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.

April 1

2018 April 1

 

   Nathan Fisk writes that in Oaklands cemetery yesterday, he saw a lone Cabbage White among myriad bee flies, Bombus vosnesenskii and honey bees nectaring on introduced bulbs and Spring Gold. 

 

Cabbage White Pieris rapae (Lep.: Pieridae)   Nathan Fisk

 

   Jochen Moehr sends photographs of two more moths from Metchosin.  One is an Orthosia praeses,  perhaps a little past its best-before date;  the other is a pristine-fresh beautiful Feralia deceptiva.

 


Orthosia praeses (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Moehr

 


Feralia deceptiva  (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Moehr

 

 

   Gerry and Wendy Ansell write: We saw our first butterflies of the year yesterday.  We were at Sooke Potholes Regional Park across from the farthest parking lot, on a sunny west-facing slope.  Two anglewings (commas) were spiraling upwards together.  When they were resting I got a few photos that I was hoping would identify them but the underside does not show well.  We are labelling them tentatively as Green Commas.  I’ll attach the pictures and you can see what you think.

 

   Well, viewers, writes Jeremy Tatum, what do you think?  The “comma” mark on the underside of the hindwing seems a bit V-shaped, rather than ear-shaped, which makes me wonder if we shouldn’t maybe even rule out gracilis.  We’d be happy for any comments.

 


Polygonia sp. (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Wendy Ansell

 

 


Polygonia sp. (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Wendy Ansell

 

 

The comma mark

 

 

   Today, April 1, seven hardy souls braved a bitter cold wind and went on the first Butterfly Walk of the year.  (They take place on the first Sunday of each month during the butterfly season.)  We took the same route as on last year’s April Butterfly Walk, which took place on April 2, 2017, along Lochside Trail beside Blenkinsop Lake, and, amazingly, we found exactly the same number of butterflies as last year.  The complete list follows.  As Churchill is reputed to have said (we’re not sure if he actually did so): “Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”