2024 October 30 morning

More pictures from Ian Cooper’s Oct 28 & 29 photo shoots.
We start with a difficult bug, which Charlene Wood managed to track down to tribal level.  She writes:  “This is a mirid – in the Dicyphini tribe. Elongate with base of scutellum exposed. ”   While we cannot be certain beyond this, it seems probable that this is Dicyphus hesperus.

Probably Dicyphus hesperus (Hem.: Miridae – Bryocorinae – Dicyphini)  Ian Cooper

Leptobunus parvulus (Opiliones: Phalangiidae)   Ian Cooper

Araneus diadematus (Ara.: Araneidae) Ian Cooper

Common Rough Woodlouse  Porcellio scaber (Isopoda: Porcellionidae)
and Grey Field Slug  Deroceras reticulatum (Pul.: Agriolimacidae)
Ian Cooper

Banana slug  Ariolimax columbianus (Pul.: Arionidae)   Ian Cooper

Limax maximus (Pul.: Limacidae)   Ian Cooper

2024 October 29

   Jeff Gaskin writes:    I saw a Painted Lady again at the north summit of Christmas Hill at approximately 2:20 p.m. today. It was still there at 2:30 p.m. when I left.  Two Cabbage Whites to report.  One was on Maddock Avenue near Qu’Appelle Street the Gorge area, and the other Cabbage White to report was seen by Kirsten Mills behind Hillside Centre.

Here are some pictures from Ian Cooper’s latest photo shoot in View Royal – October29.

Pacific Sideband Snail  Monadenia fidelis  (Pul.: Xanthonychidae)   Ian Cooper

   This snail has been placed in the past in the Family Bradybaenidae, or Monadeniidae, but these Family names are no longer used, and the snail is now placed in Xanthonychidae.   It also at one time bore the name Faithful Snail.

Robust Lancetooth Snail  Haplotrema vancouverense (Pul.: Haplotrematidae.)   Ian Cooper

Northwest Hesperian Vespericola columbianus (Pul.: Polygyridae)
 or Pygmy Oregonian Cryptomastix germana (Pul.: Polygyridae)
Ian Cooper

Flat-backed Millepede  Scytonotus sp. (Diplopoda:  Polydesmidae)   Ian Cooper

Elongate-bodied springtail Tomocerus sp. (Collembola – Tomoceridae)   Ian Cooper

Jumping bristletail Pedetontus (possibly saltator) (Microcoryphia:  Machilidae)   Ian Cooper

2024 October 28

   Val George writes:  This morning, October 28, there were three Autumnal Moths Epirrita autumnata on the walls of the Nature House at Goldstream Park.   [Dead on time!, writes Jeremy Tatum.]

Autumnal Moth Epirrita autumnata   (Lep.: Geometridae)  Val George

Jeff Gaskin writes:   Today, October 28th, Kirsten Mills saw a Cabbage White on Kings Road between Blanshard Street and Quadra Street, Victoria.

Ian Cooper writes:   Here are six pictures from my overnight photoshoot at View Royal near the 9 km marker.

Snail-eating Beetle  Scaphinotus angusticollis (Col.: Carabidae)  Ian Cooper

Ground Beetle  Pterostichus sp. (Col.: Carabidae)  Ian Cooper

Harvestman, probably Leptobunus parvulus (Opiliones: Phalangiidae)  Ian Cooper

Female Araneus diadematus (Ara.: Araneidae)  Ian Cooper

Yellow-Bordered Taildropper – Prophysaon foliolatum (Pul.: Arionidae)  Ian Cooper

Banded Garden Snail  Cepaea nemoralis (Pul.: Helicidae)  Ian Cooper

2024 October 27 morning

   More October 25 predawn pictures by Ian Cooper from Colquitz River Park.

Springtail Orchesella villosa (Coll.: Orchesellidae)   Ian Cooper

Globose Springtail, Dicyrtomina minuta f. saundersi  (Coll.: Dicyrtominidae)   Ian Cooper

Globose Springtail, Dicyrtomina minuta f. saundersi  (Coll.: Dicyrtominidae)   Ian Cooper

Common Striped Woodlouse Philoscia muscorum (Isopoda: Oniscidae)   Ian Cooper

Unidentified Nematoceran fly. (Dip. – Nematocera)   Ian Cooper

Long-jawed orb weaver – (Ara.: Tetragnathidae)   Ian Cooper

2024 October 25

Jeremy Tatum writes: Here’s a dorsal view of the caterpillar shown in yesterday’s posting:

Lesser Yellow Underwing Noctua comes (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jeremy Tatum

Ian Cooper sends some photographs from this morning’s visit to Colquitz River Park (Oct 25 2024).

Cybaeus signifer (Ara.: Cybaeidae)  Ian Cooper

Long-jawed Orb Weaver – (Ara.: Tetragnathidae)  Ian Cooper

Clubiona sp.  (Ara.: Clubionidae)  Ian Cooper

European Sowbug Oniscus asellus (Isopoda: Oniscidae)  Ian Cooper

European Earwig  Forficula auricularia  (Order Dermaptera)  Ian Cooper

The highly-curved cerci show that this is a male.

 Noctua pronuba caterpillar (Lep.: Noctuidae) with a Deroceras invadens– (Pul.: Agriolimacidae)
Ian Cooper

This was a bizarre sight: The slug had evidently climbed up the caterpillar’s back and appeared to be interested in nibbling its head.  Very strange!