2024 November 2

   Jeremy Tatum writes that several European Winter Moths were at his Saanich apartment building this morning.  The wing patterns of some Winter Moths are rather bland and featureless (see, for example, October 18); the one below is rather well marked:

Winter Moth Operophtera brumata (Lep.: Geometridae)   Jeremy Tatum

Here are six more from Ian Cooper, October 31.

The first is a very tiny insect, almost certainly a hymenopterous parasitic wasp, which spends its entire immature stages growing inside the egg of another insect, possibly in company with several brothers and sisters.  This one may be parasitoidal in the eggs of a bug, and is possibly Trissolcus

Possibly Trissolcus sp. (Hym.: Scelionidae – Telenomoninae)  Ian Cooper

Male Linyphiid spider (Ara.: Linyphiidae)   Ian Cooper

Rugathodes sexpunctatus  (Ara.: Theridiidae)  Ian Cooper

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

Globose springtail, Dicyrtomina ornata f. saundersi (Collembola – Symphypleona – Dicyrtomidae)
Ian Cooper

Deroceras invadens  (Pul.: Agriolimacidae)  Ian Cooper

2024 November 1 evening

Jeremy Tatum shows a photograph of a Juniper Carpet moth from his Saanich apartment building this morning.

Juniper Carpet Thera juniperata  Jeremy Tatum

Here is a close-up of the face of the caterpillar of Eurois occulta.  Compare with that of N. pronuba shown on October 23 evening, and reproduced again here.

Great Brocade Eurois occulta (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jeremy Tatum

Large Yellow Underwing  Noctua pronuba (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Ian Cooper

2024 November 1 morning

Ian Cooper writes:  Here are six more pre-dawn pictures taken on October 31  at *Colquitz River Park and the #Galloping Goose Trail in View Royal.

*Large Yellow Underwing Noctua pronuba (Lep.: Noctudae)  Ian Cooper

Yellow-bordered Taildropper Prophysaon foliolatum (Pul.: Anadeniidae)  Ian Cooper

*Arion hortensis (Pul.: Arionidae)  Ian Cooper

#Orb weaver, Metellina sp. (possibly M. curtisi) (Ara.: Tetragnathidae)  Ian Cooper

*Harvestmen – Oligolophus tridens  (Opiliones: Phalangiidae)  Ian Cooper

*Female European Earwig  Forficula auricularia  (Derm.: Forficulidae)  Ian Cooper

   Compare the shape of the cerci with those of the male shown on October 25 morning

2024 October 31 morning

Jeremy Tatum writes:  Here is a lateral view of the (by now full grown) caterpillar shown on October 25.  How would you like to find this one in your salad?

Great Brocade Eurois occulta  (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jeremy Tatum

Here are some creatures photographed last night at Colquitz River Park, circa 3 – 4 a.m. by Ian Cooper:

Winter Moth Operophtera brumata  (Lep.: Geometridae)   Ian Cooper

Bark Louse Probably Graphopsocus cruciatus (Psoc.: Stenopsocidae)   Ian Cooper

Female linyphiine spider (Ara.:  Linyphiidae – Linyphiinae)   Ian Cooper

Woodlouse Hunter Spider  Dysdera crocata  (Ara.: Dysderidae)   Ian Cooper

Common Chrysalis Snail  Lauria cylindracea – (Pul.: Lauriidae)   Ian Cooper

Camel Cricket  Pristoceuthophilus celatus (Orth.: Rhaphidophoridae)   Ian Cooper

2024 October 30 evening

More pictures from Ian Cooper’s Oct 28 & 29 photo shoots.

European Sowbug – Oniscus asellus (Isopoda: Oniscidae)  Ian Cooper

Common Rough Woodlouse  Porcellio scaber (Isopoda: Porcellionidae)  Ian Cooper
plus unknown fly

Globose springtail, Dicyrtomina ornata f. saundersi (Collembola – Symphypleona – Dicyrtomidae)
Ian Cooper

Springtail – Orchesella villosa (Coll.: Orchesellidae)  Ian Cooper

Unidentified male linyphiine spider  (Ara.: Linyphiidae – Linyphiinae)

Yellow-bordered Taildropper Prophysaon foliolatum (Pul.: Anadeniidae)