2025 July 25 evening

   Aziza Cooper photographed this bee on Teasel at McIntyre reservoir on July 23.   Kindly identified by Gordon Hart as Bombus vancouverensis , a species formerly thought to be a form of B. bifarius.

Bombus vancouverensis  (Hym.: Apidae)   Aziza Cooper

   Aziza reports seeing a Red Admiral today along Lochside Trail near the birders’ “Famous Fence”.   She  also reports an absence of butterflies at the summit of Mount Douglas in the afternoon.  Jeremy Tatum also reports an absence of butterflies at the summit of Mount Tolmie in the late afternoon yesterday.

   Gordon Hart writes that he has seen a couple of nice Carolina Grasshoppers in Oak Bay.  He attaches a photograph of one from July 15 at McMicking Point.  He notes that there are few butterflies, apart from some Lorquin’s Admirals, in the Highlands.  However, shortly after writing that,  Anne-Marie Hart called out to say that there was a Pine White (the first reported this year to Invert Sightings) on the Oregano flowers, and Gordon managed to get a photograph.

Carolina Grasshopper Dissosteira carolina  (Orth.: Acrididae)  Gordon Hart

Male Pine White  Neophasia menapia  (Lep.: Pieridae)  Gordon Hart

2025 July 25 morning  

   Here are more creatures from Ian Cooper’s July 23 photoshoot at Colquitz River Park in Saanich and the Galloping Goose trail in View Royal. 

 Three-banded garden slug  Ambigolimax sp. (Pul.: Limacidae)
  Ian Cooper

 Arion distinctus (Pul.: Arionidae)  Ian Cooper 

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

 Crane fly Tipula pubera  (Dip.: Tipulidae)  Ian Cooper

 Plant bug (Hem.:  Miridae)  Ian Cooper

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

2025 July 24 morning

   Here are a few of the 25 Essex Skippers that Aziza Cooper saw at Island View Beach yesterday, and two recent dragonflies.

Essex Skipper  Thymelicus lineola  (Lep.:  Hesperiidae)
  Aziza Cooper

Female Essex Skipper  Thymelicus lineola  (Lep.:  Hesperiidae)  Aziza Cooper

 

Female Essex Skipper  Thymelicus lineola  (Lep.:  Hesperiidae)  Aziza Cooper

Male Essex Skipper  Thymelicus lineola  (Lep.:  Hesperiidae)
  Aziza Cooper

Eight-spotted Skimmer Libellula forensis  (Odo.: Libellulidae) 
Aziza Cooper

Western Pondhawk  Erythemis collocata  (Odo.: Libellulidae)
  Aziza Cooper

Western Pondhawk  Erythemis collocata  (Odo.: Libellulidae) 
Aziza Cooper

   Marie O’Shaughnessy found these dragonflies at McIntyre reservoir on July 23:

2 Black Saddlebags
3 Blue Dashers
2 eight Spotted Skimmers   
1 Western Pondhawk
5 Tule Bluets

There has been a discouraging lack of butterflies at the reservoir this year, and the only butterflies Marie found there in an hour of searching were 11 Cabbage Whites.

Black Saddlebags  Tramea lacerata  (Odo.: Libellulidae) 
Marie O’Shaughnessy

Eight-spotted Skimmer Libellula forensis  (Odo.: Libellulidae)   Marie O’Shaughnessy

   The moth below was photographed in View Royal on July 19 by Ian Cooper.  It is not very distinctive, and difficult to identify without seeing the spread wings, but we are thankful to Greg Pohl for getting it to Subfamily, and suggesting its possible genus.

Possibly Epinotia sp. (Lep.: Tortricidae – Olethreutinae)  Ian Cooper

2025 July 23 evening

   Here are some photographs taken by Ian Cooper this morning, July 23 2025, at *Colquitz River Park in Saanich, the Galloping Goose trail in #View Royal and on the ^E&N trail.

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

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

* Limax maximus (Pul.: Limacidae)  Ian Cooper 

# Forest Spider  Pimoa altioculata (Ara: Pimoidae)  Ian Cooper

Cepaea nemoralis (Pul.: Helicidae)  Ian Cooper

Alucita montana (Lep.: Alucitidae)  Ian Cooper

  

Aziza Cooper writes:  Today, July 23, I spent an hour at Island View Beach. I found over 25 Essex Skippers and one Cabbage White.  One Western Tiger Swallowtail was at Beaver Lake riding ring on July 15. 

2025 July 23 morning

   Ian Cooper writes:  Here are another six pictures from my July 19 2025 photoshoot. These were all taken by the Galloping Goose trail in View Royal near the 9 km marker.

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

Spotted mending its web, which is why it was observed on top of the web, rather underneath it, which is where it normally lies in wait.

Unidentified Ground Spider (Ara.: Gnaphosidae)  Ian Cooper

Crane Fly  (Dip.: Tipulidae)  Ian Cooper

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

Chocolate Arion  Arion rufus (Pul.: Arionidae)  Ian Cooper

Black ground beetle  Pterostichus algidus  (Col.: Carabidae)
  Ian Cooper

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  The butterfly season seems to be winding down.  Few are being seen (and even fewer reported!)    Cabbage Whites are still ubiquitous.  There are probably a few Lorquin’s Admirals still around (I saw one yesterday along the Lochside Trail north of Blenkinsop Lake).  The municipality has done a pretty good job there destroying the nettles and other vegetation, so there won’t be many (any?) Satyr Commas or Red Admirals there.  Most of the swallowtails have gone by now, so let us know if you see any.  It is that time of year when Pine Whites start to appear; they are mostly seen in Metchosin.  There is always the hope of late-season migrants, such as American Ladies, Red Admirals, Orange Sulphurs.  There are lots of Teasels in flower now at McIntyre reservoir, but few butterflies. Lots of dragonflies there, though.

2025 July 22

   Val George writes:  This Silver-spotted Tiger Moth, Lophocampa argentata, was on the wall of my Oak Bay house this morning, July 22.

Lophocampa argentata  (Lep.: Erebidae – Arctiinae)  Val George

2025 July 21 evening

  Ian Cooper writes:  Here are two views of a moth spotted in View Royal on my July 19 photo shoot.  Jeremy Tatum writes:  It is very nice to see this moth, photographed when settled on the bark of a tree trunk.  Their colour and pattern have evolved so that they become almost invisible on such a background.

   

Aseptis binotata (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Ian Cooper

Aseptis binotata (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Ian Cooper

   Jeff Gaskin writes:  This afternoon, July 21st, Kirsten Mills and I went to McIntyre Road reservoir and we saw the following dragonflies  :  10 Blue-eyed Darners, 2 Common Green Darners,  7 Blue Dashers,  3 Western Pondhawks,  1 Cardinal Meadowhawk,  4 Eight-spotted Skimmers,  and as many as 4 Black Saddlebags.   Kirsten also saw a Variegated Meadowhawk which I unfortunately missed.

2025 July 21 morning

   There was no posting on July 20.  Apologies for that – I fell asleep while trying to post it.  So, this morning’s posting should really have gone out yesterday!

    Kirsten Mills sends two views of a Red-veined Meadowhawk from Parksville, July 19.

Sympetrum madidum  (Odo.: Libellulidae)     Kirsten Mills

Sympetrum madidum  (Odo.: Libellulidae)     Kirsten Mills

   Jeff Gaskin reports a Black Saddlebags at Quick’s Bottom July 18.

   Jeremy Tatum sends one view of a Single Dotted Wave moth from his Saanich apartment, July 20.

Idaea dimidiata   (Lep.:  Geometridae)   Jeremy Tatum

  Ian Cooper sends a sample of his photographs obtained on July 18 along the E&N and Galloping Goose Trails.

Omus dejeanii   (Col.:  Carabidae – Cicindelinae)  Ian Cooper
Thanks to Scott Gilmore for the identification.

Cycloneda polita  (Col.: Coccinellidae)   Ian Cooper

 Misumena vatia   (Ara: Thomisidae)   Ian Cooper

Cybaeus signifer (Ara.: Cybaeidae) Ian Cooper

Araneus diadematus  (Ara.:  Araneidae)   Ian Cooper

Lep.:  Crambidae – Scopariinae     Ian Cooper

   The Scopariinae comprises a complex of species in need of taxonomic revision, so it is not possible to identify photographs with complete certainty.   Libby Avis suggests possibly Eudonia sp., but cautions that that is a best guess.

Bombus vosnesenskii  (Hym.: Apidae)   Ian Cooper

2025 July 19

   Some interestng butterflies and moths today.

  Kirsten Mills went to Nanaimo River Road today, where she saw a Sylvan Hairstreak, three Mylitta Crescents, a Common Woodnymph, and a Dun Skipper.

Sylvan Hairstreak Satyrium silvinus  (Lep.: Lycaenidae)  Kirsten Mills

Dun Skipper Euphyes vestris  Lep.: Hesperiidae)   Kirsten Mills

   Val George photographed these two moths yesterday (July 18) on the wall of the nature house at Goldstream Park:

Panthea virginarius  (Lep.: Noctuidae)   Val George

Bellura obliqua  (Lep.: Noctuidae)    Val George

2025 July 18 evening

   Here are some pictures taken by Ian Cooper this month near the 9 km marker of the GG trail in View Royal.

Chocolate Arion  Arion rufus (Pul.: Arionidae)  Ian Cooper

Brown Lacewing (Neu.: Hemerobiidae)  Ian Cooper

Common Pillbug  Armadillidium vulgare  (Isopoda:  Armidillidiidae)  Ian Cooper

Striped woodlouse Philoscia muscorum (Isopoda: Oniscidae)
 Ian Cooper

Cobweb Spider, possibly Parasteatoda sp. (Ara.: Theridiidae)
 Ian Cooper

Bristly Millepede Polyxenus sp.
(Diplopoda – Polyxenida:  Polyxenidae)
 Ian Cooper