2018 June 24

 

   Val George writes:  Yesterday afternoon, June 23, there were many dragonflies frequenting the water edges at Swan Lake.  As well as the usual darners, there were several dozen Blue Dashers Pachydiplax longipennis, at least a dozen Cardinal Meadowhawks Sympetrum illotum, two

 8-spotted Skimmers Libellula forensis, and several Pacific Forktails Ischnura cervula. A few photos are attached.

 

Blue Dasher Pachydiplax longipennis (Odo.: Libellulidae)  Val George

 

 

Cardinal Meadowhawk Sympetrum illotum (Odo.: Libellulidae)  Val George

 

Eight-spotted Skimmer Libellula forensis (Odo.: Libellulidae)  Val George

 

   Jeremy Tatum sends photographs of a bug and the cocoon of a moth:

 

Rough Stink Bug Brochymena affinis (Hem.: Pentatomidae)  Jeremy Tatum

 

Behrensia conchiformis (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jeremy Tatum

 

   Jeremy Tatum  writes:   Bill Savale and I went to the railway line north of Cowichan Station today, and we saw several Margined Whites.  Some had a small grey spot in the middle of the forewing upperside.  I believe these are females. Some were completely white with no maculation at all; these, I believe, are males.  None had the veins on the underside of the hindwings emphasized.  I believe the veins are emphasized with dark scales in the earlier generation in the year.   We saw no blues, doubtless because it was cloudy.  I would be very interested if any observers went to that area looking for blues, and to confirm (or otherwise!) that they are Western Tailed Blues.

 

  Yesterday evening there were Painted Ladies and a Red Admiral at the top of Mount Tolmie.  These two species have been seen hill-topping in the evenings in recent days on the tops of Christmas Hill and Mount Douglas.  Would some observer like to check out Highrock Hill in Esquimalt to see if there any hill-toppers there in the late afternoon or evening?