2018 May 21 morning

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  From Tuesday until Saturday inclusive this week I shall be heavily involved with the Canadian Astronomical Society meeting in Victoria.  Consequently there may be some delays in posting Invert Alert contributions.  By all means continue to submit your observations and photographs, though it would be helpful if photographers would, during these few days, concentrate their attention on the less frequently photographed species.  Thank you.

   Erratum:  In the posting of May 20 evening, I had incorrectly labelled a snakefly.  This has now been corrected.

    On May 19 Andrew Simon photographed a jumping spider on Galiano Island.  We are thankful to Sean McCann for confirming its identification as Metaphidippus manni.

Metaphidippus manni (Ara.: Salticidae) Andrew Simon

Metaphidippus manni (Ara.: Salticidae) Andrew Simon

   Here are some moths photographed by Jochen Möhr in Metchosin, and identified for us by Libby Avis.

Pero behrensaria (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

Pero (probably behrensaria)  (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

Sabulodes aegrotata (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

Spilosoma virginica (Lep.: Erebidae – Arctiinae) Jochen Möhr

Hydriomena (californiata or marinata)(Lep.: Geometridae)   Jochen Möhr

Plagodis pulveraria (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

More in the queue this evening…

2018 May 20 evening

   Andrew Simon and Scott and Sable Gilmore, while conducting a mini bioblitz on Galiano Island yesterday, came across two snakeflies.  We are grateful to Chris Ratzlaff of the Spencer Entomological Museum for identifying them as Agulla assimilis.  Dr Ratzlaff remarks: “The pale scape (instead of black) and the long pterostigma are key characteristics of this species. Second most common in BC (first is adnixa)”

The one with the long ovipositor is a female.   The other is a male.

Male snakefly Agulla assimilis (Raph.:  Raphidiidae)  Andrew Simon

Female snakefly Agulla assimilis (Raph.:  Raphidiidae)  Andrew Simon

Female snakefly Agulla assimilis (Raph.:  Raphidiidae)  Andrew Simon

Female snakefly

 Agulla assimilis (Raph.:  Raphidiidae)

  Andrew Simon

    Jeremy Tatum writes:   Today, at Munn  Road, Bill Savale and I saw our first Lorquin’s Admiral of the year.

Also there were a few Moss’s Elfins and Cedar Hairstreaks.

More in the queue for tomorrow…

2018 May 20 morning

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  From Tuesday until Saturday inclusive this week I shall be heavily involved with the Canadian Astronomical Society meeting in Victoria.  Consequently there may be some delays in posting Invert Alert contributions.  By all means continue to submit your observations and photographs, though it would be helpful if photographers would, during these few days, concentrate their attention on the less frequently photographed species.  Thank you.

   Jeremy Tatum sends three photographs all from Saanich yesterday.  Thanks to Scott Gilmore for identifying the beetle.   The white moth is the adult of the well-known Yellow Woolly Bear caterpillar.

Stag beetle  Platycerus oregonensis (Col,: Lucanidae)    Jeremy Tatum

Orthosia hibisci (Lep.: Noctuidae)   Jeremy Tatum

 

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

   Andrew Simon together with Scott and Sable Gilmore conducted a mini bioblitz in Bluffs Park, Galiano Island, BC, Saturday May 19, 2018.  They came across this geometrid caterpillar:

Protoboarmia porcelaria  (Lep.: Geometridae)  Andrew Simon

   Annie Pang sends photographs of a Cabbage White butterfly¸ and a Narcissus Bulb Fly.

Male Cabbage White Pieris rapae (Lep.: Pieridae)   Annie Pang

Narcissus Bulb Fly Merodon equestris  (Dip.: Syrphidae)  Annie Pang

2018 May 19 evening

Message from Gordon Hart:

Hello Butterfly Counters,

The May count runs nine days from the third Saturday, May 19, to the fourth Sunday, May 27. You can submit a count anytime over this period, and you can do more than one count, just use a separate form for each count. In the case of repeat counts, or more than one person counting an area, I will take the highest count for each species.

Please use the form at https://www.vicnhs.bc.ca/?p=33 on the Victoria Natural History Society website .

The count area is the same as the Christmas Bird Count circle (attached). For butterfly identification there are numerous internet sites, but most or all Victoria species are listed on E-Fauna. If you select by photographer, all the photos under James Miskelly’s name are of Victoria species. Here is the link: http://linnet.geog.ubc.ca/efauna/photoGallery/Gallery.aspx?gr=showall&pid=175&photographer=miskelly,%20james&specrep=0

A lot of butterflies have been sighted recently, so a look at the Invertalert  (https://www.vicnhs.bc.ca/?cat=8) will also show you many species flying now.

If you would like a suggestion for an area to count, please send me an email. The weather is finally looking much better this month, so we can hope for a good count.

In addition to the counts, a monthly butterfly walk is held on the first Sunday of each month – the next walk will be on June 3rd. We start at the summit of Mount Tolmie at 1pm, and decide where to go from there. I will send out another reminder near the month-end.

Thank-you for submitting your sightings and happy counting! 

Gordon Hart

Butterfly Count Coordinator

Victoria Natural History Society

Count circle map link:

http://christmasbirdcount.ca/bcvi/CBCMaps.html#VictoriaMap

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  A Spotted Tiger Moth emerged yesterday from a cocoon made by a caterpillar last year:

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

2018 May 19

    Jochen Möhr writes from Metchosin:  Yesterday morning at the moth light, I found

5 Melanolophia imitata, 2 Tyria jacobaeae, and one each of Venusia obsoleta/pearsalli, Perizoma curvilinea, Lophocampa maculata as well as two which I could not identify.  (Not to worry – Libby Avis has done that for us – see photographs below.)

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

Venusia obsoleta/pearsalli  (Lep.: Geometridae) Jochen Möhr

Perizoma curvilinea (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

Peppered Moth Biston betularia (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

Agrotis obliqua (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr

  Libby Avis writes from Port Alberni:  Have had a fair amount of moth activity this week, including two Hyalophora euryalus , one male and one female which showed up the day after Moralea saw hers (see May 12). Have attached three others from yesterday morning: Anavitrinella pampinaria, Metarranthis duaria and Spiramater lutra.

Anavitrinella pampinaria (Lep.: Geometridae)  Libby Avis

Metarranthis duaria (Lep.: Geometridae) Libby Avis

Spiramater lutra (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Libby Avis

   Libby also sends photographs of a caterpillar that she found on an ornamental birch tree in her yard.

Common Emerald Hemithea aestivaria (Lep.: Geometridae)  Libby Avis

Common Emerald Hemithea aestivaria (Lep.: Geometridae)  Libby Avis