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.

2024 September 16

2024 September 16

  Jeff Gaskin writes:  Only one butterfly of note to tell you about.  Today, September 16, there was one well worn-out Woodland Skipper at Swan Lake.

Jeremy Tatum writes:  The last Woodland Skipper – indeed the last non-Cabbage-White butterfly – to be reported was on Sepetember 6.  There are stiil a few Cabbage Whites to be seen flying around.

Jeff continues:  Dragonflies at Swan Lake included 1 or 2 Blue-eyed Darners, and 2 Blue Dashers.

Aziza Cooper writes:   Today, September 16, this Variegated Meadowhawk was at the Beechey Head hawk lookout.

Variegated Meadowhawk Sympetrum corruptum  (Odo.: Libellulidae)  Aziza Cooper

 

2024 September 15 evening

2024 September 15 evening

Only one small contribution this evening – a small geometrid caterpillar whose identity I (Jeremy Tatum) don’t yet know.  In case you are wondering if the plant it is on is grass, no it’s not grass – it’s Knotgrass.

Geometrid caterpillar  (Lep.: Geometridae) Jeremy Tatum

 

 

2024 September 15 morning

2024 September 15 morning

   Aziza Cooper photographed this Striped Meadowhawk at Swan Lake, September 13.

Striped Meadowhawk Sympetrum pallipes  (Odo.: Libellulidae) Aziza Cooper

 

   Marie O’Shaughnessy writes:  A quick visit to McIntyre Reservoir on September 14 revealed a few  creatures despite that the area had been really scalped along two sides.  A sunny afternoon brought out the butterflies and dragonflies as well as me.

At Island View Beach, I found 5 Cabbage Whites near the first parking area, and 2 Paddletailed Darners along the back ditch.
3 Cabbage White butterflies were busy nectaring at McIntyre Reservoir.  Also, the dragonflies seen were
2 Blue-eyed Darners
2 Blue Dasher
1 Tule Bluet

 Male Cabbage White  Pieris rapae  (Lep.: Pieridae)  Marie O’Shaughnessy

Blue-eyed Darner Rhionaeschna multicolor  (Odo.: Aeshnidae) Marie O’Shaughnessy

Tule Bluet  Enallagma carunculatum  (Odo.: Coenagrionidae)  Marie O’Shaughnessy

 

   On September 14 Marie saw the following at Outerbridge Park:

1 Cardinal Meadowhawk
2 Striped Medowhark
2 Paddle-tailed Darner

 Autumn Meadowhawk Sympetrum vicinum (Odo.: Libellulidae)  Marie O’Shaughnessy

 

Striped Meadowhawk Sympetrum pallipes  (Odo.: Libellulidae) Marie O’Shaughnessy

 

Striped Meadowhawk Sympetrum pallipes  (Odo.: Libellulidae) Marie O’Shaughnessy

 

We are most grateful to Dr Rob Cannings for identifying some of the tricky ones in this batch.

 

 

 

 

 

2024 September 14

2024 September 14

   No Invertebrate Alert was issued on September 13.

Jeremy Tatum writes:  Here is an eyed hawk moth caterpillar found on the sidewalk of Carey Road today.  It would not pose for a decent photograph, for it was in a hurry to bury itself in the soil in order to pupate.  The adult moth will appear next spring.

 

Smerinthus ophthalmica (Lep.: Sphingidae)  Jeremy Tatum

 

 

2024 September 12 evening

2024 September 12 evening

A few more pictures from Ian Cooper’s Sept 8 / 9 photo excursion to ^ Colquitz River Park and the # Galloping Goose Trail in View Royal, near the 9 km marker.

Uncertain,  Possibly a  ^ Long-jawed Orb Weaver, Metellina sp. (Ara.: Tetragnathidae)   Ian Cooper

 

# Cybaeus signifer (Ara.: Cybaeidae)   Ian Cooper

Harvestman – Leptobunus parvulus (Opiliones: Phalangiidae)   Ian Cooper
Thanks to Dr Philip Bragg for verifying the identification