This blog provides an informal forum for terrestrial invertebrate watchers to post recent sightings of interesting observations in the southern Vancouver Island region. Please send your sightings by email to Jeremy Tatum (tatumjb352@gmail.com). Be sure to include your name, phone number, the species name (common or scientific) of the invertebrate you saw, location, date, and number of individuals. If you have a photograph you are willing to share, please send it along. Click on the title above for an index of past sightings.The index is updated most days.

2022 September 12

2022 September 12

    Jochen Möhr sends a photograph of a caterpillar of Acronicta dactylina  from Metchosin.

Acronicta dactylina (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr

 

Marie O’Shaugnessy sends photographs of a variety of dragonflies from the Cowichan Valley and from Swan Lake.

Blue-eyed Darner Rhionaeschna multicolor (Odo.: Aeshnidae)  Marie O’Shaughnessy

Blue-eyed Darner Rhionaeschna multicolor (Odo.: Aeshnidae)

Marie O’Shaughnessy

Common Green Darner Anax junius (Odo.: Aeshnidae)  Marie O’Shaughnessy

 

Striped Meadowhawk Libellula pallipes (Odo.: Libellulidae)    Marie O’Shaughnessy

Blue Dasher Pachydiplax longipennis (Odo.: Libellulidae) Marie O’Shaughnessy

Autumn, or Yellow-legged Meadowhawk Sympetrum vicinum (Odo.: Libellulidae)
Marie O’Shaughnessy

   Rosemary Jorna sends a photograph of a late Lorquin’s Admiral from Sooke Potholes today.

Lorquin’s Admiral  Limenitis lorquini (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Rosemary Jorna

2022 September 11

2022 September 11

    Jeff Gaskin writes:  One single Pine White was seen along Sooke Road, at 3762 Sooke Road to be exact, yesterday, September 10. This spot was about 2 km east of Kangaroo Road and 1 km west of Humpback Road.

   Jeremy Tatum saw a Ringlet at Quick’s Bottom today, September 11.

2022 September 10 evening

2022 September 10 evening

    Rob Gowan sends some photos from Saratoga Beach/Miracle Beach taken today.  Thanks to Dr Rob Cannings for identifying the Laphria and confirming the Neomochtherus.

 

Two-striped Grasshopper Melanoplus bivittatus (Orth.: Acrididae)  Rob Gowan

Migratory Grasshopper Melanoplus (probably sanguinipes)(Orth.: Acrididae)  Rob Gowan

Fall Field Cricket Gryllus pennsylvanicus (Orth.: Gryllidae)  Rob Gowan

 

Robber fly Neomochtherus willingstoni (Dip.: Asilidae)  Rob Gowan

Robber fly Laphria fernaldi (Dip.: Asilidae)  Rob Gowan

 

Here’s a spider from Ian Cooper:

Eratigena duellica (Ara.: Agelenidae)  Ian Cooper

 

And here are three hover flies, also known as flower flies, or more often, just syrphids, that we have not yet been able to identify.

 

Hover fly  (Dip.:  Syrphidae)  Jeremy Tatum

Hover fly  (Dip.:  Syrphidae)  Jeremy Tatum

Hover fly  (Dip.:  Syrphidae)  Ian Cooper

Hover fly  (Dip.:  Syrphidae)  Ian Cooper

 

2022 September 10 morning

2022 September 10 morning

   Bruce Whittington sends a photograph of a Striped Meadowhawk from Ladysmith, September 8.

Striped Meadowhawk Sympetrum pallipes (Odo.: Libellulidae)

   Bruce Whittington

   Ian Cooper sends photographs of spiders from Colquitz River Park, September 8 and 9. These pictures were taken at nighttime.  Thanks to Dr Robb Bennett for identifying to species the Triangle Spider Hyptiotes gertschi.

Hyptiotes gertschi  (Ara.: Uloboridae)  Ian Cooper

 

Hyptiotes gertschi  (Ara.: Uloboridae)  Ian Cooper

 

 

 

Hyptiotes gertschi  (Ara.: Uloboridae)  Ian Cooper

 

 

Web of Hyptiotes gertschi  (Ara.: Uloboridae)  Ian Cooper

 

 

Metellina sp.: (Ara.: Tetragnathidae)  Ian Cooper

 

Female Araneus diadematus (Ara.: Araneidae)  Ian Cooper

 

Male Araneus diadematus (Ara.: Araneidae)  Ian Cooper

 

   Ian also photographed a caterpiilar on Mahonia, which we have, unfortunately, been unable to identify.

Unknown caterpillar (Lep.: probably Noctuidae)   Ian Cooper

2022 September 9

2022 September 9

    Kirsten Mills found a Lorquin’s Admiral at King’s Pond  yesterday, September 8.

   Aziza Cooper shows photographs of a White-faced Meadowhawk at Fisher Trail, Langford, September 6 (the first two photographs) and another of the same species on Observatory Hill, September 8 (third photograph). 

White-faced Meadowhawk Sympetrum obtrusum (Odo.: Libellulidae) Aziza Cooper

 

White-faced Meadowhawk Sympetrum obtrusum (Odo.: Libellulidae) Aziza Cooper

 

White-faced Meadowhawk Sympetrum obtrusum (Odo.: Libellulidae) Aziza Cooper

   Val George writes:  Yesterday at Witty’s Lagoon I witnessed a caterpillar behaviour I hadn’t seen before and wondered whether it’s normal. An Isabella Tiger Moth caterpillar (Banded Woolly Bear Pyrrharctia isabella) was swimming across a pool of water to get to the other side.  I’ve seen caterpillars that have fallen into water and struggling to get out, but this one was near the edge of the pool and was purposefully swimming with a pretty good imitation of a front crawl to get to the other side about five or six feet away – it did make it and crawled out on dry land.