2019 June 20 afternoon

   Jochen Möhr sends pictures einer Heuhüpfer from Metchosin.

Melanoplus sp.  (Orth.: Acrididae)  Jochen Möhr

Melanoplus sp.  (Orth.: Acrididae)  Jochen Möhr

   Jeff Gaskin writes:  This morning, June 20, I found a fresh Satyr Comma at the University of Victoria just outside Finnerty Gardens near Cedar Hill Cross Road.  Also, at the university were the following  :   16 Lorquin’s Admirals, 1 Painted Lady, 4 Western Tiger Swallowtails, 13 Cabbage Whites, and 1 Essex Skipper.

2019 June 20 morning

   In case you are wondering – there was no June 19 posting.  The invertebrates have been working hard for us, so they took a day off.

   Gordon Hart writes from his Highlands home:  Several of the usual butterflies here, and I saw two Green Commas on Monday. They were quite faded.  I am starting to see Meadowhawks now, and I have attached a photo, I think it is a Red-veined Meadowhawk Sympetrum madidum.

   Bingo! – Rob Cannings writes:  It is S. madidum – a yellow female. You can see the two lateral thoracic stripes. The pattern on the side of the abdomen is also a useful character. In the radial planate area (see wing with clear green behind – find the spindle-shaped field of cells) two of the cells in the middle are doubled – this is a good character, too.

Female Red-veined Meadowhawk Sympetrum madidum (Odo.: Libellulidae) Gordon Hart

   I think this is the spindle-shaped group with the two doubled cells referred to by Dr Cannings:

Sympetrum madidum

  But – a word of caution!  Dr Cannings adds a little later:  I should have said that the doubled radial subplanate cells occur also in S. illotum (sometimes) and S. corruptum, so they are not foolproof. However, their presence in all four wings in Leucorrhinia glacialis is one of the best ways to separate this species from L. proxima.

So now you know!

2019 June 18 afternoon

   Jeff Gaskin writes:  I’ve been doing a few butterfly counts and I just thought I’d pass on to you a few results:

 Today, June 18 in Layritz Park I saw  26 Essex  Skippers, 24 Ringlets, and 2 Lorquin’s Admirals. Along Markham Road and at Quick’s Bottom I saw another Ringlet plus 7 Lorquin’s Admirals, and 2 Western Tiger Swallowtails.

On June 17, at Panama Flats I counted 125 Cabbage Whites, 94 European Skippers, 14 Lorquin’s Admirals, 1 Painted Lady, and 10 Western Tiger Swallowtails.

On June 16, at Swan Lake I saw 27 Lorquin’s Admirals, 4 Cabbage Whites, and 12 Western Tiger Swallowtails.

And finally on June 15 in Cuthbert Holmes Park I saw 3 Cabbage Whites, 5 Essex Skippers, 14 Lorquin’s Admirals, and 2 Western Tiger Swallowtails.

   Val George writes:  This afternoon, June 17, there were 3 Purplish Coppers at Island View Beach (48.582714/-123.372904) (photo of one).  Also there were:  about 10 Lorquin’s Admirals; one Painted Lady; about a dozen Cabbage Whites; 2 Essex Skippers.  Also saw and photographed these two dragonflies:  Western Pondhawk, Erythemis collocata; Cardinal Meadowhawk, Sympetrum illotum.

Male Purplish Copper Lycaena helloides (Lep.: Lycaenidae)  Val George

Western Pondhawk Erythemis collocata (Odo.: Libellulidae) Val George

   Jeremy Tatum notes:  According to Rob Cannings’ book Introducing the Dragonflies of British Columbia and the Yukon, this species “usually perches flat on the ground”.  This individual has evidently read the book.

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

  …and this one, according to the same book, perches “with wings cocked downward”.  Two well-read dragonflies.

2019 June 18 morning

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  I walked a little way along the railway north of Cowichan Station yesterday.  Both sides of the railway have been sprayed with herbicide, doing a very good job of destroying the vegetation there.  In spite of that, I saw a Clodius Parnassian and about 10 Margined Whites.  These were second generation, in which at least the males are absolutely pure immaculate white on both wings, above and below, unlike the early spring generation in which there is some maculation above, and the veins on the underside of the hindwings are heavily emphasized,  Also seen were about half-a-dozen each of Lorquin’s Admiral and Western Tiger Swallowtail, and it seemed every few yards a Common Whitetail dragonfly.

   Jochen Möhr writes from Metchosin:  After five days of NOTHING, which may be even more noteworthy than the two individuals, who kindly volunteered to appear on my wall finally, I got these two, tentatively identified as L. cuneata and Hydriomena sp.  Libby Avis writes:  Hydriomena speciosata, plus agree on Lacinipolia – possibly cuneata again but looks a bit faded, so hard to be certain.

Hydriomena speciosata (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

Lacinipolia (possibly cuneata) (Lep.:  Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr

2019 June 17 evening

   Mike Yip photographed some nice dragonflies in his Nanoose garden, June 16.  Thanks to Rob Cannings for confirming the identifications.

Male Blue Dasher Pachydiplax longipennis (Odo.: Libellulidae)  Mike Yip

Female Eight-spotted Skimmer Libellula forensis (Odo.: Libellulidae)  Mike Yip

   Jeremy Tatum shows a photograph of a caterpillar of the Western Brown Elfin butterfly, from Munn Road, in typical pose with its head buried in a Salal flower.

Western Brown Elfin Incisalia iroides (Lep.: Lycaenidae)  Jeremy Tatum