaliaria  (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

2023 July 24 morning

   Ann Nightingale found this beautiful moth on her garden wall in Saanichton, July 20.

Lophocampa roseata (Lep.: Erebidae – Arctiinae)
Ann Nightingale

Lophocampa roseata (Lep.: Erebidae – Arctiinae)
Ann Nightingale

On July 21 Marie O’Shaughnessy saw the following at Government House:
6 Western Tiger Swallowtail
4 Cabbage Whites
1 very worn West Coast Lady
1 Red Admiral

West Coast Lady Vanessa annabella (Lep.: Nymphalidae)
Marie O’Shaughnessy

West Coast Lady Vanessa annabella (Lep.: Nymphalidae)
Marie O’Shaughnessy

Western Tiger Swallowtail Papilio rutulus (Lep.: Papilionidae)  Marie O’Shaughnessy

At 6:30 pm on the same day, she photographed these two butterflies on the top of Mount Tolmie:

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

Red Admiral  Vanessa atalanta (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Marie O’Shaughnessy

2023 July 23

   Jeremy Tatum writes: The last of my current butterfly chrysalides ecloded today – a beautiful Mourning Cloak, which I released in Mount View Park off Carey Road.

While in Parksville recently, Marie O’Shaughnessy photographed the grasshopper below in the same place where she photographed a Sand Wasp (see July 22).   James Miskelly writes:  The grasshopper is a Trimerotropis species. If in the same habitat as Bembix then T. pallidipennis would be a good guess.

 Trimerotropis (probably pallidipennis)  (Orth.: Acrididae)
Marie O’Shaughnessy

Gordon Hart photographed this sand wasp at Maber Flats on July 14:

Bembix (probably americana) (Hym.: Crabronidae)  Gordon Hart

Val George photographed this moth at his Oak Bay home, July 22:

Clemensia umbrata (Lep.: Erebidae – Arctiinae – Lithosiini)
Val George

Simon Côte photographed these three insects at Sooke River Road, July 21.  We are grateful to Scott Gilmore for the identification of the beetle.

                Bee fly (Dip.: Bombyliidae) Simon Côte

Leaf-cutter bee (Hym.: Megachilidae)  Simon Côte

Jochen Möhr photographed these two moths at Metchosin, July 22.

Sicya macularia/crocearia (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

Idaea dimidiata (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

2023 July 22

  Jeff Gaskin writes:  On July 21 on Christmas Hill between 5 and 6 p.m. I saw the following butterflies  :   1 Red Admiral, 3 Painted Ladies, 2 Anise Swallowtails, 1 Lorquin’s Admiral,  3 Western Tiger Swallowtails,  2 Cabbage Whites  and 5 Woodland Skippers.

   Kirsten Mills photographed a Blue Dasher at Gowlland-Tod Park and a Blue-eyed Darner at Francis/King Park parking lot today, July 22.   Thanks to Dr Rob Cannings for the identification of the darner.

Blue Dasher Pachydiplax longipennis (Odo.: Libellulidae)
Kirsten Mills

Female Blue-eyed Darner Rhionaeschna multicolor
(Odo.: Aeshnidae)
Kirsten Mills

Marie O’Shaughnessy writes:  A 90 minute walk around Outerbridge Park revealed

5 Western Tiger Swallowtails (one appeared quite a bit bigger than the rest.   [Jeremy Tatum writes: Females are larger than the males] )
2 Lorquin’s Admirals
12 Cabbage Whites
7 skippers. Woodland  possibly.  [Jeremy Tatum writes: Probably Woodland Skippers at this time of year.]

Dragonflies were scarce.

Four-spotted Skimmer Libellula quadrimaculata
(Odo.: Libellulidae)
Marie O’Shaughnessy

Woodland Skipper Ochlodes sylvanoides  (Lep.: Hesperiidae)  Marie O’Shaughnessy

Marie writes:  Here’s in interesting insect – seen in Parksville the other day when I was up there.

 Sand Wasp Bembix (probably americana)  (Hym.: Crabronidae)  Marie O’Shaughnessy

Jeremy Tatum writes:  The Red Admiral caterpillar shown on July 4 evening produced a gorgeous adult butterfly today.  I released it in Playfair Park.  It was anxious to get out and fly, so it permitted me only a brief underside photograph.

Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta (Lep.: Nymphalidae)
Jeremy Tatum