2018 May 3 morning

    Val George and Jeremy Tatum met briefly at about 4:30 yesterday (May 2) afternoon at  the Mount Tolmie reservoir, where we saw the California Tortoiseshell basking on the concrete at the same place where is has been seen since April 19.  And a Sara Orangetip flew by.

    Samantha Hatfield sends a photograph of a Western Brown Elfin – near her house not far from the Royal Jubilee Hospital.  Nice to see a butterfly like this in such an urban area.  Also a caterpillar of the Silver-spotted Tiger Moth.

Western Brown Elfin Incisalia iroides (Lep.: Lycaenidae)  Samantha Hatfield

Silver-spotted Tiger Moth Lophocampa argentata (Lep.: Erebidae – Arctiinae)  Samantha Hatfield

2018 May 2

   Val George found this Silver-spotted Tiger Moth Lophocampa argentata caterpillar at Swan Lake yesterday, May 1.

Silver-spotted Tiger Moth Lophocampa argentata (Lep.: Erebidae – Arctiinae) Val George

   Nathan Fisk writes that he had such a lovely visit with two of these gems (Silvery Blues) at the Colwood turn-off lupine patch. The lupines are maybe about a week from flowering, maybe sooner if the sun continues.

Silvery Blue Glaucopsyche lygdamus (Lep.: Lycaenidae)  Nathan Fisk

   Jochen Moehr writes: Today, with the sun blazing down on our slope in Metchosin, there was a lot of butterfly activity.  Quite a few Western Spring Azures.  I saw up to four simultaneously, and they were around all the time.  Also one Grey Hairstreak, and one Sara Orangetip which I saw four or five times, always as a single butterfly.

Western Spring Azure Celastrina echo (Lep.:Lycaenidae)  Jochen Moehr

2018 May 1

   Cheryl Hoyle sends a photograph of bunch of caterpillars of the Sheep Moth from Uplands Park, April 30.  These caterpillars may give a mild (or not-so-mild) rash if handled.  I couldn’t think of a suitable collective noun for a bunch of gregarious caterpillars, so I just used “bunch”.  Suggestions welcome.  Their usual foodplants are either Ocean Spray or Snowberry.

Sheep Moth Hemileuca eglanterina (Lep.: Saturniidae)  Cheryl Hoyle

   Annie Pang sends a photograph of the parasitoidal tachinid fly Epalpus signifer.

Epalpus signifer (Dip.: Tachinidae)  Annie Pang

  Gerry and Wendy Ansell write:  

Today at the top of Mount Douglas we got our first swallowtail of the year – an Anise Swallowtail.

Also at the top were two Sara Orangetips and one Western Spring Azure.

 2018 April 28

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  Yesterday morning (April 27) I saw a few Silvery Blues at the Colwood turn-off.   They were all males.   It often happens, in butterflies and in birds, that the males put in an appearance before the females.   As Jeff pointed out in the April 26 posting, the lupines are not yet in flower – indeed there was no sign even of buds.  One of the potential effects of climate change is that it puts the phenology of species that depend upon each other out of kilter.  For example, if Silvery Blues were to start regularly emerging early in the season, they may not find lupine buds to lay their eggs on.

    Barb McGrenere writes:  On Friday morning, Mike saw one Western Tiger Swallowtail flying alongside the trestle at Blenkinsop Lake

   Scott Gilmore photographed this jumping spider in Lantzville on April 19. Thanks to Catherine Scott and Sean McCann  for identifying it – they believe it is probably Pelegrina aeneola.

Pelegrina aeneola (Ara.: Salticidae)  Scott Gilmore

Pelegrina aeneola (Ara.: Salticidae)  Scott Gilmore

Pelegrina aeneola (Ara.: Salticidae)  Scott Gilmore

Pelegrina aeneola (Ara.: Salticidae)  Scott Gilmore

  Here’s a batch of interesting insects from Lantzville, from Scott Gilmore, April 27.

Midge (Dip.: Chironomidae)  Scott Gilmore

Midge (Dip.: Chironomidae)  Scott Gilmore

Sap beetle, Glischrochilus siepmanni  (Col.: Nitidulidae)  Scott Gilmore

Marsh beetle, Herthania concinna  (Col.: Scirtidae)  Scott Gilmore

Bark louse Hyalosocus sp.  (Psocoptera)  Scott Gilmore

Bark louse Hyalosocus sp.  (Psocoptera)  Scott Gilmore

   Ken Vaughan writes:  I was out to the Beaver Lake Retriever Ponds this morning, 27 April, poking around. Not much action to speak of yet. But there were a few Pacific Forktails about, away from the pond itself. Here’s a male.

Pacific Forktail Ischnura cervula (Odo.:  Coenagrionidae

Ken Vaughan

   Jeremy Tatum writes:   Here is an Aseptis adnixa reared from a caterpillar found on Oemleria cerasiformis in the Blenkinsop Valley and released there at midnight last night.

Aseptis adnixa (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jeremy Tatum

Steven Roias writes: I don’t get too many noctuids around my house in Saanich but tonight (April 27) was an exception!  Both Egira perlubens and E. rubrica showed nicely.

Egira perlubens (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Steven Roias

Egira rubrica  (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Steven Roias

2018 April 27

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  I am in he process of moving my office.  This may possibly mean a delay in  Invert Alert service for a day or two.  If your picture does not appear immediately, have patience!

   Samantha Hatfield sends pictures of a Mourning Cloak  and a green lacewing from Beacon Hill Park this morning,  It would need a specialist to identify the lacewing below subfamily level – there are many similar species.

Mourning Cloak Nymphalis antiopa (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Samantha Hatfield

Mourning Cloak Nymphalis antiopa (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Samantha Hatfield

Green lacewing (Neu.: Chrysopidae – Chrysopinae)

Samantha Hatfield

   Gordon Hart sends a photograph of a Moss’s Elfin  from his Highlands property.

Moss’s Elfin Incisalia mossii  (Lep.: Lycaenidae)  Gordon Hart

   Jeremy Tatum sends a photograph of a spider from his Saanich apartment building this morning.   I’ll label it Eratigena atrica, in order to be consistent with other photographs of this animal that have appeared on this site, though the genus name has varied between Eratigena and Tegenaria (which are anagrams!) and the species name between atrica and duellica.

Eratigena atrica (Ara.:  Agelenidae)  Jeremy Tatum