On August 19, Jeff Gaskin saw a Grey Hairstreak in Cuthbert Holmes Park, near the Admirals Road parking lot.
Ian Cooper sends photographs of a termite and a moth, both View Royal, August 18.
Pacific Dampwood Termite Zootermopsis angusticollis (Blattodea: Archotermopsidae) Ian Cooper
Triphosa haesitata (Lep.: Geometridae) Ian Cooper
Aziza Cooper photographed this fly, on the windshield of her car, at Albert Head Lagoon, August 19. We are grateful to Dr Rob Cannings for identifying it as the robber fly Neomochtherus willistoni.
Robber fly Neomochtherus willistoni (Dip.: Asilidae)Aziza Cooper
Here are two creatures photographed by Ian Cooper along the Galloping Goose Trail in View Royal before dawn on August 16.
Male Folding-door Spider Antrodiaetus pacificus (Ara. – Myg.: Antrodiaetidae) Ian Cooper
Leopard slug Limax maximus (Pul.: Limacidae) Ian Cooper
Jeremy Tatum writes: The two best-known lepismatids are the Silverfish Lepisma saccharina, which likes cold buildings, and the Firebrat Thermobia domestica, which likes warm buildings. A third species, Ctenolepisma longicaudata,likes my Saanich apartment building. It is known as the Grey Silverfish. I get both T. domestica and C. longicaudata in my building, but I have never yet seen L. saccharina, the original genuine Silverfish, in Victoria.
Grey Silverfish Ctenolepisma longicaudata (Zyg.: Lepismatidae) Jeremy Tatum
Ian also sent the photograph below of a Thread-legged Bug. These bugs belong to the Subfamily Emesinae of the Family Reduviidae (Assassin Bugs).
Empicoris vagabundus (Hem.: Reduviidae – Emesinae) Ian Cooper
Janet Renouf sent in a photograph of a long-horned beetle from Ten Mile Point. We thank Scott Gilmore for identifying it as a species of Strophiona. It has recently been found that two species of this genus occur here, so, until more is known, I am leaving this one as “Strophiona sp.”
Strophiona sp. (Col.: Cerambycidae) Janet Renouf
Val George writes: On August 17, this moth, Autographa corusca, was on one of the windows of the Nature House at Swan Lake. Also at Swan Lake was a Mourning Cloak butterfly.
Autographa corusca (Lep.: Noctuidae – Plusiinae) Val George
Gordon Hart saw and photographed a Mylitta Crescent on his Highlands property on August 12 – the first time in years that he has seen this species there.
Male Mylitta Crescent Phyciodes mylitta (Lep.: Nymphalidae) Gordon Hart
Val George photographed this pug moth on the wall of his Oak Bay house on August 15. Some pugs are notoriously difficult to identify; Jeremy Tatum writes that he *thinks* this one is probably Eupithecia annulata.
Probably Eupithecia annulata (Lep.: Geometridae) Val George
Jeremy Tatum writes: Four moths turned up near the back door of my Saanich apartment building on August 13.
Acleris variegana(Lep.: Tortricidae) Jeremy Tatum Thanks to Libby Avis for the identification
Neoalcis californiaria (Lep.: Geometridae) Jeremy Tatum
Callizzia amorata (Lep.: Epiplemidae) Jeremy Tatum
Carcina quercana (Lep.: Depressariidae) Jeremy Tatum
On August 11, Gordon Hart photographed this Woodland Skipper in grave danger as it put its foot on a crab spider at his Highlands home. He also photographed a dark summer-brood Cabbage White, and a wasp, which Jeremy Tatum believes to be Vespula pensylvanica.
Woodland Skipper Ochlodes sylvanoides (Lep.: Hesperiidae) and Crab spider Misumena vatia (Ara.: Thomisidae) Gordon Hart
Cabbage White Pieris rapae (Lep.: Pieridae) Gordon Hart
Vespula pensylvanica (Hym.: Vespidae) Gordon Hart
Jeff Gaskin writes: Just before noon in the heat on August 12th, I saw what I’m quite sure was a Hydaspe Fritillary. I had some pretty quick but good looks at this butterfly as it headed into Gorge Park. Also, a Lorquin’s Admiral was still in Esquimalt Gorge Park.
Jeff Gaskin writes: Today, August 11th, there were two Lorquin’s Admirals in Esquimalt Gorge Park.
Back on August 4th, I saw my one and only Pine White at Pedder Bay with Kirsten Mills. I find Pine Whites to be very scarce this year even in Metchosin.
Gordon Hart writes from Highlands: On August 8, we had a fresh Mourning Cloak on some over-ripe yellow plums and also two Lorquin’s Admirals in pursuit of one another. On August 9, the two Lorquin’s were still here, and a Pine White which landed too high up in a tree for a photo.
Ian Cooper writes: Here is another selection from my August 9 photoshoot. All of these photos were taken in View Royal near the 9 km marker before dawn.
Limax maximus (Pul.: Limacidae) Ian Cooper
Camel Cricket Pristoceuthophilus celatus (Orth.: Rhaphidophoridae) Ian Cooper
Folding-door spider Antrodiaetus pacificus (Ara. – Myg.: Antrodiaetidae) Ian Cooper
Running crab spider Philodromus sp. (Ara.: Philodromidae) Ian Cooper
Two geometrid moths to start with. These were at the entrance to the Swan Lake Nature House this morning. Thanks to Margaret Gibson for photographing them, and to Libby Avis for identifying them.
Perizoma curvilinea (Lep.: Geometridae) Margaret Gibson
Perizoma curvilinea (Lep.: Geometridae) Margaret Gibson
Jeremy Tatum writes: I visited the Goldstream Park Nature House this afternoon. There were no moths. Nor, in the surrounding area, were there any butterflies. Please report any butterflies seen anywhere.
Ian Cooper writes: Here are some of the results from my predawn/early morning photo shoot in #View Royal (GG Trail), ^Esquimalt and ^Vic West. (E&N Trail)
^Banded Garden Snail Cepaea nemoralis (Pul.: Helicidae) Ian Cooper
Female Eratigena duellica (Ara: Agelenidae) Ian Cooper
#Cybaeus signifer (Ara.: Cybaeidae) Ian Cooper
#Jumping Bristletail Pedetontus sp. (Archaeognatha: Machilidae) Ian Cooper
#Twenty-spotted Lady Beetle Psyllobora vigintimaculata (Col.: Coccinellidae) Ian Cooper
^Drumming Katydid Meconema thalassinum (Orth.: Tettigoniidae) Ian Cooper
^Yellow-faced Bumble Bee Bombus vosnesenskii (Hym.: Apidae) Ian Cooper
There seem to be few butterflies around at the moment, other than Cabbage Whites. Gordon Hart visited Maber Flats this morning and reported no butterflies other than Cabbage Whites, so please report any butterflies that you see. There are dragonflies, however, and Gordon got this splendid shot of a Blue-eyed Darner.
Male Blue-eyed Darner Rhionaeschna multicolor (Odo.: Aeshnidae) Gordon Hart
Below is the pupa formed by Jochen Möhr’s caterpillar (shown on July 29) of an Eyed Hawk Moth (the Ophthalmic kind, you know), being admired by His Majesty. The coin is a quarter, by the way, not a dime.
Smerinthus ophthalmica (Lep.: Sphingidae) Jeremy Tatum
Two noctuid moths to start with. The first was photographed by Val George on August 6 on the wall of the Nature House at Swan Lake. The second was on the wall of Jeremy Tatum’s Saanich apartment this morning. Val identified his moth as Dichagyris variabilis, but Jeremy had to seek the help of Libby Avis, whom he thanks for identifying his moth as Oligia divesta. Libby says she saw a couple of these in Port Alberni this week.
Dichagyris variabilis (Lep.: Noctuidae) Val George
Oligia divesta (Lep.: Noctuidae) Jeremy Tatum
Next is a selection of photographs by Ian Cooper taken between Aug 1 – 5, 2025. Most are from the Galloping Goose Trail in View Royal, except the bumble bee, which was photographed by the side of the E&N Trail.
Female crane fly Tipula pubera (Dip.: Tipulidae) Ian Cooper
Male crane flyTipula pubera (Dip.: Tipulidae) Ian Cooper
Female Long-jawed Orb Weaver Metellina sp. (Ara.: Tetragnathidae) Ian Cooper
Male Callobius pictus (Ara.: Amaurobiidae) Ian Cooper
Chocolate Arion Arion rufus (Pul.: Arionidae) Ian Cooper
Yellow-faced Bumble Bee Bombus vosnesenskii (Hym.: Apidae) Ian Cooper
Invert Sightings 