Asparagus beetles are insects that belong to the family Chrysomelidae. Like the name suggests, these beetles can cause damage to asparagus plants. The two most common species of asparagus beetles are the common asparagus beetle (Crioceris asparagi) and the spotted asparagus beetle (Crioceris duodecimpunctata). Both species are native to Europe but have now spread to other parts of the world, …
Invertebrates
Beetles in the Dunes
Harsh environments like shorelines and dunes are good places to look for beetles. While on a hike at Radar Hill Beach in late May, I noticed an isolated log in the dunes above the beach. In a hot environment like sand dunes, wood and plants provide shade for small insects. I wasn’t really expecting anything, but thought that it would …
Euxoa wilsoni in the Sand Dunes at Wickaninnish Beach
Cutworm moth, dart moth—Euxoa wilsoni doesn’t really have a common name. It took a little detective work to narrow down the options, eliminate possibilities, and come to a tentative identification of this beautiful moth I found in the sand dunes at Wickaninnish Beach in Pacific Rim National Park Reserve. Moths are a challenge to observe and identify. They don’t stay …
Lions in the Dunes at Goose Spit
The sand dunes at Goose Spit are a small and remarkable place to visit in the Comox Valley. It is easy to miss this unique dune ecosystem located about mid-way from the last parking area at the gates of HMCS Quadra and the end of the spit. Yellow Sand-verbena (Abronia latifolia) can be found in the dunes at Goose Spit. The dunes …
Sand-verbena Moth Surprise
It has been too long since I’ve checked out the plants in the spectacular dunes at Goose Spit. A number of specialized plants grow in these dunes—yellow sand verbena (Abronia latifolia) and black knotweed (Polygonum paronychia) are prolific. With a little effort, other interesting plants can be found as well. A large patch of Black Knotweed (Polygonum paronychia) just above …
Crossing the Country Road
For the last couple of weeks I’ve seen at least 30 banded woollybears (Pyrrharctia isabella) crossing the country roads every time I’ve been out on my lunch time walks. One of my colleagues has taken to rescuing these cute little caterpillars and moves them from the middle of the road to the safety of the shoulder. They curl up in …
An Admirable Red Admiral
Our 11 year old neighbour who lives across the back alley from our house in Courtenay is always calling us over to check out insects or plants that he’s found—this week J. came over to tell us that there was a Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta) in his backyard. Typically, Lorquin’s Admirals (Limentis lorquini ssp. ilgae) are much more readily seen on …
Lorquin’s Admiral
Out for a family walk at Morrison Creek Park yesterday and we came upon a number of butterflies puddling on the wet mud beside one of the creeks. There were several Lorquin’s Admirals (Limentis lorquini ssp. ilgae) busy in the mud and I was able to get relatively close to one with my new Fuji X100S. The upper wings of …
Photographing Backyard Insects
I had a quiet day at home while Jocie and the kids were up at Black Creek so I experimented a little photographing backyard insects with my two macro lenses: the 105mm Micro Nikkor and a recently acquired 60 mm Micro Nikkor. I’ve used the 105mm for a couple of years now and am very happy with the results that …
Return of the Tent Caterpillar
I was out supervising the neighbourhood kids bicycling in the back alley when I noticed a very interesting caterpillar on the leaf of a lamb’s ear (Stachys byzantina) in our rather wild roadside flower bed. Several of the kids took a break and had a closer look at this striking caterpillar and one mentioned that he had seen several similar …