2024 July 13 evening

   Ian Cooper photographed this spider along the Galloping Goose trail on July 11:

Eratigena duellica  (Ara.: Agelenidae)  Ian Cooper

   Marie O’Shaughnessy photographed this Robber Fly at Swan Lake on July 12.  It was kindly identified for us by Dr Rob Cannings.

Laphria ventralis  (Dip.: Asilidae)  Marie O’Shaughnessy

Marie spent a short time on Mount Tolmie this afternoon, July 13, and saw:
1 Cabbage White
1 Lorquin’s Admiral
1 Pale Tiger Swallowtail
1 Western Tiger Swallowtail

Jeremy Tatum writes:  Butterflies not yet reported to Invertebrate Alert this year:  Purplish Copper, Woodland Skipper, Pine White.

2024 July 13 morning

   Marie O’Shaughnessy spent an hour at Swan Lake on the morning of July 12, and she reports:

2 Lorquin’s Admirals and 1 Western Tiger Swallowtail
2 Black Saddlebags , 1 Common Green Darner, 2 Blue-eyed  Darners,
20 Blue Dashers,  and 1 Western Pondhawk perched nicely on a stick close to the ground near the parking lot.

Blue Dashers Pachydiplax longipennis (Odo.: Libellulidae)  Marie O’Shaughnessy

Western Pondhawk Erythemis collocata  (Odo.: Libellulidae)  Marie O’Shaughnessy

Jochen Möhr sends photographs of a butterfly and a moth from his Metchosin property, July 12:

Lorquin’s Admiral Limenitis lorquini  (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Jochen Möhr

Male Malacosoma californica  (Lep.: Lasiocampidae)  Jochen Möhr
[From 2024 we are following the ATC, which uses the -ca spelling for this species.]

Ian Cooper writes:  Here are some recent photos taken by the ^ E&N Trail in Esquimalt and the # Galloping Goose Trail 9km marker on July 11 & 12.

^ Leaf-cutter bee (Hym.: Megachilidae)   Ian Cooper

# Crane Fly  Tipula pubera (Dip.: Tipulidae)   Ian Cooper

# Mosquito – Culiseta incidens (Dip.: Culicidae)   Ian Cooper

  Otiorhynchus singularis  (Col.: Curculionidae)   Ian Cooper

2024 July 12 evening

Ian Cooper obtained the following photographs by the E&N Trail and Galloping Goose Trail in the last few days.

Late instar nymph of  Phytocoris tiliae  (Hem.: Miridae)  Ian Cooper

Nymph of Western Conifer Seed Bug  Leptoglossus occidentalis (Hem.: Coreidae)   Ian Cooper

Two-spotted Ladybird   (Col.: Coccinellidae)  Ian Cooper

Steven Roias writes, of the bee below:  She’s very worn but most probably a Bombus fervidus californicus.

Bombus fervidus californicus  (Hym.: Apidae)  Ian Cooper

Ian writes, of the spider below: Tiny crab spider. Smallest I’ve ever seen!

Crab spider  Ozyptila sp.  (Ara.: Thomisidae)  Ian Cooper
Thanks to Dr Robb Bennett for the identification

   Thanks to Libby Avis for the identification of the moth below.  She writes:  They always sit with their wings up like that.

Ceratogalia gueneata  (Lep.: Geometridae)  Ian Cooper

Jochen Möhr photographed “another green one” in Metchosin.  Jochen identifies this one as Nemoria darwiniata.

 Nemoria darwiniata  (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

2024 July 12 morning

   Here is a leaf-cutter bee photographed by Ian Cooper:

Leaf-cutter bee.  Probably Megachile sp. (Hym.: Megachilidae)  Ian Cooper

Aziza Cooper writes:  On July 10, at Tod Creek Flats, there were five Cabbage Whites and one Essex Skipper.   On July 11, at Island View Beach, there were two Cabbage Whites and over 50 Essex Skippers. I went north to the base of Saanichton Spit but didn’t see any other butterfly species.  Aziza sends these photographs:

Essex Skipper Thymelicus lineola  (Lep.: Hesperiidae)    Aziza Cooper

Honey Bee  Apis mellifera  (Hym.: Apidae)  Aziza Cooper

Common Red Soldier Beetle Rhagonycha fulva (Col.: Cantharidae)  Aziza Cooper
Thanks to Charlene Wood for the identification of this beetle.

Chrysoteuchia topiarius  (Lep.: Crambidae)  Aziza Cooper
Thanks to Libby Avis for the identification of this moth.

Kirsten Mills writes:    Jeff Gaskin  and I  were at Outerbridge Park and McIntyre Road reservoir on July 11 and found the following dragonflies  :   At Outerbridge Park we saw 3 Four-spotted Skimmers, 2 Blue Dashers, 3 Blue-eyed Darners and 2 Cardinal Meadowhawks.   At McIntyre Road reservoir, we saw no fewer than 3 Black Saddlebags,  4 Common Green Darners,  6 Blue Dashers,  9 Eight-spotted Skimmers,  7 Blue-eyed Darners, 8 Western Pondhawks, and 3 Cardinal Meadowhawks.  Also, there were at least 20 Tule Bluets.  Jeff also saw a Common Green Darner as well as Blue-eyed Darners, and Blue Dashers at Swan Lake in the morning.  Kirsten sends these photographs.  Note that the Western Pondhawk is perching flat on he ground – one of its characteristic habits.

Western Pondhawk Erythemis collocata (Odo.: Libellulidae) Kirsten Mills

Four-spotted Skimmer Libellula quadrimaculata  (Odo.: Libellulidae) Kirsten Mills

Cardinal Meadowhawk Sympetrum illotum  (Odo.: Libellulidae) Kirsten Mills

Eight-spotted Skimmer Libellula forensis  (Odo.: Libellulidae)  Kirsten Mills