2018 April 28

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  Yesterday morning (April 27) I saw a few Silvery Blues at the Colwood turn-off.   They were all males.   It often happens, in butterflies and in birds, that the males put in an appearance before the females.   As Jeff pointed out in the April 26 posting, the lupines are not yet in flower – indeed there was no sign even of buds.  One of the potential effects of climate change is that it puts the phenology of species that depend upon each other out of kilter.  For example, if Silvery Blues were to start regularly emerging early in the season, they may not find lupine buds to lay their eggs on.

    Barb McGrenere writes:  On Friday morning, Mike saw one Western Tiger Swallowtail flying alongside the trestle at Blenkinsop Lake

   Scott Gilmore photographed this jumping spider in Lantzville on April 19. Thanks to Catherine Scott and Sean McCann  for identifying it – they believe it is probably Pelegrina aeneola.

Pelegrina aeneola (Ara.: Salticidae)  Scott Gilmore

Pelegrina aeneola (Ara.: Salticidae)  Scott Gilmore

Pelegrina aeneola (Ara.: Salticidae)  Scott Gilmore

Pelegrina aeneola (Ara.: Salticidae)  Scott Gilmore

  Here’s a batch of interesting insects from Lantzville, from Scott Gilmore, April 27.

Midge (Dip.: Chironomidae)  Scott Gilmore

Midge (Dip.: Chironomidae)  Scott Gilmore

Sap beetle, Glischrochilus siepmanni  (Col.: Nitidulidae)  Scott Gilmore

Marsh beetle, Herthania concinna  (Col.: Scirtidae)  Scott Gilmore

Bark louse Hyalosocus sp.  (Psocoptera)  Scott Gilmore

Bark louse Hyalosocus sp.  (Psocoptera)  Scott Gilmore

   Ken Vaughan writes:  I was out to the Beaver Lake Retriever Ponds this morning, 27 April, poking around. Not much action to speak of yet. But there were a few Pacific Forktails about, away from the pond itself. Here’s a male.

Pacific Forktail Ischnura cervula (Odo.:  Coenagrionidae

Ken Vaughan

   Jeremy Tatum writes:   Here is an Aseptis adnixa reared from a caterpillar found on Oemleria cerasiformis in the Blenkinsop Valley and released there at midnight last night.

Aseptis adnixa (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jeremy Tatum

Steven Roias writes: I don’t get too many noctuids around my house in Saanich but tonight (April 27) was an exception!  Both Egira perlubens and E. rubrica showed nicely.

Egira perlubens (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Steven Roias

Egira rubrica  (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Steven Roias

2018 April 27

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  I am in he process of moving my office.  This may possibly mean a delay in  Invert Alert service for a day or two.  If your picture does not appear immediately, have patience!

   Samantha Hatfield sends pictures of a Mourning Cloak  and a green lacewing from Beacon Hill Park this morning,  It would need a specialist to identify the lacewing below subfamily level – there are many similar species.

Mourning Cloak Nymphalis antiopa (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Samantha Hatfield

Mourning Cloak Nymphalis antiopa (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Samantha Hatfield

Green lacewing (Neu.: Chrysopidae – Chrysopinae)

Samantha Hatfield

   Gordon Hart sends a photograph of a Moss’s Elfin  from his Highlands property.

Moss’s Elfin Incisalia mossii  (Lep.: Lycaenidae)  Gordon Hart

   Jeremy Tatum sends a photograph of a spider from his Saanich apartment building this morning.   I’ll label it Eratigena atrica, in order to be consistent with other photographs of this animal that have appeared on this site, though the genus name has varied between Eratigena and Tegenaria (which are anagrams!) and the species name between atrica and duellica.

Eratigena atrica (Ara.:  Agelenidae)  Jeremy Tatum

2018 April 26

Invert Alert!   Silvery Blues!

   Jeff Gaskin writes: Yesterday, April 25, there were 2 Silvery Blues around the lupines, though the plants were still not in flower on the Galloping Goose trail by the Colwood exit.

   Jeff continues: Today, April 26, there were 2 Satyr Commas on the Lochside trail between Lohbrunner Road. and the Don Mann business or at the trail that connects to Mount Douglas Cross Road.

  Jeremy Tatum writes:  Lots of Western Spring Azures and Sara Orangetips at Munn Road today.  Also one Green Comma.

   Kirsten Mills writes: Jeff Gaskin and I had a Mourning Cloak at the Swan Lake nature house at 5:30 tonight (April 26) . Here’s a photo.

Mourning Cloak  Nymphalis antiopa  (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Kirsten Mills

   Val George writes: Yesterday’s (April 25) warm weather finally brought out some butterflies so I took the opportunity to do the official April count for my area, Mount Douglas and the surrounding areas.  My tally was: 10 Cabbage Whites, 5 Sara Orangetips, 2 Propertius Duskywings.

Propertius Duskywing Erynnis propertius  (Lep.: Hesperiidae)  Val George

   Aziza Cooper writes: Yesterday, April 25, this moth landed at my feet in Oak Haven Park, Brentwood Bay.  Jeremy Tatum writes:  This is Epirrhoe plebeculata.  This is a day-flying moth, many of which may be seen flying at this time of year.  If you see one, please watch it carefully to see if it is laying eggs.  If it does, I’d love to have then for rearing.  I have been trying to find the caterpillars of this moth for a very long time.

Epirrhoe plebeculata (Lep.: Geometridae)  Aziza Cooper

2018 April 25

    Gordon Hart photographed a beetle at Witty’s Lagoon yesterday, and we are much indebted to Scott Gilmore for identifying it as an Oregon Tiger Beetle.  Gordon also writes that yesterday in his Highlands garden he saw two Green Commas, and a Sara Orangetip as well as a number of Western Spring Azures.

Oregon  Tiger Beetle Cicindela oregona (Col.: Carabidae – Cicindelinae) Gordon Hart

   Jochen Moehr continues to find lots of moths in his moth trap in Metchosin.  He counted 22 Melanolophia imitata this morning.  Here is one of them:

Melanolophia imitata (Lep.: Geometridae) Jochen Moehr

   Next is a pug, probably Eupithecia ravocostaliata, though since we are not entirely certain how to distinguish this species from E. nevadata, we’ll put both names in the caption.

Eupithecia ravocostaliata/nevadata (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Moehr

   Next, another pug.  Jeremy Tatum’s best guess is that it is either E. annulata or it isn’t.

Probably Eupithecia annulata (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Moehr

Hydriomena manzanita  (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Moehr

Triphosa haesitata (Lep.: Geometridae) Jochen Moehr

Alucita montana  (Lep.: Alucitidae)  Jochen Moehr

Nola minna (Lep.: Nolidae)   Jochen Moehr

Feralia comstocki (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Moehr

Behrensia conchiformis (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Moehr

Cissusa indiscreta (Lep.: Erebidae – Erebinae) Jochen Moehr

Adela trigrapha  (Lep.: Adelidae)  Jochen Moehr

    The California Tortoiseshell that has been seen on and off on the Mount Tolmie reservoir since April 19 was still there on April 24 at 3:30 p.m., when Marie O’Shaughnessy obtained this photograph:

California Tortoiseshell Nymphalis californica (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Marie O’Shaughnessy

   Daniel Dönnecke writes:  I finally noticed some butterflies today on a hike in Mount Douglas Park.  There were four Sara Orangetips, a Western Spring Azure and three Propertius Duskywings.

Propertius Duskywing Erynnis propertius (Lep.: Hesperiidae)  Daniel Dönnecke

2018 April 24 morning

   Scott Gilmore writes:  On Sunday April 22 I found several tiny rove beetles (Staphylinidae) in the low-mid intertidal zone in Lantzville. Both of these species are flightless and spend most of their time in air pockets of barnacles or rocks when the tide is up and only come out to feed when the tide goes out. Given where I found these they probably are only out of the water for a few hours a day. A rather remarkable habitat to find beetles.

Diaulota fulviventris (Col.: Staphylinidae)  Scott Gilmore

Liparocephalus sp. (Col.: Staphylinidae)  Scott Gilmore

Liparocephalus sp. (Col.: Staphylinidae)  Scott Gilmore