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.

June 7

2015 June 7

 

   Sorry I’m posting today’s Invert Alert so early in the day  –  I’m, just off to the monthly Butterfly Walk – at Duncan!

 

 

   Ken Vaughan writes:  Had a nice walk around Beaver Lake Ponds on June 4, with two first-of-year-for-me odes.

 

Cardinal Meadowhawk Sympetrum illotum (Odo.: Libellulidae)  Ken Vaughan

 

 

 

 

 

Male Eight-spotted Skimmer Libellula forensis (Odo.:  Libellulidae)  Ken Vaughan

 Ellychnia sp. (Col.: Lampyridae)  Ken Vaughan

 

Pale Tiger Swallowtail Papilio eurymedon (Lep.: Papilionidae)  Ken Vaughan

 

Dot-tailed Whiteface Leucorrhinia intacta (Odo.: Libellulidae)  Ken Vaughan

 

 

 

   …and it looks as though Gordon Hart is seeing the same animals!  He sends the following:

 

 

Dot-tailed Whiteface Leucorrhinia intacta (Odo.: Libellulidae)  Gordon Hart

 

 

Yellow Crab Spider Misumena vatia (Ara.: Thomisiidae) Gordon Hart

 

 

 

   Annie Pang sends a Western Tiger Swallowtail in its typical pose nectaring on Himalayan Blackberry, just like Ken’s Pale Tiger above.

 

 

Western Tiger Swallowtail Papilio rutulus (Lep.: Papilionidae)  Annie Pang

 

 

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  On May 17 I posted a photograph of a caterpillar, which I labelled Enargia infumata.  The adult moth from this caterpillar emerged two days ago and it looks as though it might be a different species.  The three (or more?) Enargia species that we have in British Columbia pose an identification problem, and we are working to try to get a certain identification on this one, but for the time being I believe it is most likely Enargia decolor.

 

 

Enargia sp. (probably decolor)  (Lep.: Noctuidae)   Jeremy Tatum