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.

September 23

2015 September 23

Welcome to autumn!  Apologies for no news for a few days – have been having a little computer trouble, but I think I have it organized now. 

Jeff Gaskin writes:  A Red Admiral flew across Douglas Street and south of Bay Street around 11:30 a.m. on September 21.

Wendy Ansell writes: Today (September 22) Gerry and I saw 3, possibly 4, very fresh Red Admirals by the beach at Aylard Farm, East Sooke Regional Park.  There was also 1 Pine White further west along the trail.

Rosemary Jorna sends photographs of Araneus diadematusThis is called the Common Garden Spider – but so are a few other species of spider!  This one is a European species.  She also sends a photograph of a Drone Fly Eristalis tenax, also a European. Jeremy Tatum writes: The fly bears a sufficient resemblance to a drone Honey Bee that it had me guessing for a while – I wasn’t 100 percent certain whether I was looking at a fly or a bee!  Rosemary’s photographs were taken from Broomhill in Otter Point or in Kemp Lake Road.

Araneus diadematus (Ara.: Araneidae)  Rosemary Jorna

Araneus diadematus (Ara.: Araneidae)  Rosemary Jorna

Araneus diadematus (Ara.: Araneidae)  Rosemary Jorna

Drone Fly Eristalis tenax (Dip.: Syrphidae) Rosemary Jorna

   Jody Ells sends a photograph of a grasshopper from Saanichton Spit.  Can anyone identify it for us?

 

Grasshopper (Orth.: Acrididae) Jody Wells

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  Lots of Banded Woolly Bears in the Martindale area today, though more had been trodden on than one would expect by accident.  I can’t help wondering if the normal reaction of many humans on seeing a caterpillar is to tread on it – just as the normal reaction to seeing a nice mushroom is to kick it over.