2023 April 29

Last year Rosemary Jorna showed a series of photographs from the Kemp Lake area of the Ceanothus Giant Silk Moth Hyalophora euryalus from oviposition to construction of a cocoon  (2022 May 6, 8, 27,  June 21, 25, July 13).  Rosemary now deserves congratulations for seeing the insect through its complete cycle, for an adult moth emerged today:

Hyalophorus euryalus (Lep.: Saturniidae)  Rosemary Jorna

   Jeff Gaskin has been finding butterflies yesterday and today.  He writes: Yesterday, April 28, I saw some butterflies in Cuthbert Holmes Park.  I saw the following:   1 Mourning Cloak,  5 Sara Orangetips,  3 Western Spring Azures and 8 Cabbage Whites.  Today, April 29, I found a Western Brown Elfin on a plant in someone’s private residence on Saanich Road. near Swan Lake.  At Blenkinsop Lake I saw one Satyr Comma,  8 Western Spring Azures and an incredible 7 Mourning Cloaks.  There were 3 Mourning Cloaks south of the bridge, 1 at the bridge, and 3 north of the lake.  One of the latter was near Lohbrunner Road.

   Ian Cooper has been photographing more fascinating invertebrates, some of which will be shown in tomorrow’s Invertebrate Alert.  For tonight we limit ourselves to one exciting moth – a great find – along the Galloping Goose Trail, April 29. Identified for us by Libby Avis as Annaphila decia:

Annaphila decia   (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Ian Cooper

2023 April 28

2023 April 27

   Ron Flower reports two Western Spring Azures from the Goldstream River this morning.   These are the first of this species reported to Invert Alert this year.   Jeremy Tatum reports a California Tortoiseshell from the Mount Tolmie reservoir at 5:45 this evening.

   Ian Cooper photographed these two snails along the Galloping Goose Trail in View Royal.

Grey Field Slug – Deroceras reticulatum (Pul.: Agriolimacidae)

Arion  sp. (Pul.: Arionidae)

Ian Cooper

 2023 April 26 evening

  Jochen Möhr sends a photograph of a moth from his Metchosin home, April 25.  This proved difficult to identify until Libby Avis pointed out how very, very different are the two sexes of Hypena decorata, and that this one is a female.

Female Hypena decorata  (Lep.: Erebidae – Hypeninae)  Jochen Möhr

   Aziza Cooper photographed a Satyr Comma at Royal Roads University today:

Satyr Comma  Polygonia satyrus   (Lep.: Nymphalidae)   Aziza Cooper

2023 April 26 morning

We have a spot of colour in this morning’s posting.  Aziza Cooper writes that on April 25, there were two Mourning Cloaks and one Cabbage White at Panama Flats, and one California Tortoiseshell at Mount Tolmie on the concrete reservoir at about 5 pm.  And Gordon Hart saw three Green Commas at his Highlands property.

Mourning Cloak Nymphalis antiopa  (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Aziza Cooper

Cabbage White Pieris rapae    (Lep.: Pieridae)  Aziza Cooper

California Tortoiseshell  Nymphalis californica  (Lep.: Nymphalidae)
Aziza Cooper

Green Comma Polygonia faunus  (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Gordon Hart