2022 July 17

    Ren Ferguson sends a photograph from Salt Spring Island, July 3, of a pair of Common Emerald moths (a European species well established here) in copula.

Common Emeralds Hemithea aestivaria (Lep.: Geometridae)   Ren Ferguson

John McClarnon sends a photograph of an eyed hawk moth resting on a cement wall in the Highlands this morning.

Smerinthus ophthalmica (Lep.: Sphingidae) John McClarnon

  Jeremy Tatum writes:  The little geometrid moth Idaea dimidiata seems to be quite numerous just now.  There were four of them at the back door of my Saanich apartment building this morning.  Here’s one of them:

Idaea dimidiata (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jeremy Tatum

  Jeremy continues:  This fine animal was in my bath this morning:  It belongs to the Order Zygentoma (formerly Thysanura), or Three-pronged Bristletails.   They are currently in the Class Insecta, though this could change.The Order includes “The” Silverfish Lepisma saccharina, which likes cool places, and “The” Firebrat Thermobia domestica, which likes warm places.  This one is a different but related species, sometimes called the Grey Silverfish or the Grey Firebrat.  Let’s settle here for the scientific name Ctenolepisma longicaudata. 

Ctenolepisma longicaudata (Zyg.: Lepismatidae)  Jeremy Tatum