2024 October 10

Cabbage Whites haven’t quite disappeared for the year.  Jeff Gaskin saw two today in the Burnside/Gorge neighbourhood.

2024 October 9

No Invertebrate Alert was issued on October 9.

Jeff Gaskin saw one Cabbage White in the Burnside/Gorge community today, and Jeremy Tatum saw two flying over McKenzie Avenue.

Butterflies and dragonflies are becoming scarce now.  Just how late in the year can one see one?  Dr Rob Cannings just sent me a copy of an article (in the journal Argia) written jointly by him and Ian Cruickshank describing a sighting by the latter of a Variegated Meadowhawk on December 27 last year (2023) at Rocky Point Bird Observatory.

2024 October 7 evening

Banded Woolly Bears:   Val George writes:  I’ve seen two or three in the last week; this morning, October 7, there were three crossing the trails at Swan Lake.  Jeff Gaskin writes:   Today, Monday October 7, at Panama Flats I saw at least 2 Cabbage Whites, a Common Green Darner and one Banded Wooly Bear.

Tricky spelling:
British:         Woolly
American:    Wooly
Canadian:     Take your choice

2024 October 7 morning

   Aziza Cooper writes that, between 2 and 5 pm on October 6, she counted at least 20 Cabbage Whites in the Martindale area.

She photographed the dragonfly and the drone fly shown below.

Autumn Meadowhawk  Sympetrum vicinum  (Odo.: Libellulidae)   Aziza Cooper

European Drone Fly  Eristalis arbustorum   (Dip.: Syrphidae)   Aziza Cooper

  This makes an interesting comparison with the Common Drone Fly E. tenax photographed by Aziza on September 30, shown here on October 4.  E. tenax is called the Common Drone Fly, and E. arbustorum is called the European Drone Fly, although both are common and both are European.

We haven’t yet had any reports his month of the Banded Woolly Bear, although October is the month where they are usually very common.  Panama Flats may be a good place to find one.   By the way, in case you find one and are tempted to try to rear it to adulthood, please be aware that this is one of the most difficult caterpillars to rear successfully.

Ian Cooper obtained the following photographs on October 5 by the Galloping Goose Trail near Harriet Road.

Cross Orb-weaver  Araneus diadematus (Ara.:  Araneidae)   Ian Cooper

Cross Orb-weaver  Araneus diadematus  (Ara.: Araneidae) with prey   Ian Cooper

Goldenrod Crab Spider Misumena vatia (Ara.: Thomisidae) in clover blossom     Ian Cooper

Midge (Dip.: Probably Chironomidae)  Ian Cooper

Thrips (Thysanoptera)  on a Cat’s Ear blossom (Hypochaeris radicata)   Ian Cooper

 Harvestman (Opiliones)   Ian Cooper

2024 October 6 evening

   Jeff Gaskin writes:  Nothing but Cabbage Whites to report.  On Sunday, October 6th, there were three Cabbage Whites in the Burnside/Gorge community and a further one in Gorge Park.  On Saturday October 5th another Cabbage White was seen on Dallas Road at Wellington Road near Clover Point.

Jeremy Tatum writes:  I saw a Cabbage White, too, along Carey Road today.  And Gerry and Wendy Ansell saw one this afternoon near the entrance corner of Rithet’s Bog.  And Gordon Hart saw one along West Saanich Road near Royal Oak Shopping Centre.  Val George writes: Today, October 6, I saw four Cabbage Whites, three in different locations in Oak Bay and one at Clover Point. Also today, I had a fully grown (fifth instar) caterpillar of the species on my kale plants.  Let us see, continues Jeremy, how far into October they go. Cabbage Whites overwinter in the chrysalis stage.  I think the adults do not survive into the winter.

Mount Tolmie Ivy Patch.  Jeremy Tatum writes:  Butterfly watchers should be aware of the Mount Tolmie Ivy Patch.  This is an absolutely huge mass of Ivy, which I don’t think the botanists will like very much, but when it flowers in October it attracts large numbers of bees, wasps, syrphid flies and often a few nymphalid butterflies.  In past Octobers I have seen Painted Ladies, Red Admirals and even once a California Tortoiseshell.  Today at 4:00 pm, I saw a Painted Lady.  I recommend visiting the patch on sunny October afternoons.  Wait there a while, and you may see an exciting butterfly.

One way of finding the patch is to go to the very end of Rattenbury Place.  Then walk up the road that leads to 2004.  Just before you come to a notice about a Fierce Dog (which I neither saw nor heard) turn right up a narrow path that leads upward.  When you get to the end of this path, turn left and you’ll be at the Ivy patch.  There is sometimes an almost overwhelming smell of nectar.