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 17

2016 June 17

 

   Gordon Hart writes:  Time flies, and the June count will be this Saturday, June 18 for nine days ending Sunday, June 26.  Please use the submission form on the VNHS website:  www.vicnhs.bc.ca/?p=33

Most of the spring butterflies are gone or in reduced numbers, but there is still a good variety of species out there on a good day.

 

If you need suggestions for a place to count, please email me (hartgordon19 AT gmail.com). If we get more than one count for a location, I will use the high numbers for each species. If you want to be removed from this list, please let me know. If you know someone who wants to be on the list, please ask them to email me.

 

The next monthly butterfly walk will be on Sunday July 3, and we will likely go farther afield, perhaps Shawnigan or Cowichan areas, so we will be meeting at the Mt Tolmie summit at 10 a.m., not 1p.m., to allow for travel time, and perhaps avoid the July heat (assuming there is some!).  I’ll send out another reminder closer to the date. Of course, it is weather-dependent. Thanks for participating in the count, and enjoy the butterflies!

 

 

   Rosemary Jorna writes:  This morning June 16 2016 I came upon a hatching of spiderlings [probably Araneus diadematus – Jeremy Tatum]  on a forest trail on crown land along King Creek  in Otter Point.

 

Probably Araneus diadematus (Ara.: Araneidae)  Rosemary Jorna

 

Probably Araneus diadematus (Ara.: Araneidae)  Rosemary Jorna

 

 

   Mike Yip writes:  A grocery trip to Nanaimo today afforded an excuse to check out the dogbane butterflies on Nanaimo River Road. It was still cool at 11:30 am and only the Clodius Parnassians, Lorquin’s Admirals, and Pale and Western Tiger Swallowtails were flying, but as it warmed more butterflies started to appear: 5 Dun Skippers, 3 Hydaspe Fritillaries, 6 Cedar Hairstreaks, 3 Grey Hairstreaks, 1 Sylvan Hairstreak, and 1 Red Admiral.

 

Clodius Parnassian Parnassius clodius (Lep.: Papilionidae)  Mike Yip

 

Cedar Hairstreak Mitoura rosneri (Lep.: Lycaenidae)  Mike Yip

 

Dun Skipper Euphyes vestris (Lep.: Hesperiidae)  Mike Yip

 

Hydaspe Fritillary Speyeria hydaspe (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Mike Yip

 

Sylvan Hairstreak Satyrium sylvinum (Lep.: Lycaenidae)  Mike Yip