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.

April 25

2021 April 25

 

   Mr E found this moth on an apartment building out on Gorge Road:

 


Hyalophora euryalus (Lep.: Saturniidae)  Mr E

 

   Mike Yip writes from Nanoose:  Butterflies seen on the Cross Road trail during the past week included 2 Western Pine Elfins, 2 Mourning Cloaks, 1 Western Brown Elfin, several Western Spring Azures, and several Cabbage Whites. I was pleased to find the Mourning Cloak on a tree as opposed to the road, and a male Spring Azure with its wings open.

 

Western Pine Elfin Incisalia eryphon (Lep.: Lycaenidae)  Mik Yip

 

Western Spring Azure Celastrina echo (Lep.: Lycaenidae)  Mik Yip

 

Mourning Cloak Nymphalis antiopa (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Mike Yip

 

 

 

April 24 evening

2021 April 24 evening

 

Gordon Usipiuk sends a photograph of Mesoleuca gratulata from Colwood, April 22.

 

Mesoleuca gratulata (Lep.:  Geometridae)  Gordon Usipiuk

   Jochen Möhr sends from Metchosin two difficult ones, one each of the difficult pairs Eupithecia ravocostaliata/nevadata   and  Drepanulatrix secundaria/monicaria.  Jeremy Tatum and Libby Avis are both in agreement – we cannot tell which!

 


Eupithecia ravocostaliata/nevadata  (Lep.: Geometridae)   Jochen Möhr


Drepanulatrix secundaria/monicaria (Lep.: Geometridae)   Jochen Möhr

 

   The American Lappet Moth Phyllodesma americana  is much easier.

 

American Lappet Moth Phyllodesma americana  (Lep.: Lasiocampidae)  Jochen Möhr

 

 

April 24 morning

2021 April 24 morning

Sher Falls sends this photograph of a Margined White nectaring on Erythronium revolutum at Honeymoon Bay, Lake Cowichan, April 22.   Jeremy Tatum writes:  This is a particularly heavily-veined example.  Many of the ones that we see in the summer at Cowichan Station are almost unmarked white.  I think the more heavily-veined ones, like this one, are spring-generation females.

 

Margined White, Pieris marginalis (Lep.: Pieridae)   Sher Falls

   Jeremy continues:   Compare Sher’s butterfly with the image below of a female Green-veined White Pieris napi, taken from the British site https://www.ukbutterflies.co.uk/species.php?species=napi

Green-veined White Pieris napi    Peter Eeles

 

April 23

2021 April 23

St George’s Day

 

   Jochen Möhr writes from Metchosin:  This morning at the black light 

1 Phyllodesma americana

and at the bright light

1 Perizoma curvilinea

 

The latter I could not document because it was very jittery and flew off.

 


Phyllodesma americana (Lep.:  Lasiocampidae)  Jochen Möhr

April 22

2021 April 22

 

   On April 20, Gordon Hart wrote that he saw a Western Spring Azure near the Munn Road substation pond, and another one at his Highlands home.  Also, a Mourning Cloak at Swan Lake.  Jeremy Tatum reports several Sara Orangetips and two California Tortoiseshells at the top of Christmas Hill on April 21.

 

   Ron Flower writes:   Yesterday Wednesday April 21 we went up the west side of Little Mount Douglas off Blenkinsop Road, where we saw many Sara Orangetips and in the small meadow behind the old viewing stand part way on the right side of the main trail we saw Western Spring Azures and Propertius Duskywings –  four or five of each.

 

 

    Jeremy Tatum writes:  These Sheep Moth caterpillars are still growing.  Here they are today:

 

Eglantine Sheep Moth Hemileuca eglanterina (Lep.: Saturniidae)   Jeremy Tatum