2023 July 9 morning

   Cheryl Hoyle photographed this Single-dotted Wave at the Goldstream Park Nature House on July 8.

Single-dotted Wave Idaea dimidiata (Lep.: Geometridae)
Cheryl Hoyle

2023 July 8

   We hear from Jeff Gaskin and Kirsten Mills about the numerous dragonflies and butterflies they have been seeing and (Kirsten) photographing:

Jeff writes:
Yesterday, July 7, Kirsten and I were at MacIntyre reservoir and saw a Painted Lady as well as 7 species of dragonflies.  They included a female Variegated Meadowhawk, 4 or 5 Cardinal Meadowhawks, 5 or 6 Western Pondhawks, a Paddle-tailed Darner, some Blue-eyed Darners, a Common Green Darner, and 15 Eight-spotted Skimmers.

Today, July 8, at Swan Lake, I saw 2 Satyr Commas on the trail from the parking lot to the Tuesday Pond.  Also, I had a total of 39 Lorquin’s Admirals, and 9 Western Tiger Swallowtails along the trail around Swan Lake.

Dragonflies seen today, at Swan Lake included the following:   one Black Saddlebags at the south end of the floating boardwalk, a Cardinal Meadowhawk, 2 Eight-spotted Skimmers, lots of Blue Dashers, and a few Blue-eyed Darners.

Kirsten writes:
Jeff Gaskin and I went to MacIntyre Reservoir and the Wallace Road bulb fields yesterday. We saw Blue-eyed Darner, Common Green Darner, Western Pondhawk, Eight-spotted Skimmer, Cardinal Meadowhawk and Variegated Meadowhawk. We also saw Pacific Forktail and Tule Bluets.

Tule Bluet Enallagma carunculatum  (Odo.: Coenagrionidae)  Kirsten Mills

Tule Bluet Enallagma carunculatum  (Odo.: Coenagrionidae)  Kirsten Mills

Common Green Darner Anax junius  (Odo.: Aeshnidae)
Kirsten Mills

Cardinal Meadowhawk  Sympetrum illotum (Odo.: Libellulidae)  Kirsten Mills

Cardinal Meadowhawk  Sympetrum illotum (Odo.: Libellulidae)  Kirsten Mills

Variegated Meadowhawk  Sympetrum corruptum
(Odo.: Libellulidae)
Kirsten Mills

Eight-spotted Skimmer Libellula forensis (Odo.: Libellulidae)  Kirsten Mills

Western Pondhawk  Erythemis collocata (Odo.: Libellulidae)  Kirsten Mills

Jeremy Tatum writes:  The moth below was reared from a caterpillar from Spectacle Lake.  At first glance I thought the adult moth closely resembled Eupithecia annulata.  I am grateful to Libby Avis, who pointed out that it is also a good fit for E. graefii, and that its foodplant (Salal) also suggests E. graefii, which is usually recorded on Ericaceae.

Probably Eupithecia graefii  (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jeremy Tatum

Probably Eupithecia graefii  (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jeremy Tatum

2023 July 7

   Marie O’Shaughnessy writes: Lots of dragonflies at Swan Lake, July 6 morning. A Blue-eyed Darner was hovering nicely . A Black Saddlebags was zooming around, but never at rest. Still many Blue Dashers, and 1 Cardinal Meadowhawk

The most abundant butterfly was the Lorquin’s Admiral (7).  Three Western Tiger Swallowtails, 2 Cabbage Whites.

Blue-eyed Darner Rhionaeschna multicolor  (Odo. Aeshnidae)  Marie O’Shaughnessy

Lorquin’s Admiral  Limenitis lorquini (Lep.: Nymphalidae)
Marie O’Shaughnessy

    Jochen photographed a Lorquin’s Admiral and a female Cabbage White in Metchosin.  How did Jochen know it was a female?  Two black spots on the forewing.  The male has only one.  Will someone photograph a male for us, please, so that we can see the difference?   We also need an adult male Malacosoma disstria.   And a pallida Essex Skipper.

Lorquin’s Admiral  Limenitis lorquini (Lep.: Nymphalidae)
Jochen Möhr

Female Cabbage White  Pieris rapae  (Lep.: Pieridae)  Jochen Möhr

2023 July 6

   No Invert Alert yesterday – computer problems (now cured).  Here are a bunch of photographs received in the meantime.   The Malacosoma californicum moths are the adults of the all-too-familiar orangey-coloured “tent caterpillars”.

   Female Malacosoma californicum (Lep.: Lasiocampidae)
Jochen Möhr

Male Malacosoma californicum (Lep.: Lasiocampidae)
Jochen Möhr

Male Malacosoma californicum (Lep.: Lasiocampidae)  Val George

Common Emerald Hemithea aestivaria  (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

Common Emerald Hemithea aestivaria  (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

Spotted Tiger Moth Lophocampa maculata
(Lep.: Erebidae – Arctiinae)
Val George

Western Pondhawk Erythemis collocata (Odo.: Libellulidae)
Marie O’Shaughnessy

Western Pondhawks Erythemis collocata (Odo.: Libellulidae)  Marie O’Shaughnessy

Western Pondhawks Erythemis collocata (Odo.: Libellulidae)  Marie O’Shaughnessy

Tule Bluets Enallagma carunculatum  (Odo.: Coenagrionidae)  Marie O’Shaughnessy

Eight-spotted Skimmer Libellula forensis (Odo.: Libellulidae)  Marie O’Shaughnessy

Cardinal Meadowhawk Sympetrum illotum  (Odo.: Libellulidae)  Marie O’Shaughnessy

Blue-green Sharpshooter Hordnia atropunctata
(Hem.: Cicadellidae)
Cheryl Hoyle

   Aziza Cooper writes that today, July 6, there was a Milbert’s Tortoiseshell at Tod Creek Flats.

Milbert’s Tortoiseshell Aglais milberti  (Lep.: Nymphalidae)
Aziza Cooper

Milbert’s Tortoiseshell Aglais milberti  (Lep.: Nymphalidae)
Aziza Cooper

Jeff Gaskin writes:  I had a very fresh Mourning Cloak fly by me in Cuthbert Holmes Park this morning, July 6th.

Wanted:  A photo of the forma pallida of the Essex Skipper.   One was seen, but not photographed, during the July 2 Butterfly Walk.  Photographers, please keep a look out for this form.

2023 July 4 evening

   Here’s a newly-emerged Mourning Cloak.  The butterfly was released today in Playfair Park.

Mourning Cloak Nymphalis antiopa  (Lep.: Nymphalidae)
Jeremy Tatum

Here’s a Red Admiral caterpillar, from nettle on the Lochside Trail south of Lohbrunner’s.

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

Cheryl Hoyle photographed three grasshoppers at Trafalgar Park Beach July 3.  James Miskelly writes:  The first two photos are Camnula pellucida. Its common name is Clear-winged Grasshopper. Many grasshoppers have clear wings but this one belongs to a subfamily where most species have coloured wings. The third photo is a Trimerotropis species. We have three local species. This one may be T. fontana, which is most common on rock outcrops.

Camnula pellucida  (Orth.:  Acrididae)  Cheryl Hoyle

Camnula pellucida  (Orth.:  Acrididae)  Cheryl Hoyle

Trimerotropis (possibly fontana) (Orth.: Acrididae) Cheryl Hoyle

Jody Wells photographed two dragonflies at MacIntyre Reservoir on July 3.  The sharp-eyed may notice a pair of bluet damselflies in copula in one of the photographs:

Eight-spotted Skimmer Libellula forensis (Odo.: Libellulidae)
Jody Wells

Black Saddlebags Tramea lacerata (Odo.: Libellulidae)  Jody Wells