2015 September 4

   Gordon Hart writes that the only butterflies he saw at his Highlands property on September 3 were three Cabbage Whites, although he had a few moths, including a nice Large Yellow Underwing.  (Both of these creatures are European invaders!)

   Annie Pang sends photographs of three insects from Gorge Park, August 25-30.  The butterfly is a Woodland Skipper.  Although butterflies of many species are becoming much scarcer than in former years, Annie and other observers have noted that Woodland Skippers continue to be quite abundant – and they seem particularly to like nectaring at Lavender, as in Annie’s photograph.  We can’t identify the bee and the fly accurately down to species, but the bee is probably one of the leaf-cutter bees of the family Megachilidae.  The fly is a blow fly of the family Calliphoridae, and probably a greenbottle of the genus Lucilia.

Woodland Skipper Ochlodes sylvanoides (Lep.: Hesperiidae)  Annie Pang

Probably leaf-cutter bee  (Hym.:  Megachilidae)  Annie Pang

Probably Greenbottle Lucilia sp. (Dip.: Calliphoridae)  Annie Pang

    Jeremy Tatum writes:   Here is a Plutella xylostella from Val’s kale.  The caterpillar was shown on August 28 just one week ago – a remarkably fast metamorphosis.  This moth, known in agricultural circles as the Diamondback Moth, is migratory and very widespread.  I have heard it described as the most widely-distributed moth in the world.  I don’t now how true that really is, but let’s just say that it has a wide distribution on all continents except Antarctica, as well as on islands such as New Zealand and Hawaii.

Diamondback Moth Plutella xylostella (Lep.: Plutellidae)  Jeremy Tatum

   Richard Rycraft wrties:  This afternoon (September 4) I saw a single Woodland Skipper nectaring on Sedum, but the prize was a perfect fresh appearing Lorquin’s Admiral in my Oak Bay garden.

   Devon Parker writes:  I found this caterpillar on my Himalayan Honeysuckle in my yard on September 3.   Do you know the species?  Jeremy Tatum responds : I think it is Spilosoma virginica –  but I have a small nagging doubt. I’d like to see this one just to be sure.  I am wondering if it might actually be Acronicta impressa.

Probably Spilosoma virginica (Lep.: Erebidae – Arctiinae)  Devon Parker

2015 September 3

   Ron Flower writes:  I went back out to Beecher Bay on August 30th and found a male Mylitta Crescent.  I also got a female Pine White on the same day.  Today at Martindale area there were many Cabbage Whites.  Today also at Island View in field there were “Ringlets” (Coenonympha tullia Large Heath)  and a few Woodland Skippers before the rains.

Male Mylitta Crescent Phyciodes mylitta (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Ron Flower

Female Pine White Neophasia menapia (Lep.: Pieridae)  Ron Flower

2015 September 2

   Mike Yip sends a photograph of a caterpillar of Cerisy’s Eyed Hawk Moth, from Nanoose Bay, September 1.

Cerisy’s Eyed Hawk Moth Smerinthus cerisyi (Lep.: Sphingidae)  Mike Yip

   Jeremy Tatum sends a photograph of a caterpillar of a Spotted Tiger Moth, from Central Saanich, September 1.

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

2015 September 1

   Rain at last!  Very welcome rain, though it does mean that no one has reported any butterflies in the last three days.  There are still some Cabbage Whites around.  Our butterfly season often ends rather abruptly at the end of August, but please keep reporting any butterflies that you see – even the commonest ones, so as to delay the onset of S.A.D. as long as possible. 

  Of course some invertebrates actually like the rain.  Rosemary Jorna sends a photograph of two Banana Slugs dining on an old mushroom along the Sheringham Point Lighthouse Trail.

Banana Slugs Ariolimax columbianus (Pul.: Arionidae)   Rosemary Jorna

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  I have been maintaining an Index of all photographs shown on the site since it started in 2010.  Thanks to the computer savvy of Adam Taylor, to whom very many thanks, it is now possible for you to view and to download the Index.  Just scroll to the top of this site and you will be guided on how to do this with one deft click.  I shall be updating it every few days as new photographs come in and are posted.

  One small project that I am doing is – I am going through all of the Invert Alert postings from today right back to 2010, looking for mistakes and correcting them.  If any viewer is aware of any mistakes in past postings, or if you spot any, please do let me know at  jtatum at uvic.ca so that I can correct them.  I am looking for any sort of mistake – not just major blunders and obvious misidentifications, but also little things such as spelling or punctuation mistakes, or scientific names not set in italic, of photocaptions not centred and so on.   So please do let me know if you spot anything.

2015 August 29

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  I was evidently not paying attention on August 18 when we received an email from Aziza Cooper with two photographs of splendid butterflies.   ‘Pologies, Aziza, for missing them.  Here they are – a Purplish Copper from the Martindale Valley, and a Pine White near the Lochside Drive pig farm, both on August 17.

Female Purplish Copper Lycaena helloides (Lep.: Lycaenidae)   Aziza Cooper

Male Pine White Neophasia menapia (Lep.: Pieridae) Aziza Cooper

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  Here are two moths from the walls of my Saanich apartment building this morning, August 29.

Neoalcis californiaria (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jeremy Tatum

Udea profundalis (Lep.: Crambidae)  Jeremy Tatum

   And this evening, just when I was preparing dinner, I found a splendid noctuid caterpillar on my store-bought broccoli.  A very nice find.  I don’t know what it is – I’ll have to wait until next spring to find out.

Unknown caterpillar on broccoli  (Lep.: Noctuidae)   Jeremy Tatum