2025 September 12

   Here’s a photograph of a moth at Jeremy Tatum’s Saanich apartment this morning.

Neoalcis californiaria  (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jeremy Tatum

2025 September 11, 2025

   Richard Rycraft sent these two photographs in this morning, from his Oak Bay home.  The identifications are Jeremy Tatum’s best effort, and I don’t absolutely guarantee he are accurate, writes Jeremy.  If anyone thinks they may be wrong, please do let us know. 

Paddle-tailed Darner Aeshna palmata  (Odo.: Aeshnidae)
Richard Rycraft

Mischocyttarus flavitarsus  (Hym.: Vespidae) Richard Rycraft

2025 September 10 afternoon

Butterfly Alert!

   Non-Cabbage butterflies have been so scarce in recent weeks that it is exciting to hear from Jochen Möhr, who writes:  On Sunday September 7, I spent a few hours around noon on the parking lot of Matheson Lake Park.  I was delighted finally – a first after three years of not seeing any – to spot several Pine Whites up in the Douglas Firs.  Several times, I spotted up to three simultaneously, but as they were appearing in different trees, there must be half a dozen to a dozen of them around.  So, not all are lost!  

  Jeremy Tatum writes:  The tree tops at Matheson Lake have occasionally in previous years been a place where numerous Pine Whites have been seen, from the parking lot, late in the year.  If you haven’t seen a Pine White recently, now is a chance to go out and see them (possibly rather high up).  They won’t be there much longer this year.

   In case there are those who thought that the Painted Lady was a butterfly, here is a September 9 predawn photograph by Ian Cooper of a Painted Lady Beetle in View Royal.  Perhaps, writes Jeremy Tatum, we could avoid confusion by calling it the Painted Ladybird Beetle.

Painted Ladybird Beetle Mulsantina picta  (Col.: Coccinellidae)
   Ian Cooper

The scientific name “picta”  means, of course, “painted”.

2025 September 9

Val George writes:

On September 8, this moth, Plemyria georgii, was on the wall of the Nature House at Goldstream Park.

Plemyria georgii  (Lep.: Geometridae)   Val George

2025 September 8 evening

   Ian Cooper writes:  Here are some pictures from my photo shoot in View Royal, September 7.

Female Folding-door Spider at home  Antrodiaetus pacificus
(Ara.: Antrodiaetidae) 
Ian Cooper

Male Antrodiaetus pacificus on the prowl for a female
(Ara.: Antrodiaetidae) 
Ian Cooper

Banana slug  Ariolimax columbianus (Pul.: Arionidae)  Ian Cooper

Psyllobora borealis (Col.: Coccinellidae)  Ian Cooper

Telphusa sp. (Lep.: Gelechiidae)  Ian Cooper

  Here are some more photographs from yesterday’s VNHS Butterfly Walk

Male Cabbage White Pieris rapae  (Lep.: Pieridae)   Gordon Hart

Female Cabbage White Pieris rapae  (Lep.: Pieridae)   Gordon Hart

  One of the females was observed ovipositing, leading to the discovery of this egg:

Ovum of Cabbage White Pieris rapae  (Lep.: Pieridae)   Gordon Hart

Cardinal Meadowhawk Sympetrum illotum  (Odo.: Libellulidae)  Gordon Hart

Drone fly  Eristalis tenax  (Dip.: Syrphidae)  Gordon Hart

Drone fly  Eristalis dimidiata  (Dip.: Syrphidae)  Gordon Hart

2025 September 8 morning

   Here are a few more insects photographed by Aziza Cooper during yesterday’s VNHS Butterfly Walk at McIntyre reservoir and Island View Beach.

Honey Bee  Apis mellifera  (Hym.: Apidae)  Aziza Cooper

European Paper Wasp Polistes dominula   (Hym.: Vespidae) 
Aziza Cooper

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

Unknown geometrid caterpillar (Lep.: Geometridae) Aziza Cooper

It is on Rosa sp.  (not R. nutkana  which has straight spines).

Jeremy Tatum later took a close up of the caterpillar, which he is going to try to rear to adulthood, at which time we may know its identity. He writes: I think it highly probable that it is Eupithecia sp., and just possibly (but not at all certainly) E. maestosa.

Unknown geometrid caterpillar (Lep.: Geometridae) Jeremy Tatum

2025 September 7

   Six people participated in the Nature Victoria Butterfly Walk on September 7. The weather in Martindale was partly sunny and we saw three species of butterflies at Mcintyre Reservoir.

Cabbage White – 36 
Purplish Copper – 1
Woodland Skipper – 1

The copper and the skipper were the first non-Cabbage butterflies to be reported from our area to InvertSightings since August 25.  The copper was a “lifer” for one of the participants – always an exciting event.

Purplish Copper Tharsalea helloides  (Lep.: Lycaenidae) 
  Aziza Cooper

   At first glance, this was thought to be a female, but, writes Jeremy Tatum, it is possible that it is a male, without a purplish sheen, partly because it is a slightly worn specimen and partly because there was no strong sunshine.  The female usually has a fairly sharply defined dark broad border.  It has been noted more than once recently that this butterfly likes to nectar on Matricaria, such as Scentless Mayweed or, as here, Pineapple Weed.

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

   A few other insects were photographed during the Butterfly Walk.   It is hoped to identify them and show them soon.

   Val George photographed this moth on a garden fence at his Oak Bay house this morning, September 7:

Udea profundalis  (Lep.: Crambidae)  Val George

      Jeremy Tatum photographed this moth at his Saanich apartment this morning, September 7:

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

   Jeremy found this caterpillar on Grindelia at Island View Beach yesterday, August 6:

Cucullia montanae  (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jeremy Tatum

2025 September 6 morning

Butterfly Walk, September 7.  Notice from Gordon Hart:

Our next walk is on Sunday, September 7. 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 Nature Victoria calendar: https://naturevictoria.ca/events/

   Jeremy Tatum photographed this moth near his Saanich apartment this morning.

Square-spot Rustic  Xestia xanthographa 
Jeremy Tatum

2025 September 5

Butterfly Walk, September 7.  Notice from Gordon Hart:

Our next walk is on Sunday, September 7. 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 Nature Victoria calendar: https://naturevictoria.ca/events/

2025 September 4

   Val George photographed this moth at his Oak Bay house this morning:

Autographa californica (Lep.: Noctuidae – Plusiinae)   Val George

and Jeremy Tatum photographed this moth at his Saanich apartment this morning:

Xestia xanthographa  (Lep.: Noctuidae – Noctuinae)  Jeremy Tatum