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.

September 23 morning

2019 September 23 morning

 

   At 00h 51m this morning, the Sun passed from north to south of the equator.  Welcome to Fall!

 

Jeff Gaskin writes: On September 21 , I saw a Painted Lady in Beacon Hill Park in the Verbena that is near Deer Lake.  Deer Lake is the pond across from the petting zoo.  Also, Lynda Dowling tells me she had a Red Admiral at her herb and lavender farm as well as 4 Cabbage Whites, September 21.  She lives at 3505 Happy Valley Road.

 

Jochen Möhr’s moths from Metchosin, September 22.  Thanks to Libby Avis for help with the identifications.

 

1 Drepanulatrix sp.

1 Leucania insueta

1 Lithophane petulca

1 Nadata gibbosa

2 Dryotype opina

1 Plemyria georgii

8 Pleromelloida cinerea

1 Sunira decipiens

2 Tetracis jubararia /pallulata

1 Xanthorhoe defensaria 

 

 


Xanthorhoe defensaria (Lep.: Geometridae) Jochen Möhr


Lithophane petulca (Lep.: Noctuidae) Jochen Möhr


   Xestia finamitis complex (Lep.: Noctuidae) Jochen Möhr


Nadata gibbosa (Lep.: Notodontidae) Jochen Möhr


Plemyria georgii (Lep.: Geometridae) Jochen Möhr


Dryotype opina (Lep.: Noctuidae) Jochen Möhr


Sunira decipiens (Lep.: Noctuidae) Jochen Möhr


Tetracis jubararia/pallulata (Lep.: Geometridae) Jochen Möhr


Tetracis jubararia/pallulata (Lep.: Geometridae) Jochen Möhr

 

September 22

 

2019 September 22

Hello Butterfly Counters,

I have been reminded that we have done a September count in past years, so we will record counts from  Saturday, September 21, to next Sunday, September 29. In the last four years we have had from two species (2016), to eight species(2018), so it is still possible to see a good selection. yesterday Cabbage Whites, and a Painted Lady in Beacon Hill Park have been seen.

To submit your counts, please use the form at https://www.vicnhs.bc.ca/?p=33 on the Victoria Natural History Society website. If you don’t like forms, please email me with the details.

The count area is the same as the Victoria Christmas Bird Count circle. For butterfly identification there are numerous internet sites, but most or all Victoria species are listed on E-Fauna. If you select by photographer, all the photos under James Miskelly’s name are of Victoria species. Here is the link: http://linnet.geog.ubc.ca/efauna/photoGallery/Gallery.aspx?gr=showall&pid=175&photographer=miskelly,%20james&specrep=0
If you would like a suggestion for an area to count, please send me an email.
Thank-you for submitting your sightings and happy counting!

Gordon Hart,

Butterfly Count Coordinator,

Victoria Natural History Society

 

September 21

2019 September 21

 

   Jochen Möhr’s moths from Metchosin this morning:

 

2 Drepanulatrix sp.

2 Noctua pronuba

3 Pleromelloida cinerea 

 

 


Pleromelloida cinerea (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr

 


Drepanulatrix sp. (Lep.: Geometridae) Jochen Möhr

 

 Jeremy Tatum writes:  There were half a dozen or so Cabbage Whites at Muir Creek today, September 21.

 

September 20

2019 September 20

 

   Bud Logan sends a photograph of a black woolly bear caterpillar.  Jeremy Tatum writes:  I don’t know for sure what it is, but I am wondering if it is an all-black individual of the Banded Woolly Bear.  The width of the central orange band in this species varies, but I’ve never seen one in which the orange band is totally absent.  Anyone care to comment?

 

Maybe Pyrrharctia isabella (Lep.: Erebidae – Arctiinae)  Bud Logan

 

 

   Jochen Möhr’s moths from Metchosin this morning:

 


Tetracis pallulata (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

 


Xanthorhoe defensaria (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

 


Pleromelloida cinerea (Lep.: Noctuidae) Jochen Möhr

 


Pleromelloida cinerea (Lep.: Noctuidae) Jochen Möhr

 

 

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  The “Meadow” bed at the Finnerty Gardens (UVic) at the moment has massive amounts of Sedum and Verbena in flower.  These are excellent butterfly attractants.  At lunchtime today (September 20) there were two fresh-looking Painted Ladies nectaring on the Verbena.

 

September 19

2019 September 19

 

   Layla Munger sends three photographs from Beacon Hill Park, September 18. Thanks to Dr Rob Cannings for the identification of the dragonfly as Aeshna palmata.  Rob  writes: The straight thoracic stripes are similar to those of R. multicolor, but have some yellow in them rather than being all blue. The face is yellowish instead of bluish, and has a black line, unlike the faint brown line of R. multicolor. A male would have been much easier!

 

Female Paddle-tailed Darner Aeshna palmata (Odo.: Aeshnidae)  Layla Munger

 

Painted Lady Vanessa cardui (Lep.: Nymphalidae) Layla Munger

 

Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta (Lep.: Nymphalidae) Layla Munger

 

   Jochen Möhr had a big moth night in Metchosin last night.   Thanks as ever to Libby Avis for help with the identifications. Here are a few that Jochen photographed.



Sunira decipiens (Lep.: Noctuidae) Jochen Möhr

 


Agrochola purpurea (Lep.: Noctuidae) Jochen Möhr

 


Euxoa sp. (Lep.: Noctuidae) Jochen Möhr

 


Noctua pronuba (Lep.: Noctuidae) Jochen Möhr

 


Dysstroma sp. (Lep.: Geometridae) Jochen Möhr

 


Xanthorhoe defensaria (Lep.: Geometridae) Jochen Möhr

 


Tetracis sp. (Lep.: Geometridae) Jochen Möhr


Xestia finatimis-infimatis-verniloides complex (Lep.: Noctuidae)

Jochen Möhr

 


Euxoa sp. (Lep.: Noctuidae) Jochen Möhr

 

   Jeremy Tatum sends a photograph of a snail from McIntyre Reservoir.


Cepaea nemoralis (Pul.: Helicidae)  Jeremy Tatum

 

   Jeremy writes:  Here is the puparium of a parasitic fly from a hapless caterpillar of a thyatirine moth:

Parasitic fly puparium (Dip.: Tachinidae) Jeremy Tatum