2023 December 13

   Val George sends a photograph of an Erannis sp. at Swan Lake, December 11.  The reddish hue arises from a nearby lamp.

Erannis defoliaria/vancouverensis  (Lep.: Geometridae)  Val George

   Jochen Möhr sends photographs of insects posing challenging identification problems, from Metchosin, December 11.

   The first is a Green Lacewing.  Lacewing expert Dr Cara Gibson comments that it’s a beautiful photograph of a beautiful animal, but professional caution says that she needs to examine some tiny detail more closely before identification at the species level – so we’ll leave it at Family level, (Chrysopidae).

Green Lacewing (Neu.: Chrysopidae)  Jochen Möhr

We are not sure, writes Jeremy Tatum, whether the second insect is a small crane fly (Tipulidae) or a winter gnat  (Trichoceridae), so we’ll have to leave it as either/or for now.

Crane fly (Tipulidae) or winter gnat (Trichoceridae) (Diptera)   Jochen Möhr