2022 October 9 morning

     Here’s a recent photograph of a harvestman by Ian Cooper.

Harvestman (Opiliones)  Ian Cooper

   October is the month when we see Banded Woolly Bears – the caterpillars of the Isabella Tiger Moth Pyrrharctia isabella.  Here’s one from Panama Flats:

Pyrrharctia isabella (Lep.: Erebidae – Arctiinae)  Jeremy Tatum

2022 October 8

    This month and last, we have had a good invasion of Sulphur butterflies.  Both species – Orange Sulphur and Clouded Sulphur – have occurred.  While some individuals have been fairly easy to identify, some have not been easy, and we are not certain which of the two species they are.  I (JeremyTatum) and Val George have examined the photographs received by Invert Alert to the best of our abilities, and I have labelled them accordingly. I don’t think either of us would claim to have identified them with 100 percent certainty, and I have labelled some of them either/or. We think that all sulphurs before September 30 have been Orange Sulphurs.  From September onwards, both species have been present.

  Ron Flower photographed two at McIntyre reservoir yesterday.  We believe the first of the photgraphs below is an Orange Sulphur.  We are not certain of Ron’s second photograph.

Female Orange Sulphur Colias eurytheme (Lep.: Pieridae)  Ron Flower

Male sulphur Colias eurytheme/philodice  (Lep.: Pieridae) Ron Flower.

  There are probably Cabbage Whites still around, although none were actually reported yesterday.  However, I did see one in the Martindale Valley today. No other butterflies or other invertebrates have been reported to Invertebrate Alert today.

2022 October 7 evening

    October 7 – and there are still butterflies around!  Jeff Gaskin reports that the Lorquin’s Admiral first seen on Markham Road near the Layritz Park entrance [see September 22 and October 2 entries] was still there today.  And Ron Flower sends a photograph taken today at McIntyre reservoir of a Grey Hairstreak:

 Grey Hairstreak Strymon melinus (Lep.: Lycaenidae)  Ron Flower

   There are still sulphurs at McIntyre reservoir – probably of two species.  We’ll delay posting sulphur photographs received today until we are sure of the species.  They’ll probably be posted tomorrow.

   It is probably still worth looking for Painted Lady in the late afternoons near the Jeffery Pine atop Mount Tolmie.  And there must still be Cabbage Whites around.  Wouldn’t it be extraordinary to find six species of butterflies on an October day!

2022 October 7 morning

Some more nighttime photographs by Ian Cooper from the Galloping Goose trail and Colquitz River Park.  We thank Scott Gilmore and Robb Bennett for help with the identifications of the beetles and spiders respectively.

Tetragnatha (probably versicolor) (Ara.: Tetragnathidae)  Ian Cooper

Eratigena (probably agrestis) (Ara.: Agelenidae)  Ian Cooper

Rove Beetle (Col.:  Staphylinidae – Staphylininae)  Ian Cooper

Otiorhynchus singularis (Col.: Curculionidae) Ian Cooper

2022 October 6 evening

    Talking of October Lorquin’s Admirals,  we hear that Kirsten Mills saw one on Finlayson Street near Cedar Hill Road on October 3^rd.

Jeremy Tatum sends a picture of Noctua pronuba from his Saanich apartment today.

Noctua pronuba (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jeremy Tatum