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.

May 25

 

2015 May 25

 

Annie Pang sends pictures of a Two-spotted Ladybird beetle, and of a bumblebee seeking nectar in a Foxglove.

 

Two-spotted Ladybird Adalia bipunctata (Col.: Coccinellidae)  Annie Pang

Bombus centralis (Hym.: Apidae)   Annie Pang

  Gordon Hart sends a picture of a cicada from his Highlands garden.  Thanks to Claudia Copley for the identification as a teneral Okanagana sp.

 

Cicada Okanagana sp.  (Hem.: Cicadidae)   Gordon Hart

 

Libby Avis sends photographs of a caterpillar of Enypia packardata from Rathtrevor Park, Parksville, May 4.   We are not sure how (or if) it is possible to distinguish this caterpillar from that of E. griseata, but we assume, from its range, that it has to be packardata.

 

Enypia packardata (Lep.: Geometridae)  Libby Avis

Enypia packardata (Lep.: Geometridae)  Libby Avis

   Gerry and Wendy Ansell write: On Tuesday May 24, 2016, we saw three Purplish Coppers on the Indian Reserve north of Island View Beach Regional Park.

 

Male Purplish Copper Lycaena helloides (Lep.: Lycaenidae)  Wendy Ansell

  Jeremy Tatum shows a third variation of a Large Yellow Underwing.  See also May 19 and 23.

 

Large Yellow Underwing Noctua pronuba (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jeremy Tatum

 

Jeff Gaskin writes: “Today, May 25, I looked for butterflies on the Galloping Goose trail from Sooke Road at Glen Lake Road to the Colwood exit of the Island Highway. My results are the following:  Cabbage White 25, Western Tiger Swallowtail  6,  Lorquin’s Admiral  2,  Pale Tiger Swallowtail  1,  and Western Spring Azure  1.