Author: tatumjb352

2025 August 30 afternoon

  
   Aziza Cooper writes:   On August 29, this moth was on a car at Salsbury Way.

Neoalcis californiaria   (Lep.: Geometridae)  Aziza Cooper

   Ian Cooper writes:  Here are six more pictures from my August 27 photo shoot in View Royal. 

   I’ve been seeing quite a few Callobius pictus spiders around as well as many Araneus diadematus spiders, including observing some male and female mating ‘engagement’ behaviour. For example, noticing a male and female Araneus diadematus on the same plant and watching them slowly edge close to each other and eventually begin to play ‘footsies’ while still keeping some distance. Also seeing the same two spiders remaining in close proximity on the same plant over a couple of days, as if they had become a live-in couple sharing the same web (to be clear, not an ‘orb’ construction). I suppose someone who has studied these spiders’ behaviour closely would know about such mating dynamics, but to me it was both fascinating and bit of a revelation to see the two relating to each other and also remaining close over time.

Anyphaena aperta (Ara.: Anyphaenidae)  Ian Cooper

Callobius pictus (Ara.: Amaurobiidae)  Ian Cooper

Male Cross Orb-weaver  Araneus diadematus  (Ara.: Araneidae) 
 Ian Cooper

Western Black Carpenter Ant  Camponotus modoc 
(Hym.: Formicidae) 
 Ian Cooper

Pacific Dampwood Termite  Zootermopsis angusticollis 
(Blattodea: Archotermopsidae)
 Ian Cooper

Common Pillbug  Armadillidium vulgare  
(Isopoda:  Armidillidiidae)  
Ian Cooper

2025 August 29

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  The moth below was one of two individuals of the species on the wall of my Saanich apartment this morning.  Like the two Noctua species that we often see on this site, this moth is a European introduction.  It is known in the U.K. as the Square-spot Rustic, although, when talking to myself (only), I call it “X x”.

Square-spot Rustic Xestia xanthographa  (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jeremy Tatum

    Here are six pictures from Ian Cooper’s August 27 photo shoot in View Royal.

Harvestman  Leptobunus parvulus (Opiliones: Phalangiidae) 
Ian Cooper

Male Folding Door Spider Antrodiaetus pacificus 
(Ara.-Myg.:   Antrodiaetidae)   Ian Cooper

 Cybaeus  (probably  signifer )  (Ara.: Cybaeidae)  Ian Cooper

Possibly Eratigena agrestis  (Ara: Agelenidae)  Ian Cooper

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

Unidentified caterpillar (Lep.: Geometridae)   Ian Cooper

Jeff Gaskin reports that there were two Common Green Darners in Uplands Park this morning, August 29.

2025 August 28 morning

   Here are some recent pictures obtained by Ian Cooper, August 22 to 25, showing a wonderful biodiversity. 

Snakefly larva (Raphidioptera)   Ian Cooper

   Ian Cooper writes:  The spider below was a rare sighting – I’ve only seen this species of spider twice.

Meriola californica (Ara.: Trachelidae)   Ian Cooper

Male Folding Door Spider Antrodiaetus pacificus (Ara.- Myg.: Antrodiaetidae)   Ian Cooper

Northwest Hesperian  Vespericola columbianus (Pul.: Polygyridae)   Ian Cooper

Pacific Dampwood Termite  Zootermopsis angusticollis 
(Blattodea: Archotermopsidae)
  Ian Cooper

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

2025 August 27 evening

   Jeremy Tatum writes: We start this evening’s posting with two rather interesting insects.  The caterpillar below was found on Blueberry in Mike and Barb’s Cordova Bay garden.  I am not sure at present which of two species of Schizura it is.  Viewers will note the sharply demarcated areas of different colours.  This is known as disruptive coloration.  It makes it difficult to see the shape of the object, so it may not be noticed as a caterpillar.  Viewers may have noticed that most of the large moths that are seen on this site belong to one of three large Families:  Noctuidae, Erebidae, Geometridae.  This belongs to a smaller and perhaps less familiar Family,  Notodontidae – a Family that includes some very nice caterpillars.

Schizura unicornis /ipomoeae   (Lep.: Notodontidae) 
Mike and Barb McGrenere

Schizura unicornis/ipomoeae   (Lep.: Notodontidae) 
Mike and Barb McGrenere

   Jochen Möhr sends pictures of galls on the petioles of some poplar (cottonwood) leaves.  These are formed by aphids of the species Pemphigus spirothecae.

Galls formed by Pemphigus spirothecae
(Hem.: Aphididae) 
Jochen Möhr

   Aziza Cooper writes:   Today, August 27, at McIntyre reservoir, I photographed a damselfly and a dragonfly. I didn’t see any butterflies. Also today, I saw one California Ringlet at Island View Beach, but was not able to get a picture.

Tule Bluet  Enallagma carunculatum  (Odo.: Coenagrionidae)
  Aziza Cooper

Blue-eyed Darner Rhionaeschna multicolor  (Odo.: Aeshnidae)  Aziza Cooper

   Very busy schedule tomorrow, so there may not be a posting – but, if there is a posting, there are more photos to come.

2025 August 27 morning

   This moth was photographed by Val George at his Oak Bay home yesterday.  The species has also been reported recently by Ian Cooper and Jeremy Tatum.  Because it seems to have a quite distinctive appearance, identification should be straightforward, but apparently there are several similar and very variable species in the crambid Subfamily Scopariinae, and the group may be in need of some revision.  In the meantime, it may be reasonable on this site to refer it to the name Eudonia echo.

Probably Eudonia echo  (Lep.: Crambidae – Scopariinae) 
Val George

    Jeremy Tatum photographed the moth below at his Saanich apartment this morning.

Noctua pronuba (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jeremy Tatum

   Judy Smith reported some tiny beetles in her house on Grant Street, Victoria, yesterday. A quick look by Jeremy Tatum suggested that they are probably Stegodium paniceum  (Col.: Ptinidae – Anobiinae).

2025 August 26 morning

Here are some photographs taken by Ian Cooper along the Galloping Goose Trail in View Royal, August 18 to 25.

Callobius pictus (Ara.: Amaurobiidae)  Ian Cooper

Steatoda sp. (Ara.: Theridiidae)  Ian Cooper

Assassin Bug  Empicoris vagabundus 
 (Hem.: Reduviidae – Emesinae) 
 Ian Cooper

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

Common Pillbug  Armadillidium vulgare  
(Isopoda:  Armidillidiidae) 
 Ian Cooper

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

Drumming Katydid Meconema thalassina  (Orth.: Tettigoniidae) 
Ian Cooper

Snail-eating ground beetle Scaphinotus angusticollis 
(Col.: Carabidae)
  Ian Cooper

Raspberry Weevil  Otiorhynchus singularis 
(Col.: Curculionidae)  
Ian Cooper 

Probably Telphusa sp. (Lep.: Gelechiidae)  Ian Cooper

Lots more tomorrow morning

   Jeff Gaskin writes: I was on Sidney Island today, August 25, and I saw one Pine White there.  Also, yesterday, August 24,  Kirsten Mills saw a female Purplish Copper at Island View Beach near the washrooms.

  Aziza Cooper writes:   Today, August 25, there was one Woodland Skipper and ten Cabbage White butterflies, plus a grasshopper.

Woodland Skipper Ochlodes sylvanoides  (Lep.: Hesperiidae)
  Aziza Cooper

Female Cabbage White  Pieris rapae  (Lep.: Pieridae)  Aziza Cooper

James Miskelly says, of the grasshopper below: Confirmation of Trimerotropis species should include the colour of the hind tibiae, but based on location and habitat I’ll say this is Trimerotropis pallidipennis. It’s a widespread species in North and South America that in our area is found mainly in coastal sand ecosystems.

Trimerotropis pallidipennis  (Orth.:Acrididae)
  Aziza Cooper

2025 August 24

   Here are some pictures taken by Ian Cooper between August 11 – 18  near the 9 km marker of the GG trail in View Royal.

Cross Orb-weaver  Araneus diadematus  (Ara.: Araneidae)
 Ian Cooper

Running crab spider Philodromus sp. (Ara.: Philodromidae)
 Ian Cooper

Pacific Foldingdoor Spider  Antrodiaetus pacificus 
(Ara.- Myg.: Antrodiaetidae)
 Ian Cooper

Anyphaena aperta (Ara.: Anyphaenidae)  Ian Cooper

Western Black Carpenter Ant Camponotus modoc 
(Hym.: Formicidae)
and unidentified aphids (Hem.: Aphididae)  
 Ian Cooper

Triphosa haesitata  (Lep.: Geometridae)  Ian Cooper

   Jeremy Tatum visited McIntyre reservoir today.  Most of the Teasel has long gone past flowering.  There were quite a few Cabbage Whites, but the only other butterflies were a single Purplish Copper and a single Woodland Skipper, the latter nectaring on one of the very last flowering Teasels.  There were very few dragonflies, and absolutely no birds.  It might be a good idea for someone to visit Island View Beach for  Purplish Coppers and California Ringlets.

2025 August 23

   Here are six photographs by Ian Cooper.  All were taken on August 21 by the ^E&N trail and #near the 9 km marker of the GG trail in View Royal that evening. 

    In the first photograph, the termite is a Pacific Dampwood Termite  Zootermopsis angusticollis  (Blattodea: Archotermopsidae).   The spider is a linyphiid – possibly Neriene litigiosa, although this is not certain at present.

#Spider and termite       Ian Cooper

   In the photograph below, the victim is probably a small crane fly (Dip.: Tipulidae), and the bug is probably a damsel bug (Hem.: Nabidae).

#Fly and bug    Ian Cooper

^Unidentified ichneumonoid  (Hym.: Ichneumonoidea)   Ian Cooper

^Aerial yellowjacket wasp  Dolichovespula arenaria  
(Hym.: Vespidae)  
Ian Cooper

#Emmelina monodactyla  (Lep.: Pterophoridae)  Ian Cooper

   The moth below is a noctuid of the genus Abagrotis.  We are not certain of its exact identity at species level, although it does bear some resemblance to A. variata.

#Abagrotis sp. (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Ian Cooper

   Jeremy Tatum photographed the moth below at his Saanich apartment on August 22.

Lesser Yellow Underwing Noctua comes (Lep.: Noctuidae) 
Jeremy Tatum

   Ann Tiplady found this katydid in the kitchen of her home in Oak Bay on August 22.

Meconema thalassinum  (Orth.: Tettigoniidae)   Ann Tiplady

   Jeff Gaskin writes that on  August 22,  there was a Black Saddlebags at the Summit Park reservoir, and in the evening there were a number of Paddle-tailed Darners at King’s Pond.

   Colias Alert !    Gordon Hart writes:  On August 23, during the VNHS field trip to Whiffen Spit, we had two sightings of a Western Sulphur Colias occidentalis butterfly. I have photos of one in the meadow halfway along (where we saw the American Lady years ago), and later Ben van Drimmelen and I saw another flying near the parking lot. It landed in a patch of grass and gumweed, but we were unable to relocate it. It flew from the direction of the parking lot, so may have been a second one, or the other may have made its way to that area by the time we got there.

Western Sulphur Colias occidentalis  (Lep.: Pieridae)  Gordon Hart

2025 August 22 evening

   Here are some photographs taken by Ian Cooper on August 20  by the ^E&N trail in Esquimalt and #in the vicinity of the 9 km marker of the GG trail in View Royal.

#Female Eratigena duellica  (Ara: Agelenidae)  Ian Cooper

^Blue-green Sharpshooter Hordnia atropunctata 
(Hem.: Cicadellidae)
 Ian Cooper

   Ian writes:  The following two crab spiders were tiny spiderlings. Maximum 3 mm in size, including legs. The first was barely visible on a Queen Anne’s Lace (Wild Carrot) flower that I was scrutinizing. Easily the smallest crab spiders I have ever seen.

^Misumena vatia  (Ara.: Thomisidae)  Ian Cooper

^Misumena vatia  (Ara.: Thomisidae)  Ian Cooper

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

#Possibly Eudonia sp. (Lep.: Crambidae – Scopariinae)  Ian Cooper

  Jeremy Tatum writes:  I had one of these at my Saanich apartment building this morning.  It is difficult to be certain of the identification of these and similar moths – the Subfamily Scopariinae may need further study and possible revision.

   Val George writes:  During the time the Invert Sightings website was down I had the following moths at my Oak Bay house:

August 17    Acleris variegana
August 18    Anania mysippusalis    Triphosa haesitata
August 21     Pero mizon

Triphosa haesitata  (Lep.: Geometridae)   Val George

Pero mizon  (Lep.: Geometridae)   Val George

Acleris variegana  (Lep.: Tortricidae) Val George

Anania mysippusalis  (Lep.: Crambidae)  Val George

   Jeremy Tatum shows a rather worn Xanthorhoe from his Saanich apartment building this morning.

Xanthorhoe sp. (Lep.: Geometridae)   Jeremy Tatum

  Richard Rycraft sends a photograph of a Woodland Skipper from his Oak Bay garden today.  It is nectaring on Lavender, which seems to be a favorite nectar source for this butterfly.

Woodland Skipper Ochlodes sylvanoides  (Lep.: Hesperiidae)  Richard Rycraft