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.

September 2 morning

2018 September 2 morning

 

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  The moth below emerged last night.  It was from a caterpillar (shown) found on Red Alder on the Malahat in the spring.  Thanks to Libby Avis for identifying it as Lithophane petulca.

 


Lithophane petulca (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jeremy Tatum

 


Lithophane petulca (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jeremy Tatum

 

  See y’all on Mount Tolmie at 1 o’clock today for the September Butterfly Walk!

September 1 evening

2018 September 01 evening

 

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  I found these ova in Layritz Park today, all surrounding a stem of the rush Juncus effusus.  I strongly suspect that they are Noctua pronuba.  I’ll retain a few for rearing, so that we can learn what they are.  Juncus is probably not their preferred foodplant – I expect the caterpillars will just wander off when they hatch, to see what they can find.  There are approximately 1450 eggs there.

Probably Noctua pronuba

(Lep.: Noctuidae)

Jeremy Tatum

Probably Noctua pronuba

(Lep.: Noctuidae)

Jeremy Tatum

 

 

September 1 morning

2018 September 1 morning

 

Hello Butterfly Watchers,

  This is a reminder that the monthly VNHS Butterfly Walk will be on Sunday September 2. We will meet at the summit of Mount Tolmie by the reservoir at 1 p.m. Gordon has a clash of commitments, so Jeremy Tatum will lead.   Jeremy is thinking of a trip to Layritz Park for Ringlets and whatever else might be around, but we can decide at the time.  We hope to see you on Sunday. 

  

 Jeremy writes:  It seems a long time since we have seen a Red Admiral (the last one reported to Invert Alert was on July 15), so I was pleased to find a young caterpillar of one on a Stinging Nettle in Colwood yesterday.

Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta (Lep.: Nymphalidae) Jeremy Tatum

 

 

 

August 31

   [There were no Invert Alerts for August 29 and30.]

 

2018 August 31

 

   Aziza Cooper writes:  On Saturday August 25 I saw this Mason Bee  (Osmia sp. ) house in Beacon Hill Park near the rose garden. 

 

Mason Bee house     Aziza Cooper

 

      Mike and Barb McGrenere found this caterpillar on a tomato plant in their Cordova Bay garden today.

 


Zale lunata (Lep.: Erebidae – Erebinae)  Jeremy Tatum

 

 

 

 

August 28 evening

2018 August 28 evening

 

   We have our first observation for the season of a caterpillar of the Spotted Tiger Moth – found and photographed by Marji  Johns at Brentwood Bay, Auguest 15:

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

 

Sonia Voicescu writes:  I visited Rithet’s Bog again today and saw the following:

4 Vancouver Island Ringlets

3 Cabbage Whites

44 Woodland Skippers

Most butterflies were concentrated in the wet (pretty dry now) meadow at the south end of the park. The Woodland Skippers were very numerous around thistle patches.

   Alas – Jochen’s Zenophleps lignicolorata seen on this morning’s posting was seen (and eaten!) by a jumping spider, probably Platycryptus californicus.


Platycryptus californicus (Ara.: Salticidae)

Zenophleps lignicolorata (Lep.: Geometridae)

Jochen Möhr