2025 June 30 morning
Kirsten Mills writes: Yesterday, June 29, Jeff Gaskin and I went to Kinsol Trestle. On the trail from the parking lot to the trestle we saw Pale and Western Tiger Swallowtail, Lorquin’s Admiral, Satyr Comma, and Cabbage White butterflies, and a Common Whitetail dragonfly. Here are photographs of two of these.
Satyr Comma Polygonia satyrus (Lep.: Nymphalidae) Kirsten Mills
Male Common Whitetail Plathemis lydia (Odo.: Libellulidae) Kirsten Mills
2025 June 29
Bruce Whittington found these Mountain Ash Sawfly larvae on June 28 on Mountain Ash in Ladysmith.
Pristiphora geniculata (Hym.: Tenthredinidae) Bruce Whittington
2025 June 28 morning
Dun Skippers: JeremyTatum writes: I have not done a thorough search of recent Dun Skipper sightings (and probably shan’t do so) but I have found a few sightings in addition to Aziza’s sighting on June 25 this year. Thus:
2016: June 9, one on the Malahat. June 26, two at Spectacle Lake and one on Nanaimo River Road.
2018: June 27, one, Gordon’s Highlands home,
2020: June 28, one, Kinsol Trestle Bridge, and one, Nanoose.
Aziza’s June 25 sighting this year is still a significant one.
A rather less rare lepidopteran is the ubiquitous moth below, photographed this morning at my Saanich apartment.
Idaea dimidiata (Lep.: Geometridae) Jeremy Tatum
2025 June 25
Aziza Cooper writes: Today, June 25, along the Galloping Goose trail near the Sooke Potholes Park, I saw:
Pale Tiger Swallowtail – 3
Lorquin’s Admiral – 6
Blue species – 1
Dun Skipper – 1
Jeremy Tatum writes: I have not done a thorough search of Dun Skipper records, but from InvertAlert records, there were no reports of Dun Skipper in the Southern Vancouver Island Birdwatching Area in the years 2015 to 2024 inclusive. This is a great finding.
Dun Skipper Euphyes vestris (Lep.: Hesperiidae) Aziza Cooper
Pale Tiger Swallowtail Pterourus eurymedon (Lep.: Papilionidae) Aziza Cooper
Jeremy Tatum sends a photograph of a Satyr Comma butterfly, which emerged from its chrysalis today and was released in a nettle patch near to the Famous Fence on Lochside Trail, from where the caterpillar came. With luck you may still see it near there tomorrow (June 26) The complicated scribbly pattern on the underside of the wings shows that this is a male. The female has much more uniform less scribbly undersides.
Male Satyr Comma Polygonia satyrus (Lep.: Nymphalidae) Jeremy Tatum
2025 June 24 morning
Aziza Cooper writes: On June 23 at Mount Tolmie at about 3 pm, there were:
Western Tiger Swallowtail – 2
Pale Tiger Swallowtail – 1
Lorquin’s Admiral – 5
Red Admiral – 1
Cabbage White – 2
Painted Lady – 2
Painted Lady Vanessa cardui (Lep.: Nymphalidae) Aziza Cooper
Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta (Lep.: Nymphalidae) Aziza Cooper
Western Tiger Swallowtail Pterourus rutulus (Lep.: Papilionidae) Aziza Cooper
Jeremy Tatum writes: This small moth was on the wall of my Saanich apartment this morning, June 24. I cannot tell which of two similar species of Oegoconia it is.
Oegoconia novimundi/deauratella (Lep.: Autostichidae)
Jeremy Tatum
2025 June 20
Here are some photographs from Ian Cooper’s Solstice photoshoot at Colquitz River Park.
Limax maximus (Pul.: Limacidae) Ian Cooper
Female Western Earwig Forficula dentata (Derm.: Forficulidae)
Ian Cooper
Medetera sp. (Dip.: Dolichopodidae) Ian Cooper
Protolophus niger (Opiliones: Protolophidae) Ian Cooper
Enoplognatha ovata (Ara.: Theridiidae) Ian Cooper
With prey – another spider?
Woodlouse Hunter Spiders (in copula) Dysdera crocata
(Ara.: Dysderidae)
Ian Cooper
Male Woodlouse Hunter Spider Dysdera crocata
(Ara.: Dysderidae)
Ian Cooper
Privet Leafhopper Fieberiella florii (Hem.: Cicadellidae) Ian Cooper
Here’s a selection of photographs by Aziza Cooper taken locally in the last few days.
Choristoneura rosaceana (Lep.: Tortricidae) Aziza Cooper
A first report of the year of an Essex Skipper, from Maber Flats:
Essex Skipper Thymelicus lineola (Lep.: Hesperiidae)
Aziza Cooper
Ants at Swan Lake (Hym.: Formicidae) Aziza Cooper
Misumena vatia (Ara.: Thomisidae) Aziza Cooper
Strophiona (probably tigrina) (Col.: Cerambycidae) Aziza Cooper
Identified by Scott Gilmore
2025 June 19
Ian Cooper writes: Here is another selection of fascinating creatures observed during my very productive June 15 photoshoot along the Galloping Goose Trail in View Royal, near Talcott Road.
Armadillidium vulgare (Isopoda: Armidillidiidae) Ian Cooper
Limax maximus (Pul.: Limacidae) Ian Cooper
Protolophus niger (Opiliones: Protolophidae) Ian Cooper
Camponotus vicinus (Hym.: Formicidae) Ian Cooper
Hedya nubiferana (Lep.: Tortricidae) Ian Cooper
Pactopus hornii (Col.: Throscidae) Ian Cooper
Thanks to Scott Gilmore for the identification
Marie O’Shaughnessy has been seeing a lot of dragonfly larval exuviae recently, so she is now photographing some of them in the hopes that someone might be able to identify them from photographs. Dr Rob Cannings is bravely attempting to do just that. Here is one that Marie photographed on June 13 at Outerbridge Park. Dr Cannings writes: This one is almost certainly a Rhionaeschna. My guess would be R. multicolor, but I can’t be sure.
Rhionaeschna sp. exuvia (Odo.: Aeshnidae) Marie O’Shaughnessy
2025 June18 evening
Here are a damselfly from Beaver Lake, June 10, and two dragonflies from Swan Lake, June 11, photographed by Aziza Cooper.
Probably Western Forktail Ischnura perparva (Odo.:Coenagrionidae)
Aziza Cooper
Female Blue Dasher Pachydiplax longipennis (Libellulidae)
Aziza Cooper
Male Cardinal Meadowhawk Sympetrun illotum (Odo.:Libellulidae)
Aziza Cooper
Aziza also photographed this bee from the Goldstream railroad tracks on June 15:
Halictus rubicundus (Hym.: Halictidae) Aziza Cooper
2025 June 18 afternoon
More photographs from Ian Cooper’s June 15 photoshoot
Banana slug Ariolimax columbianus (Pul.: Arionidae) Ian Cooper
Raspberry Weevil Otiorhynchus singularis (Col.: Curculionidae) Ian Cooper
Rove beetle Quedius sp. (Col.: Staphylinidae) Ian Cooper
Thanks to Charlene Wood for the identification.
Ceratogalia gueneata (Lep.: Geometridae) Ian Cooper
Jumping Bristletail Pedetontus sp. (Archaeognatha:Machilidae)
Ian Cooper
Clubiona sp. (Ara.: Clubionidae) Ian Cooper
2025 June 17
There was no posting on June 16.
Here are more recent photographs from Ian Cooper, June 15, Galloping Goose Trail.
Bombus fervidus californicus (Hym.: Apidae) Ian Cooper
Thanks to Steven Roias for the identification of this one.
Ian found this spider in his bathroom on June 15. He put it outside and photographed it there.
Scotophaeus blackwalli (Ara.: Gnaphosidae) Ian Cooper
Elachista sp. (Lep.: Elachistidae) Ian Cooper
Aziza Cooper writes:
On June 15, at Goldstream Heights, there were:
Pale Tiger Swallowtail – 2
Western Spring Azure – 1
Blue sp. – 5
Western Tiger Swallowtail – 1
Cedar Hairstreak – 1
Hairstreak sp., very worn – 1
Also on June 15, at the railroad tracks near Goldstream campground:
Pale Tiger Swallowtail – 3
Cabbage White – 2
Cedar Hairstreak – 5
Western Spring Azure – 1
Blue sp. – 2
Aziza sends these photographs:
Probably Ceratina sp.: (Hym.: Apidae) Aziza Cooper
Cedar Hairstreak Callophrys gryneus (Lep.: Lycaenidae)
Aziza Cooper
Possibly rather worn Cedar Hairstreak Callophrys gryneus
(Lep.: Lycaenidae)
Aziza Cooper
Pale Tiger Swallowtail Pterourus eurymedon (Lep.: Papilionidae) Aziza Cooper
Adela septentrionella (Lep.: Adelidae) Aziza Cooper
Invert Sightings 