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.

August 7

2018 August 7

 

   Annie Pang forwards a photograph of a snipe fly taken by Linda Wincey in Oak Bay, August 6.

Snipe fly   (Dip.:  Rhagionidae)  Linda Wincey

 

   Scott Gilmore writes from Upper Lantzville:  I had 3 Xanthochroina bicolor at my light last night. I have only seen this beetle once before so it was nice to find.

 


Xanthochroina bicolor (Col.: Oedemeridae)   Scott Gilmore

 


Xanthochroina bicolor (Col.: Oedemeridae)   Scott Gilmore

 

 

August 6 evening

August 6, evening

 

    Rosemary Jorna sends two photographs of Diploschizia impigritella on Tansy, Kemp Lake, August 6.


Diploschizia impigritella (Lep.: Glyphipterigidae)  Rosemary Jorna


Diploschizia impigritella (Lep.: Glyphipterigidae)  Rosemary Jorna

 

 

   Jochen Möhr visited Charles Knighton’s You-Pic Flower Garden on Metchosin Road at the intersection with Witty Beach Road.  He writes: His flowers alone are well worth a visit.  But the butterflies!  The place is teeming with swarms of Woodland Skippers.  There are at least hundreds of them all over the flowers.

   Annie Pang photographed a moth at her back porch today.


Neoalcis californiaria Lep.: Geometridae)  Annie Pang

 

Colias Alert!

   Kirsten Mills writes: Yesterday August 5 I saw a sulphur fly by Island View Road a couple of hundred feet before you hit the beach.  By the time I stopped I only got another quick glance so I couldn’t determine species or take a photo. This morning August 6 at 7 am I saw a Woodland Skipper at Gonzales Point. I have never seen a butterfly that early in the morning. Also Jeff Gaskin and I saw a Western Tiger Swallowtail around 4 pm near Obed and Wascana. Here’s a photo of the Woodland Skipper.

Woodland Skipper Ochlodes sylvanoides (Lep.: Hesperiidae)  Kirsten Mills

 

August 6 morning

August 6 morning

 

   Jeff Gaskin, Aziza Cooper and Jeremy Tatum write:  The results of the August 5 VNHS  Butterfly Walk – attended by about 10 people – are as follows  :   On Mount Tolmie we had a prolonged close view of an Anise Swallowtail flying around and perching on the Fennel.   Jeff saw a Lorquin’s Admiral and a Western Tiger Swallowtail on the way up the hill from Cedar Hill Cross Road.  Then we went to Island View Beach to look, unsuccessfully, for Purplish Coppers, but between Island View Beach and Saanichton Spit we saw the following :   3 Lorquin’s Admirals, 7 Woodland Skippers, 2 Cabbage Whites.  At Saanichton Spit we saw the following :   3 or more Woodland Skippers, at least 2 and maybe 3 Western Branded Skippers (our target species for the day), 3 Ringlets, 2 Cabbage Whites and 1 Lorquin’s Admiral.  Along the way back to our cars from Saanichton Spit we stopped to look at more of the ubiquitous Woodland Skippers, no one listening to Aziza who tried in vain to tell everyone that one of them wasn’t a Woodland Skipper.  Eventually she was vindicated when she took an excellent photograph of what proved to be a rather late Essex Skipper, for a total of eight species – an excellent number for a dry season.

   Here are some photographs from the trip, by Aziza Cooper and Gordon Hart.

Anise Swallowtail Papilio zelicaon (Lep.: Papilionidae)  Aziza Cooper

Anise Swallowtail Papilio zelicaon (Lep.: Papilionidae)   Gordon Hart

“Western” Branded Skipper Hesperia comma colorado (Lep.: Hesperiidae) Aziza Cooper

Woodland Skipper Ochlodes sylvanoides Lep.: Hesperiidae)  Aziza Cooper

 

Essex Skipper Thymelicus lineola (Lep.: Hesperiidae)  Aziza Cooper

Essex Skipper Thymelicus lineola (Lep.: Hesperiidae)  Gordon Hart

Lorquin’s Admiral Limenitis lorquini (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Aziza Cooper

Lorquin’s Admiral Limenitis lorquini (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Gordon Hart

Ringlet (Large Heath) Coenonympha tullia  (Lep.: Nymphalidae – Satyrinae) Aziza Cooper

 

Grasshopper Trimeroptropis verruculata (Orth.: Acrididae)  Aziza Cooper

Fall Webworm Hyphantria cunea (Lep.: Erebidae – Arctiinae)  Gordon Hart

 

   Gerry and Wendy Ansell write:  There were quite a few Ringlets (Large Heaths) at Layritz Park yesterday (Aug 5).  It was difficult to determine numbers as they were flitting everywhere so you couldn’t tell if they were repeats or new.  I would guess a minimum of 12 and probably a lot more.

   Rosemary Jorna sends some photographs from the Kemp Lake area, August 5.  Thanks to Annie Pang and Lincoln Best for the bee identification.


Bombus melanopygus (Hym.: Apidae)  Rosemary Jorna

Woodland Skipper Ochlodes sylvanoides (Lep.: Hesperiidae) Rosemary Jorna

Cabbage White Pieris rapae (Lep.: Pieridae) Rosemary Jorna

Greenbottle Lucilia sericata (Dip.: Calliphoridae)  Rosemary Jorna

 

   Jochen Möhr writes that he saw some Lorquin’s Admirals and Pine Whites while he was on the way to the Celebration of Life of Moralea Milne.  On the way, he took a picture or a Pine White in memory of Moralea:

Pine White Neophasia menapia (Lep.: Pieridae) Jochen Möhr

 

 

August 5 evening

 

   Here is what Jochen Möhr found at his moth trap in Metchosin this morning:

  

3 Lophocampa argentata (no pic)

3 Perizoma curvilinea (np)

1Nemora darwiniata (np)

1 Campaea perlata (np)

1 Perizoma costiguttata (np)

3 Eulithis xylina  (P1110031, 035, 037)

1 Oligia divesta (P1110043)

3 Lacinipolia pensilis (P1110045, 050, 071)

2 Lacinipolia strigicollis (P1110055, P1110080)

1 Calizia amorata (P1110056)

1 Triphosa haesitata (P1110067)

1 Xanthorhoe defensaria (P1110069)

 

   Thanks to Libby Avis for her help with identifications.  Jochen sends photographs of a few of them:

 



Eulithis xylina (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

 

 


Xanthorhoe defensaria (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

 

 


Lacinipolia pensilis (Lep.: Noctuidae) Jochen Möhr

 


Lacinipolia strigicollis (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr

 



Oligia divesta (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr

 


Callizzia amorata (Lep.: Uraniidae – Epipleminae) Jochen Möhr

 



Coryphista meadii (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

 


Clemensia albata (Lep.: Erebidae – Arctiinae – lithosiini)  Jochen Möhr

 

   Lots more tomorrow morning – including results of today’s Butterfly Walk.

 

 

 

August 5 morning

August 5 morning

 

    Rosemary Jorna writes:  This 1cm beetle, at Noyse Lake access trail Aug 4, 2018, was on the underside of a blueberry stem.  Thanks to Scott Gilmore for identifying it as a soldier beetle Podabrus cavicollis. 

 



Podabrus cavicollis (Col.:  Cantharidae)  Rosemary Jorna

 

    Ron Flower writes:  Yesterday Saturday 4th.  while watering my Camellia, I came across this moth:

 


Pero mizon (Lep.: Geometridae)  Ron Flower

 

   Reminder:   Monthly Butterfly Walk this afternoon, 1:00 pm, top of Mount Tolmie.  See announcement in yesterday’s June 4 midday posting.  All welcome.