2017 March 29

   Nathan Fisk writes:  We’re seeing hundreds of these small dark spiders running through the leaves and grasses in the learning meadow of Fort Rodd Hill over the last few weeks. Finally managed to catch one standing still.

  Robb Bennett writes:  Pardosa vancouveri.   Common and abundant in meadows around here at this time of year – they have overwintered as sub-adults and are now running amok maturing, courting and mating.  Soon the females will be carrying pale egg cases, one each, attached to the spinnerets on the back end of their abdomens.  In our area, the appearance of P. vancouveri is a sure sign of spring.

 Wolf spider Pardosa vancouveri (Ara.: Lycosidae)  Nathan Fisk

 Here are photographs of some of Jeremy Gatten’s moth sightings from Metchosin mentioned in yesterday’s posting, plus one of Hydriomena albifasciata, which turned up at his Saanichton home today – a lifer for him and a lifer for Invert Alert.

Pleromelloida conserta (Lep.:  Noctuidae)  Jeremy Gatten

Feralia deceptiva (Lep.: Noctuidae)   Jeremy Gatten

Left:  Orthosia praeses (Lep.: Noctuidae)

Right:  Hydriomena manzanita ( Lep.: Geometridae)

Jeremy Gatten

 Hydriomena albifasciata (Lep.: Geometridae) Jeremy Gatten

   And now for the first butterfly photograph to appear in Invert Alert this year.  (For earlier sightings see yesterday’s posting.)  Morgan Davies photographed this Cabbage White in the Cook Street Village neighbourhood on March 24^th.

Cabbage White Pieris rapae (Lep.: Pieridae)  Morgan Davies