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.

August 7

2015 August 7

 

   Here’s another photograph of the Lesser Yellow Underwing from Val George’s carport yesterday.

 

Lesser Yellow Underwing Noctua comes (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Val George

 

   Aziza Cooper writes:  Tonight, August 6, I saw two butterflies hilltopping at Moss Rock summit. There was a very fresh Painted Lady, and a very worn Red Admiral.

 

  Devon Parker writes:  I just remembered I had photographed some butterflies on the eastern peak of Mt. Prévost in Duncan on May 8 2015. Not sure if it is too late to add to the invert alert but I saw one Moss’s Elfin, one Western Elfin and one unidentified male ‘Blue’ possibly nectaring on Kinnikinnick.  Jeremy Tatum writes:  Yes, definitely too late! But I’ll post them just the same!   Just this once!   🙂

Moss’s Elfin Incisalia mossii (Lep.: Lycaenidae)  Devon Parker

 

 

Western Brown Elfin Incisalia iroides  (Lep.:  Lycaenidae)

Devon Parker

 

 

   Aziza Cooper writes: Attached are two lists showing the environmental statuses of butterflies on Vancouver Island. They were compiled by Mike Yip, and I’ve checked the current statuses on the Conservation Data Centre (CDC) website. There are several discrepancies in names and entries, but even so the lists should be helpful in sorting out your sightings.

 

VANCOUVER ISLAND BUTTERFLIES

 Compiled by Mike Yip; edited by Aziza Cooper

 SWALLOWTAILS & APOLLOS  PROVINCIAL STATUS  

Clodius Apollo                           blue

Rocky Mountain Apollo          blue 

Anise Swallowtail     

Western Tiger Swallowtail   

Pale Swallowtail      

 

WHITES, MARBLES, & SULPHURS

Pine White       

Western White         

Margined White      

Cabbage White    exotic 

Island Marble        red, extirpated

Sara’s Orangetip

Clouded Sulphur                           

Orange Sulphur     migrant

Western Sulphur    

 

GOSSAMER WINGS

Purplish Copper      

Reakirt’s Copper     

Sylvan Hairstreak        

Johnson’s Hairstreak       red, extirpated

Cedar Hairstreak

Western Elfin  

Moss’ Elfin     blue

Western Pine Elfin    blue  

Grey Hairstreak

Western Tailed Blue     

Western Spring Azure

Silvery Blue      

Anna’s Blue      blue 

Greenish Blue         red, extirpated

Boisduval’s Blue                 blue

Arctic Blue       

 

BRUSHFOOTS

Satyr Anglewing

Green Comma

Zephyr Anglewing      

Oreas Anglewing

Compton Tortoiseshell            migrant

California Tortoiseshell   migrant

Mourning Cloak      

Milbert’s Tortoiseshell

American Lady    migrant

Painted Lady     migrant  

Red Admiral     migrant

Westcoast Lady    migrant

Zerene Fritillary    red

Hydaspe Fritillary

Mormon Fritillary      

Western Meadow Fritillary    

Field Crescent

Mylitta Crescent      

Chalcedon Checkerspot             extirpated   

Taylor’s Checkerspot           red  

Lorquin’s Admiral     

Common Ringlet    red

Common Woodnymph   red  

Great Arctic         

Melissa Arctic         

Monarch         blue, migrant

 

SKIPPERS

Silver-spotted Skipper                     blue, extirpated  

Northern Cloudywing        

Dreamy Duskywing

Propertius Duskywing   red 

Persius Duskywing

Two-banded Checkered Skipper   

Arctic Skipper

European Skipper    exotic  

Common Branded Skipper

Western Branded Skipper           red

Woodland Skipper     

Dun Skipper         red

Roadside Skipper

 

VANCOUVER ISLAND BUTTERFLIES

 

TRUE BUTTERFLIES

 

SWALLOWTAILS & APOLLOS    

Clodius Apollo                           

Rocky Mountain Apollo    

Anise Swallowtail     

Western Tiger Swallowtail   

Pale Swallowtail      

WHITES, MARBLES, & SULPHURS

Pine White    

Western White         

Margined White   

Cabbage White   

Large Island Marble        

Sara’s Orangetip

Clouded Sulphur                         Orange Sulphur     

Western Sulphur    

 

GOSSAMER WINGS

Purplish Copper   

Reakirt’s Copper     

Sylvan Hairstreak     

Johnson’s Hairstreak       

Cedar Hairstreak

Western Elfin  

Moss’ Elfin     

Blue=  Blue listed, Red=Red listed, Green=Introduced, Pink=migrant

 

 

 

Western Pine Elfin     Grey Hairstreak

Western Tailed Blue    Western Spring Azure

Silvery Blue      

Anna’s Blue    

Greenish Blue  (P. s. insulanus)  

Boisduval’s Blue                 

Arctic Blue       

 

BRUSHFOOTS

Satyr Anglewing

Green Comma

Zephyr Anglewing      

Oreas Anglewing

Compton Tortoiseshell            

California Tortoiseshell   

Mourning Cloak   

Milbert’s Tortoiseshell

American Lady    

Painted Lady    

Red Admiral     

Westcoast Lady    

Zerene Fritillary (S. z. bremnerii)  

Hydaspe Fritillary

Mormon Fritillary   

Western Meadow Fritillary    

Compiled by Mike Yip, 2015

 

 

Field Crescent

Mylitta Crescent   

Chalcedon Checkerspot          

Taylor’s Checkerspot

Lorquin’s Admiral     

Common Ringlet    

Common Woodnymph    Great Arctic         

Melissa Arctic

Chryxus Arctic             

Monarch xxx         

 

SKIPPERS

 

Silver-spotted Skipper                      Northern Cloudywing        

Dreamy Duskywing

Propertius Duskywing 

Persius Duskywing

Two-banded Checkered Skipper   

Arctic Skipper

European Skipper     Common Branded Skipper

Western Branded Skipper           

Woodland Skipper     

Dun Skipper         

Roadside Skipper