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.

2023 May 26

2023 May 26

 

   Ian Cooper sends a selection of photographs taken along the Galloping Goose Trail in Saanich near Harriet Road on the afternoon of May 24.

Narcissus Bulb Fly Merodon (probably equestris)  (Dip.: Syrphidae)  Ian Cooper

 

Bombus vosnesenskii  (Hym.: Apidae)   Ian Cooper

 

Striped Sweat Bee  Agapostemon  (Hym.: Halictidae)  Ian Cooper

 

Mining Bee  Andrena (Hym.: Andrenidae)   Ian Cooper

 

Small Carpener Bee Ceratina  (Hym.: Apidae)  Ian Cooper

Jeff Gaskin writes:   I had a half decent day butterfly walking on May 25.   First of all, I had a total of 14 Ringlets, 1 near Viaduct Flats, and the rest or 13 in Layritz Park.   I also saw my first Lorquin’s Admirals of the year.   Both were on the Colquitz River trail north of Roy Road and south of Lindsay sreet.  One of the Lorquin’s Admirals was attacking a Mourning Cloak too.  I saw only 4 Western Spring Azures.  The rest of my butterflies were:   14 Cabbage Whites, 5 Pale Tiger Swallowtails, and 6 Western Tiger Swallowtails.

 

Marie O’Shaughnessy photographed two damselflies at McIntyre reservoir yesterday.  She also saw a Cardinal Meadowhawk and seven Cabbage Whites.

 

Tule Bluets Enallagma carunculata (Odo.: Coenagrionidae)
Marie O’Shaughnessy

 

Pacific Forktail Ischnura cervula (Odo.: Coenagrionidae)
Marie O’Shaughnessy

On May 24 Marie saw two Western Tiger Swallowtails, one Red Admiral and 11 Cabbage Whites at Government House.  She secured these two photographs:

 

Western Tiger Swallowtail Papilio rutulus (Lep.: Papilionidae)
Marie O’Shaughnessy

 

Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta (Lep.: Nymphalidae)
Marie O’Shaughnessy

 

 

 

2023 May 25

2023 May 25

 

In case anyone is wondering, we did not issue a May 24 Alert.

 

    Ron Flower photographed these two Pale Tiger Swallowtails at Goldstream, May 24:


Pale Tiger Swallowtails Papilio eurymedon (Lep.: Papilionidae)
Ron Flower

   He also photographed another Cedar Hairstreak at Goldstream on May 24.   Jeremy Tatum also reports a Cedar Hairstreak from the Panhandle Trail on May 24.

 

Cedar Hairstreak Mitoura rosneri  (Lep.: Lycaenidae)  Ron Flower

   Western and Pale Tiger Swallowtails, as well as Western Spring Azures and Cabbage Whites, are now being seen generally. Sightings of Mourning Cloaks continue, Jeff Gaskin reporting one on Christmas Hill, and Jeremy Tatum reporting two from the Panhandle Trail.  Other goodies from the Panhandle trail today include a Propertius Duskywing and three Grey Hairstreaks.

 

Aziza Cooper reports the following from Sooke Potholes, May 24:

Pale Tiger Swallowtail – 4

Western Tiger Swallowtail – 2

Western Spring Azure – 29

Cedar Hairstreak – 1

 

Western Spring Azure Celastrina echo  (Lep.: Lycaenidae)  Aziza Cooper

Pale Tiger Swallowtail  Papilio eurymedon  (Lep.: Papilionidae)  Aziza Cooper

 

 

Cedar Hairstreak  Mitoura rosneri  (Lep.: Lycaenidae)    Aziza Cooper

   Ian Cooper sends a photograph of the California Mint Moth Pyrausta californicalis from along the Galloping Goose Trail in Saanich near Harriet Road today:


Mint Moth Pyrausta californicalis (Lep.:  Crambidae)  Ian Cooper

   Jeremy Tatum sends a photograph of Spilosoma virginica reared from a caterpillar found last year.

Spilosoma virginica  (Lep.: Erebidae – Arctiinae)  Jeremy Tatum

 

2023 May 23

2023 May 23

 

   Marie O’Shaughnessy sends photographs of a Cabbage White and a Tule Bluet from McIntyre reservoir, and a California Darner from Mount Tolmie.  Thanks to Dr Rob Cannings for identification of the damselfly and dragonfly.   Of the dragonfly, Dr Cannings writes:  It looks like a female with the cerci broken off.

 

 

 

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Cabbage White  Pieris rapae (Lep.: Pieridae)   Marie O’Shaughnessy

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Tule Bluet Enallagma carunculatum (Odo.: Coenagrionidae)
   Marie O’Shaughnessy

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California Darner  Rhionaeschna californica  (Odo.: Aeshnidae)

Marie O’Shaughnessy

   Val George sends a photograph of a moth from the wall of his Oak Bay house this morning, May 23.

 

 

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Spotted Tiger Moth Lophocampa maculata  (Lep.: Erebidae –Arctiinae)

Val George

  Jeremy Tatum shows a caterpillar found near Blenkinsop Lake:

 

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Orthosia hibisci  (Lep.: Noctuidae)   Jeremy Tatum

2023 May 22 evening

2023 May 22 evening

 

Marie O’Shaughnessy writes:    Aziza Cooper and I saw a lovely West Coast Lady May 20th at the top of Mount Tolmie:

 

 

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West Coast Lady Vanessa annabella  (Lep.: Nymphalidae)

Marie O’Shaughnessy

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West Coast Lady Vanessa annabella  (Lep.: Nymphalidae)

Marie O’Shaughnessy

Jeff Gaskin reports a Mourning Cloak this afternoon from Interurban Road near Wilkinson Road.

 

 

Rosemary Jorna writes:   A walk around the Charters Creek Trestle and to Todd Creek on the Galloping Goose this morning resulted in spotting five Pacific Sideband snails,  one moth and a cricket:

 

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Monadenia fidelis  (Pul.:  Bradybaenidae)    Rosemary Jorna

 

 

 

 

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Macaria signaria  (Lep.: Geometridae)  Rosemary Jorna

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Tropidischia xanthostoma  (Orth.: Rhaphidophoridae)

Rosemary Jorna

2023 May 22

2023 May 22

Aziza Cooper writes:  On May 21, on the lawn east of the main building at Government House, there were two Western TigerSwallowtails and one Pale Tiger Swallowtail.  Today at Goldstream railroad tracks, there was one Pale Tiger Swallowtail and one Western Spring Azure, and four Cinnabar Moths.

 

 

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Western Tiger Swallowtail Papilio rutulus  (Lep.: Papilionidae)

Aziza Cooper

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Cinnabar Moth  Tyria jacobaeae (Lep.: Erebidae – Arctiinae)

  Aziza Cooper