2018 November 15

   Jochen Möhr sends a photograph of a European Winter Moth from Metchosin.   Now we need someone to go out to the Goldstream Park Nature House and photograph a native Bruce’s Winter Moth for us!

Winter Moth Operophtera brumata (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

   Libby sent several photographs (two below) of Winter Moths from Port Alberni.  We think they are all O. brumata.

Winter Moth Operophtera brumata (Lep.: Geometridae)  Libby Avis

Winter Moth Operophtera brumata (Lep.: Geometridae)  Libby Avis

2018 November 11

    Val George sends a photograph of a spider that had been sitting on the wall of his house for a week.  Thanks to Dr Robb Bennett for confirming its identity as a female Araneus diadematus.

 

Araneus diadematus (Ara.: Araneidae)  Val George

2018 November 10

   Jochen Möhr sends a photograph of a caddisfly from Metchosin, November 9.  Thanks to Libby Avis for identifying it as Halesochila taylori.

Halesochila taylori  (Tri.: Limnephilidae)  Jochen Möhr

   Libby writes from Port Alberni that she had two Mythimna unipuncta a couple of nights ago, and a Dargida procincta last week.

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  Here is a rather typical European Winter Moth Operophtera brumata from my Saanich apartment this morning, and, below it, another one, much more strongly marked, from UVic.

Winter Moth Operophtera brumata (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jeremy Tatum

Winter Moth Operophtera brumata (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jeremy Tatum

2018 November 5

    Jeremy Tatum writes:  In the November 3 posting, I said I’d look up the date of the last 2017 butterfly.  It was a Cabbage White on 2017 November 1.  Thus Kirsten’s November 2 sighting of a Cabbage White this year beats last year’s by one day!   

  We may have seen the last butterfly of the year, but there are still a few invertebrates around, so Invert Alert will remain open, though doubtless at a reduced rate of activity, so please continue to send your observations or photographs in.

IKNov0319

2018 November 3

   Jochen Möhr sends photographs of two moths from Metchosin.  One is Drepanulatrix sp. – I think D. monicaria.  The other is Epirrita autumnalis.

Drepanulatrix (probably monicaria)  (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

Epirrita autumnalis (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

   Kirsten Mills writes that she saw a Cabbage White yesterday, November 2,  at Eddy’s Storage on Stelly’s Cross Road.   This is surely going to be a good candidate for last butterfly of the year!  I’ll have to look it up when I get a moment, but I believe that November 2 last year was also the date of the last butterfly – a Cabbage White.   I’ll post a confirmation when I have had a chance to search last year’s records.   Jeremy Tatum