2024 October 17

No Invertebrate Alert was issued on October 16.

There were still a few Cabbage Whites flying yesterday.  Jeff Gaskin reported at least four in the Burnside/Gorge community;  Aziza Cooper saw one at Bear Hill Road; and Jeremy Tatum saw one flying over Poplar Avenue, near Mount Tolmie.

Aziza photographed this dragonfly yesterday along Bear Hill Road.

Paddle-tailed Darner  Aeshna palmata  (Odo.: Aeshnidae)  Aziza Cooper

Here is a selection of photographs obtained by Ian Cooper by the Galloping Goose Trail in View Royal on the evening of Oct 14 2024.

First is a linyphiine spider.  This is a large group, whose individual species are very difficult to determine from photographs without close examination of a specimen.  However, Dr Robb Bennett writes, cautiously:  I THINK the female  linyphiine MAY be a Microlinyphia.  M mandibulata is the most common.

Linyphiine spider. Just possibly Microlinyphia  (Ara.:  Linyphiidae –  Linyphiinae)  Ian Cooper

Folding-door spider – Antrodiaetus pacificus (Ara. –  Myg.:   Antrodiaetidae)  Ian Cooper

Araneus diadematus  (Ara.: Araneidae)  Ian Cooper

Callobius pictus (Ara.: Amaurobiidae)   Ian Cooper

Ariolimax columbianus  (Pul.:  Arionidae)  Ian Cooper

Limax maximus  (Pul.: Limacidae)  Ian Cooper

Pterostichus sp.  (Col.: Carabidae)   Ian Cooper

 Common Rough Woodlouse – Porcellio scaber (Isopoda: Porcellionidae)   Ian Cooper

Ian photographed this caterpillar last night at Colquitz River Park:

Noctua pronuba  (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Ian Cooper

2024 October 14

Aziza Cooper writes:

On October 10 at McIntyre reservoir, a fly was on Queen Anne’s Lace.

 
Yellow Dung Fly  Scathophaga stercoraria (Dip.: Scathophagidae)  Aziza Cooper

On October 12, at Jordan River, a fly was on Hairy Cat’s Ear.

Common Drone Fly  Eristalis tenax  (Dip.: Syrphidae)  Aziza Cooper

2024 October 13

Jeff Gaskin writes:   Today, I saw the following butterflies :  Two Cabbage Whites  one at Tillicum Centre, and one on Nelthorpe Street just north of Swan Lake.  The Painted Lady was still at the top of Christmas Hill on the north summit.  It appeared there at precisely 2:28 p.m.

Kirsten Mills did even better than I did.  Her best butterfly was a Mourning Cloak seen on Mann Avenue in Saanich.  She saw a total of 13 Cabbage Whites from Mann Avenue to Glanford Road then along Mckenzie Avenue to Quadra Street then to the Pat Bay highway and then to McKenzie Avenue to finally North Dairy Road where she lives. On each one of those streets she saw two Cabbage Whites, with the exception of North Dairy Road where she only saw one.

Jeremy Tatum writes:  I saw no Cabbage Whites today, but I saw four Autographa californica moths flying around at McIntyre Reservoir at about 4:00 pm

2024 October 12

Jeff Gaskin writes:   Today was a great day for butterflies.  I found a Painted Lady at the top of Christmas Hill at 2:45 p.m. on the north summit.  The rest of my butterflies were Cabbage Whites but yet I found four of them.  One was along Saanich Road where it meets up with the Lochside trail near Lodge Avenue and the other three were in the Burnside/Gorge community.

Aziza Cooper writes:  On a drive today, coming back from Jordan River, I saw two white butterflies, a Cabbage White along Highway 1 east of Tillicum Road, and one crossing Sooke Road near the traffic light at the town centre. The second one could have been a Pine White, but my view was very brief.

At Jordan River today, Colin Veerkamp told me he saw a Purplish Copper briefly. Val George saw a butterfly which may have been the same one. Colin also told me he saw up to 15 Purplish Coppers at the Cowichan Bay Dock Road “about a month ago”. He had excellent photos.

Jeremy Tatum reports a single Cabbage White at Carey Road today.

Ian Cooper found a full-grown caterpillar of a Peppered Moth in View Royal today.  On being supplied with some sterilized potting soil, the caterpillar promptly buried itself prior to pupation before a photograph could be taken.