2015 September 30

   Annie Pang writes:  Today in Victoria, it was up to 20 ºC and I was so very pleased to be able to get an Autographa californica moth, common name; Alfalfa Looper , that just flew up in front of me and then landed briefly on some marigolds in Gorge Park Community Gardens. Pictures taken Sept 29, 2015.  [Jeremy Tatum comments:  This is the seventh photo of this species sent to Invert Alert in the last four weeks. (See Aug 28, Sep 10,13, 24, 26 and 29 in addition to today) One of them was reared from a caterpillar, but I wonder if we are having a sudden invasion of this migratory species.  Additional observations will be of interest.]

Autographa californica (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Annie Pang

   David Stirling writes:  On Sunday, September 27, 2015 . fifty or more dragonflies were hawking over the field at East Sooke Park from  2:00 to 3:00 pm. They appeared golden in the low fall sunlight but changed to vivid green if viewed from a different angle. A fine sight. A Merlin was sallying forth to capture individual insects.

  Jeremy Tatum writes:  On September 13 we showed a photograph of an egg of a Cabbage White found on Cakile at Weir’s Beach. The caterpillar is now almost full grown, thriving on a diet of Cakile, cabbage and Brussels sprouts.  (It seems to be favouring the latter at present.)  Photograph below, taken today.

Cabbage White Pieris rapae (Lep.: Pieridae) Jeremy Tatum