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.

2023 May 25

2023 May 25

 

In case anyone is wondering, we did not issue a May 24 Alert.

 

    Ron Flower photographed these two Pale Tiger Swallowtails at Goldstream, May 24:


Pale Tiger Swallowtails Papilio eurymedon (Lep.: Papilionidae)
Ron Flower

   He also photographed another Cedar Hairstreak at Goldstream on May 24.   Jeremy Tatum also reports a Cedar Hairstreak from the Panhandle Trail on May 24.

 

Cedar Hairstreak Mitoura rosneri  (Lep.: Lycaenidae)  Ron Flower

   Western and Pale Tiger Swallowtails, as well as Western Spring Azures and Cabbage Whites, are now being seen generally. Sightings of Mourning Cloaks continue, Jeff Gaskin reporting one on Christmas Hill, and Jeremy Tatum reporting two from the Panhandle Trail.  Other goodies from the Panhandle trail today include a Propertius Duskywing and three Grey Hairstreaks.

 

Aziza Cooper reports the following from Sooke Potholes, May 24:

Pale Tiger Swallowtail – 4

Western Tiger Swallowtail – 2

Western Spring Azure – 29

Cedar Hairstreak – 1

 

Western Spring Azure Celastrina echo  (Lep.: Lycaenidae)  Aziza Cooper

Pale Tiger Swallowtail  Papilio eurymedon  (Lep.: Papilionidae)  Aziza Cooper

 

 

Cedar Hairstreak  Mitoura rosneri  (Lep.: Lycaenidae)    Aziza Cooper

   Ian Cooper sends a photograph of the California Mint Moth Pyrausta californicalis from along the Galloping Goose Trail in Saanich near Harriet Road today:


Mint Moth Pyrausta californicalis (Lep.:  Crambidae)  Ian Cooper

   Jeremy Tatum sends a photograph of Spilosoma virginica reared from a caterpillar found last year.

Spilosoma virginica  (Lep.: Erebidae – Arctiinae)  Jeremy Tatum

 

2023 May 23

2023 May 23

 

   Marie O’Shaughnessy sends photographs of a Cabbage White and a Tule Bluet from McIntyre reservoir, and a California Darner from Mount Tolmie.  Thanks to Dr Rob Cannings for identification of the damselfly and dragonfly.   Of the dragonfly, Dr Cannings writes:  It looks like a female with the cerci broken off.

 

 

 

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

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

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California Darner  Rhionaeschna californica  (Odo.: Aeshnidae)

Marie O’Shaughnessy

   Val George sends a photograph of a moth from the wall of his Oak Bay house this morning, May 23.

 

 

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Spotted Tiger Moth Lophocampa maculata  (Lep.: Erebidae –Arctiinae)

Val George

  Jeremy Tatum shows a caterpillar found near Blenkinsop Lake:

 

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Orthosia hibisci  (Lep.: Noctuidae)   Jeremy Tatum

2023 May 22 evening

2023 May 22 evening

 

Marie O’Shaughnessy writes:    Aziza Cooper and I saw a lovely West Coast Lady May 20th at the top of Mount Tolmie:

 

 

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West Coast Lady Vanessa annabella  (Lep.: Nymphalidae)

Marie O’Shaughnessy

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West Coast Lady Vanessa annabella  (Lep.: Nymphalidae)

Marie O’Shaughnessy

Jeff Gaskin reports a Mourning Cloak this afternoon from Interurban Road near Wilkinson Road.

 

 

Rosemary Jorna writes:   A walk around the Charters Creek Trestle and to Todd Creek on the Galloping Goose this morning resulted in spotting five Pacific Sideband snails,  one moth and a cricket:

 

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Monadenia fidelis  (Pul.:  Bradybaenidae)    Rosemary Jorna

 

 

 

 

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Macaria signaria  (Lep.: Geometridae)  Rosemary Jorna

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Tropidischia xanthostoma  (Orth.: Rhaphidophoridae)

Rosemary Jorna

2023 May 22

2023 May 22

Aziza Cooper writes:  On May 21, on the lawn east of the main building at Government House, there were two Western TigerSwallowtails and one Pale Tiger Swallowtail.  Today at Goldstream railroad tracks, there was one Pale Tiger Swallowtail and one Western Spring Azure, and four Cinnabar Moths.

 

 

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Western Tiger Swallowtail Papilio rutulus  (Lep.: Papilionidae)

Aziza Cooper

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Cinnabar Moth  Tyria jacobaeae (Lep.: Erebidae – Arctiinae)

  Aziza Cooper

2023 May 21 evening

2023 May 21 evening

 

   Jeff Gaskin writes: Yesterday, May 20, Kirsten Mills and I did a lot of looking for butterflies in the Highlands.  We found four Western Brown Elfins along the start to the Stewart Mountain trail.  A Mourning Cloak was at the end of Caleb Pike Road in Gowlland Tod Park.  Kirsten saw an early Lorquin’s Admiral at the Thetis Lake parking lot.  A Green Comma was seen on Munn Road near the Francis/King Park parking lot.
We had a total of 40 Western Spring Azures and 17 Pale Tiger Swallowtails in the Highlands.

 

   A perusal of Invertebrate Alert records from 2015 – 2022 shows that, while May 20 is certainly an early sighting for the Lorquin’s Admiral, first reports of the year in 2016 and 2018 were also on May 20, and the first report for 2019 was May 21.

 

   Jeff continues:  Today, May 21, on Lochside Drive north of Blenkinsop Lake, I saw a Mourning Cloak, 1 Satyr Comma, 1 Western Spring Azure and 14 Cabbage Whites.   At Rithet’s Bog I saw 3 Ringlets, 1 Pale and 1 Western Tiger Swallowtails, 1 Mourning Cloak and 2 Cabbage Whites.   I also saw my first of the year Cardinal Meadowhawks at Rithet’s Bog  In total I saw three of them as well as California Darners.

 

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  Here is a caterpillar found on Aspen at the University of Victoria this morning, May 21:

 

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Enargia infumata  (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jeremy Tatum