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.

May 8

2018 May 8

 

   Libby Avis, who identifies many of our moths for us, is coming to Metchosin from Port Alberni  on Friday to give a public talk on Moths.  It will be at Metchosin Municipal Hall, 4450 Happy Valley Road, behind the fire hall. 7.00 pm., Friday May 11th.  This should interest many viewers of this site, and I’m very much looking forward to it.  All welcome!

 

   Rosemary Jorna sends a picture from Sooke of a jumping spider at lunch on May 2.  Thanks to Sean McCann for identifying it for us as a female Phidippus purpuratus.  And now, May 10, we have just had a note from Scott Gilmore telling us what lunch was.  Scott writes:  What it is eating stood out to me as I have just been finding them here in Lantzville. It is a leaf beetle from the genus Syneta


Phidippus purpuratus (Ara.: Salticidae)  and leaf beetle Syneta sp. (Col.: Chrysomelidae)

  Rosemary Jorna

 

   Kirsten Mills sends a photograph of two Western Spring Azures from Mount Tolmie this afternoon.  They are on a sprig of Ocean Spray.  At the end of it is a panicle of young flower buds, not quite open yet.  The Western Spring Azure lays its eggs on the Ocean Spray buds just before the flowers open.

 

Western Spring Azures Celastrina echo (Lep.: Lycaenidae)    Kirsten Mills