2019 July 26 morning

   Val George sends photographs of two moths at the Goldstream Park Nature House, July 24.  The first seems to be an unusual colour variety of Ipimorpha nanaimo.

Ipimorpha nanaimo (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Val George

Eulithis xylina (Lep.: Geometridae)  Val George

   On July 24, Layla Munger photographed this little syrphid fly in Oak Bay.  It was identified by Dr Jeff Skevington of Ottawa while he was away on holiday in Ecuador!

Sphaerophoria sp. (Dip.: Syrphidae)  Layla Munger

   Dr Skevington also identified, while on holiday in Ecuador, the next two syrphids, photographed by Layla in Oak Bay on July 19:

Female Fazia micrura (Dip.: Syrphidae)  Layla Munger

Eumerus sp. (Dip.: Syrphidae)  Layla Munger

   Jermy Tatum writes:  The Satyr Comma below came from one of the caterpillars found on nettle along Lochside Drive north of Blenkinsop Lake during the rainy Butterfly Walk on July 7.  I released it today in the same place.

Female Satyr Comma Polygonia satyrus (Lep.: Nymphalidae)   Jeremy Tatum

   Jeremy continues:  At 6:00 pm on July 25 there were four Painted Ladies at the top of Mount Tolmie.

2019 July 25

   Lynda Dowling sends a photograph of a California Tortoiseshell from Happy Valley Road, July 23.

California Tortoiseshell Nymphalis californica (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Lynda Dowling

   July 24/25 was a bonanza night for Jochen Möhr in Metchosin, with 40 individual moths of at least 20 species.  Here are a few of them:

Mouse Moth Amphipyra tragopoginis (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr

Herpetogramma (probably thestealis)  (Lep.: Crambidae)  Jochen Möhr

Emmelina monodactyla (Lep.: Pterophoridae) Jochen Möhr

Caripeta aequaliaria (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

Lophocampa argentata (Lep.: Erebidae – Arctiinae) Jochen Möhr

Dasychira grisefacta (Lep.: Erebidae – Lymantriinae) Jochen Möhr

Nemoria darwiniata (Lep.: Geometridae) Jochen Möhr

Neoalcis californiaria (Lep.: Geometridae) Jochen Möhr

Eupithecia graefii (Lep.:  Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

Panthea virginarius (Lep.: Noctuidae) Jochen Möhr

Plemyria georgii   (Lep.: Geometridae) Jochen Möhr

   Layla Munger sends two photographs from Oak Bay,July 24.

Eristalinus aeneus (Dip.: Syrphidae)  Layla Munger

   Thanks to Annie Pang and Lincoln Best for identifying the bee below.

Female Melissodes microsticta (Hym.: Apidae)  Layla Munger

2019 July 24 morning

   Ren Ferguson sends a photograph of a Banded Alder Borer on July 23rd in Burgoyne Bay Provincial Park on Salt Spring Island.

Banded Alder Borer Rosalia funebris (Col.: Cerambycidae)  Ren Ferguson

   Aziza Cooper sends a photograph of a Painted Lady from Sidney Spit (on Sidney Island), where she also saw a Lorquin’s Admiral in the woods there.

Painted Lady Vanessa cardui (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Aziza Cooper

   Cheryl Hoyle sends some photographs from her View Royal garden, July 23:

Acleris gloverana (Lep.: Tortricidae)  Cheryl Hoyle

Green lacewing Chrysoperla sp. (Neu.: Chrysopidae)  Cheryl Hoyle

Xanthippus corallipes (Orth.: Acrididae)  Cheryl Hoyle

Jochen Möhr’s moths in Metchosin this morning:

Biston betularia

Dichagyris variabilis

Homorthodes hanhami

Lacinipolia strigicollis

Nemoria darwiniata

Nadata gibbosa

Sicya crocearia

2019 July 23 evening

   Thanks to Cheryl Hoyle who points out that one of Layle Munger’s pictures of a pentatomid bug nymph on this morning’s posting appears to be the same species as the bug nymph photographed and identified by Terry Thormin in the 2010 August 31 Invertebrate Alert, namely a green stink bug of the genus Chlorochroa.  We have now so labelled it.

  Layla Munger also sent a photograph of a bee, Oak Bay, July 22.  This has now been identified by Annie Pang and Lincoln Best as a male sweat bee Halictus rubicundus.

Halictus rubicundus  (Hym.: Halictidae) Layla Munger

   Bud Logan sends pictures of a horsefly probably of the genus Hybomitra.  As ever, we would be grateful if any viewer can identify it further.

Horse fly Hybomitra sp. (Dip.: Tabanidae)  Bud Logan

Horse fly Hybomitra sp. (Dip.: Tabanidae)  Bud Logan

Horse fly Hybomitra sp. (Dip.: Tabanidae)  Bud Logan

   Bud also sends a picture of an equally fierce-looking tachinid fly.  It seems to be either Hystricia abrupta  or the somewhat similar Paradejeania rutilioides.  If any viewer can shed some light on this, please let us know.

Parasitoidal fly (Dip.: Tachinidae)  Bud Logan

   Jeremy Tatum sends a picture of a caterpillar found on Gumweed at Island View Beach:

Cucullia montanae (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jeremy Tatum

   Jeff Gaskin tells us that Kirsten Mills saw one or more Branded Skippers at Cordova (Saanichton) Spit today.

   Jeremy Tatum checked the Buddleia bush at Finnerty Gardens (UVic) today where he saw five species of butterfly together on July 21.  Today there was just one Cabbage White and one Woodland Skipper.  But, to more than make up for lack of butterflies on that Buddleia bush, there was a magnificent Bedstraw Hawk Moth Hyles gallii hovering in front of the flowers with rapidly beating wings.  Very exciting!  That is the third Bedstraw Hawk Moth reported to Invertebrate Alert this year.

   One more photograph before we close shop for the day.  A snail enjoying a Welsh Poppy at Finnerty Gardens:

Cepaea nemoralis (Pul.:  Helicidae)  Jeremy Tatum

2019 July 23 morning

Jochen Möhr’s moths in Metchosin this morning:

1 Amorbia cuneanum

1 Biston betularia

1 Drepanulatrix secundaria

2 Eulithis xylina

2 Hesperumia latipennis

1 Hesperumia sulphuraria

1 Homorthodes hanhami

3 Lacinipolia strigicollis

1 Lophocampa argentata

1 Nadata gibbosa

2 Nemoria darwiniata

Drepanulatrix secundaria/monicaria (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

Hesperumia latipennis (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  The second of the two pupae found in Gordon Head Road and shown on July 5 ecloded this morning.  I released the moth on Mount Tolmie:

Catocala aholibah (Lep.: Erebidae – Erebinae)  Jeremy Tatum

   Kirsten Mills writes:  Ryan and I were at Mount Washington today, July 22, where we saw several butterflies. Here’s the list: Anise Swallowtail, Western Tiger Swallowtail, Mariposa Copper, Purplish Copper, Anna’s Blue, Boisduval’s Blue, Green Comma, California Tortoiseshell, Milbert’s Tortoiseshell, Painted Lady, Hydaspe Fritillary, Western Meadow Fritillary, and 2 Great Arctics. The California Tortoiseshell was landing on cars at the Paradise Meadows parking lot. The Arctics were near the summit chairlift. This was one of my best days butterfly watching ever.

Great Arctic Oeneis nevadensis (Lep.: Nymphalidae – Satyrinae) Kirsten Mills

Hydaspe Fritillary Speyeria hydaspe (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Kirsten Mills

Hydaspe Fritillaries Speyeria hydaspe (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Kirsten Mills

   Layla Munger sends photographs of two bugs found in Oak Bay, July 22.  Both are immature, so identification may be difficult.  However, the first is a nymph of the pentatomid genus Chlorochroa. I’m not sure even of the Family of the second.  If anyone can help, please do let us know.

Green stink bug nymph Chlorochroa sp.   (Hem.: Pentatomidae)  Layla Munger

Unidentified immature bug  (Hemiptera)  Layla Munger