INVERTEBRATE ALERT
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.

June 22

2016 June 22

 

   Marie O’Shaughnessy writes: Here are a couple of butterflies I found at Government House yesterday, June 21st – a Painted Lady and a Lorquin’s Admiral.  Also there, 9 Cabbage Whites and 4 Western Tiger Swallowtails.

 

Painted Lady Vanessa cardui (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Marie O’Shaughnessy

 

Lorquin’s Admiral Limenitis lorquini (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Marie O’Shaughnessy

 

 

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  Today, June 22, I found a first or, probably, second instar caterpillar of Lorquin’s Admiral at Swan Lake.  This is unusual at this time of year.  In this stage of development, it should be just about ready to construct its little hibernaculum in which it spends the winter.  I don’t know how it will enjoy spending the hottest months of the year, July and August, in a hibernaculum hoping that spring is just ahead. The other slightly unusual thing is that it was feeding on Black Hawthorn Crataegus douglasii.  I have never seen it on this plant before, the usual foods being Ocean Spray, willow, or crabapple.  However, hawthorn is listed by Guppy and Shepard as a recorded foodplant.

June 21

2016 June 21

 

   Mike Yip writes: I only had ten minutes at Mount Tolmie this afternoon (June 20), but I saw 3  ladies, 3 Western Tiger Swallowtails, 2 Cabbage Whites, and 1 Lorquin’s Admiral. I managed a quick photo of a West Coast Lady and I believe the others were the same.

 

West Coast Lady Vanessa annabella (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Mike Yip

 

West Coast Lady Vanessa annabella (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Mike Yip

 

   Marie O-Shaughnessy writes:  This lovely Painted Lady was at the south end of Turkey Head walk at the Marina yesterday at 5pm. June 20th. It settled on the rocks rather than on the ground numerous times.

 

Painted Lady Vanessa cardui (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Marie O’Shaugnessy

 

 

   Jeremy Tatum writes: Here is a chrysalis of a Satyr Comma from Lochside Drive north of Blenkinsop Lake.

 

Satyr Comma Polygonia satyrus (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Jeremy Tatum

 

 

June 20

2016 June 20

 

   Welcome to summer – at 3:34 pm PDT today.

 

   On June 19, Jeremy Tatum and Bill Savale tried to take part in this month’s Butterfly Count.  After three-and-a-half hours exploring the Hydro cuts around Munn Road, we saw a grand total of 1 Western Tiger Swallowtail.  Others had a little more success.  Gordon Hart writes that in his Highlands garden (not that far away from Munn Road) he had at least 5 Cabbage Whites, minimum 6 Lorquin’s Admirals, most of them around the flowering Escallonia , one or two Pale Tiger Swallowtails, a Cedar Hairstreak, and one Western Tiger Swallowtail.  Aziza Cooper walked around Swan Lake and counted  11 Western Tiger Swallowtails, 15 Lorquin’s Admirals, 6 Cabbage Whites, and 25 Essex Skippers.  She notes that all the skippers (photograph below) were near Saanich Road along the Swan Lake walking trail.  She also kept her eyes open for dragonflies and she spotted, near the south lollipop, an Eight-spotted Skimmer ovipositing, and 3 Cardinal Meadowhawks.  Val George covered Mount Douglas and the surrounding area.  Results:   39 Cabbage Whites, 8 Western Tiger Swallowtails, 3 Red Admirals, 3 Essex Skippers, 2 Lorquin’s Admirals, 1 Anise Swallowtail, 1Grey Hairstreak (photograph below).

Essex Skipper Thymelicus lineola (Lep.: Hesperiidae)  Aziza Cooper

 

Grey Hairstreak Strymon melinus (Lep.: Lycaenidae)  Val George

 

 

June 19

2016 June 19

 

   Jeremy Tatum shows a caterpillar of the Herald Moth, and a chrysalis of a Red Admiral, both from Lochside Drive north of Blenkinsop Lake.

 

Herald Moth Scoliopteryx libatrix (Lep.: Erebidae – Scoliopteryginae)

Jeremy Tatum

 

Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Jeremy Tatum

June 18

2016 June 18

 

   Gordon Hart writes: This giant sawfly has been in the same area of our Highlands yard for the past couple of weeks. It perches on a leaf for extended periods with short flights ending up back on the same spot. It is a large and heavy-set, at least 30 mm long, and with large pincer jaws. I have attached two photos: one a dorsal view, and one showing the large jaws.

 


Trichiosoma triangulum (Hym.: Cimbicidae)   Gordon Hart

 


Trichiosoma triangulum (Hym.: Cimbicidae)   Gordon Hart