2025 August 3 morning

   Here is a miscellaneous collection of insects photographed by Sher Falls at Pipers Lagoon, Nanaimo, on July 28,  and by Aziza Cooper on Mount Washington and Nanaimo River Road, July 30, 31.  In addition, Aziza reports a latish Western Tiger Swallowtail butterfly at Governmant House, August 2.   We thank Scott Gilmore, Rob Cannings, Ian Cooper and Claudia Copley for help with the identifications.

Pebble bee Dianthidium sp. (Hym.: Megachilidae)  Sher Falls

Pebble bee Dianthidium sp. (Hym.: Megachilidae)  Sher Falls

On flower Pebble bee Dianthidium sp. (Hym.: Megachilidae)
  Sher Falls
In flight: As yet unidentified

Sand Wasp  Bembix americana  (Hym.: Crabronidae)  Sher Falls

Sweat bee Agapostemon (probably texanus) (Hym.: Halictidae)  Sher Falls

As yet unidentified.  Help, anyone?      Sher Falls

Probably Spotted Spreadwing Lestes congener  (Odo.: Lestidae)  Aziza Cooper

Crimson-ringed Whiteface Leucorrhinia glacialis 
(Odo.: Libellulidae) 
Aziza Cooper

Hudsonian Whiteface Leucorrhinia hudsonicus
  (Odo.: Libellulidae) 
Aziza Cooper

Seven-spotted Ladybeetle Coccinella septempunctata
(Col.: Coccinellidae) 
Aziza Cooper

Lepturobosca chrysocoma  (Col.: Cerambycidae)  Aziza Cooper

Flower fly, also known as Hover fly  (Dip.: Syrphidae)  Aziza Cooper

2025 August 2 morning

   Although there seem to be very few butterflies around now, apart from Cabbage Whites, yesterday Wendy Ansell saw a Lorquin’s Admiral in Saanich, and Jeremy Tatum saw a single Woodland Skipper on Carey Road on a Lavendar patch on which in most years there are usually dozens there.

   If there are few butterflies, however, there are lots of other creatures that Ian Cooper is photographing.  Those below are from his Aug 01 2025 photo shoot in *Colquitz River Park in Saanich and the #Galloping Goose Trail in View Royal.

# Medetera sp. (Dip.: Dolichopodidae)  Ian Cooper

#Brown lacewing Hemerobius sp. (Neu.: Hemerobiidae)
 Ian Cooper

#-Crematogaster sp.
(Hym.: Formicidae – Myrmicinae – Crematogastrini)
Ian Cooper

Tegenaria domestica (Ara.:  Agelenidae)  Ian Cooper

*Clubiona sp. (Ara.: Clubionidae)  Ian Cooper

#Antrodiaetus pacificus (Ara.: Mygalomorphae – Antrodiaetidae)  Ian Cooper

2025 August 1 evening

   Gordon Hart writes:

Our next Butterfly Walk is on Sunday, August 3. We will meet at 1 p.m. at the summit of Mount Tolmie at the parking lot by the reservoir. After a look around for butterflies, we will decide where to go from there. Car pooling is encouraged and we will try to be back by 4 p.m. Cancellations or special instructions will be posted on this site, or on the VNHS calendar: https://www.vicnhs.bc.ca/?page_id=1518  

   Here are some of Aziza Cooper’s finds yesterday from the flowers along Nanaimo River Road.

Common Woodnymph  Cercyonis pegala  (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Aziza Cooper

Hydaspe Fritillary  Argynnis hydaspe  (Lep.: Nymphalidae)
  Aziza Cooper

Mylitta Crescent  Phyciodes mylitta  (Lep.: Nymphalidae)
   Aziza Cooper

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

Down here in Victoria, writes JeremyTatum, there seem to be very few butterflies around other than Cabbage Whites, which are still common.  However, I saw a Woodland Skipper along Carey Road, and Jeff Gaskin reports a Tiger Swallowtail (species uncertain) along Hector Road.

 Ian Cooper photographed the following moth this morning:

Herpetogramma thestealis  (Lep.: Crambidae)  Ian Cooper

2025 August 1 afternoon
There will probably be more this evening.

   Ian Cooper writes:   Here are more invertebrate pictures taken during my July 29 2025 photo shoot along the ^E&N trail and the #Galloping Goose Trail in View Royal.

Necydalis laevicollis (Col.:  Cerambycidae)   Ian Cooper
Thanks to Scott Gilmore for species identification of this beetle

^Meadow Spittle Bug  Philaenus spumarius (Hem.: Cercopidae)

^Metallic Sweat Bee  Lasioglossum (Dialictus) sp.
(Hym.: Halictidae) 
Ian Cooper

^Common Greenbottle Lucilia sericata  (Dip.: Calliphoridae)
  Ian Cooper

#Long-jawed Orb Weaver  Metellina sp. (Ara.: Tetragnathidae) 
Ian Cooper

#Callobius pictus (Ara.: Amaurobiidae)   Ian Cooper

#Cybaeus signifer (Ara.: Cybaeidae)

  Jeremy Tatum writes:  This moth was at my Saanich apartment this morning.   I don’t know of any reliable method of distinguishing between  Drepanulatrix monicaria and  D. secundaria.  The former has a more southerly distribution, and it is possible that many, most, or even all moths hitherto labelled on this site as possibly monicaria, may in fact be secundaria.

Drepanulatrix secundaria/monicaria   (Lep.: Geometridae)
Jeremy Tatum

2025 July 31 evening

   Gordon Hart writes:

Our next Butterfly Walk is on Sunday, August 3. We will meet at 1 p.m. at the summit of Mount Tolmie at the parking lot by the reservoir. After a look around for butterflies, we will decide where to go from there. Car pooling is encouraged and we will try to be back by 4 p.m. Cancellations or special instructions will be posted on this site, or on the VNHS calendar: https://www.vicnhs.bc.ca/?page_id=1518  

   Aziza Cooper writes:

On July 30 at Mount Washington, there were:

Great Arctic – 2, at the summit
Hydaspe Fritillary – 20 or more, at the summit
Anna’s Blue – 1, near the Lodge
Common Branded Skipper – 1, near the Lodge
Western Meadow Fritillary – 2, Forbidden Plateau

On July 31 at Nanaimo River Road:

Mylitta Crescent – 2
Common Woodnymph – 1
Hydaspe Fritillary – 1
Woodland Skipper – 20 or more
Lorquin’s Admiral – 1
Cabbage White – 2

Jeremy Tatum writes: Since there have been some minor taxonomic changes since these species previously appeared on this site, I have in some cases included the Subgenus or Subfamily name in the photograph labels below.

Anna’s Blue  Plebejus (Lycaeides) anna  (Lep.: Lycaenidae)  
Aziza Cooper

Common Branded Skipper  Hesperia comma  (Lep.: Hesperiidae)  Aziza Cooper

Great Arctic Oeneis nevadensis (Lep.: Nymphalidae – Satyrinae)  Aziza Cooper

Hydaspe Fritillary  Argynnis (Speyeria) hydaspe
(Lep.: Nymphalidae) 
  Aziza Cooper

Hydaspe Fritillary  Argynnis (Speyeria) hydaspe
(Lep.: Nymphalidae)
   Aziza Cooper

Western Meadow Fritillary  Boloria (Clossiana) epithore
(Lep.: Nymphalidae) 
  Aziza Cooper

2025 July 31 morning

 Here are more pictures obtained by Ian Cooper on July 27 and 29 along the E&N and GG Trails in View Royal, and Colquitz River Park.   

Unidentified micro moth     Ian Cooper
If anyone can help with this (even Family), please let us know.

Enoplognatha ovata (Ara.: Theridiidae)  Ian Cooper

Philodromus sp. (Ara.: Philodromidae)  Ian Cooper

Sciopithes obscurus  (Col.: Curculionidae)   Ian Cooper

Possibly Monarthropalpus sp. 
(Dip.: Cecidomyiidae – Cecidomyiinae)
 Ian Cooper

2025 July 30

   Here is a selection of pictures obtained by Ian Cooper on July 27 and 29  along the E&N and GG Trails in View Royal, and Colquitz River Park.   

Misumena vatia  (Ara.: Thomisidae)   
with tachinid fly as prey
Ian Cooper

Ceratina  (Zadontomerus) sp.  (Hym.: Apidae)  Ian Cooper

Dolichovespula arenaria  (Hym.: Vespidae)   Ian Cooper

Sabulodes aegrotata  (Lep.: Geometridae)   Ian Cooper

Sabulodes aegrotata  (Lep.: Geometridae)   Ian Cooper

Anyphaena aperta (Ara.: Anyphaenidae)  Ian Cooper

2025 July 29

   Aziza Cooper writes:  July 29, at Pat Bay, there was one Western Tiger Swallowtail, and at Coles Bay there was one Western Tiger Swallowtail and one Lorquin’s Admiral.

   Jochen Möhr found this caterpillar today on his deck on Christmas Avenue, Saanich.  It is Smerinthus ophthalmica.  Hawk moths of the genus Smerinthus are known as eyed hawk moths, because of an eyelike mark on their hind wings.   For example,  S. cerisyi is Cerisy’s Eyed Hawk Moth.  Since S. ophthalmica was recognized as a distinct species in 2010, I haven’t (writes Jeremy Tatum) heard of any generally-accepted English name.  I imagine that “Ophthalmic Eyed Hawk Moth” would not be likely to catch on.   Suggesions, anyone?   In any case, the differences between the several species are sufficently small that I’d be happy if the taxonomists lumped them all into one species, S. ocellata.  I don’t think there is any obvious differences between the caterpillars.

Smerinthus ophthalmica  (Lep.: Sphingidae)   Jochen Möhr

   Val George writes:  Yesterday morning, July 28, there were three moths on the walls of the Nature House at Swan Lake: an Omnivorous Looper, Sabulodes aegrotata, and two Pero mizon.

Sabulodes aegrotata  (Lep.: Geometridae)  Val George

Pero mizon  (Lep.: Geometridae)  Val George

2025 July 28 morning

   A few more photographs by Ian Cooper:

Male Araneus diadematus (Ara.: Araneidae)  Ian Cooper

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

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

2025 July 27

   Aziza Cooper writes:  On July 26 at the Sooke Hills trail near Humpback reservoir, there was one Woodland Skipper.  First of year for me.

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

  Wendy Ansell writes that a worn Lorquin’s Admiral landed on her Royal Oak patio today.

Ian Cooper photographed these three moths this morning.  Jeremy Tatum writes:  I *think* the first of these is Noctua pronuba.  I’m more certain of the other two.

Probably Noctua pronuba  (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Ian Cooper

Rheumaptera meadii  (Lep.: Geometridae)  Ian Cooper

Carcina quercana   (Lep.: Depressariidae)   Ian Cooper