2023 May 12

 

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  Apologies for recent problems with Invert Alert – my computer has been completely down for a few days.  Although the computer isn’t yet quite back to normal, I think I have enough to run Invert Alert again and to receive reports and photographs.

 

Jeremy Tatum writes:   Sunday’s sighting of a Milbert’s Tortoiseshell led me to reflect upon how uncommon this butterfly has been in recent years.   It has not needed much effort for me to look up records from 2015 onward.  It would require considerably more effort (although it could be done) to research records before this.  This is unfortunate, because I believe that before 2015 it was not a rare butterfly, 2013 in particular being a good year for them. However, from 2015 onward, Invert Alert records have been as follows:

 

2015:    1   (but see below)

2016:    3

2017:    0

2018:    1

2019:    2

2020;    1

2021:    1

2022:    0

 

In 2015, in addition to the one reported sighting of an adult butterfly, a batch of caterpillars was found during the Metchosin Bioblitz, this being the last year in which caterpillars were found.  Six were taken and successfully reared and released from this batch.

 

The last time a photograph of a Milbert’s Tortoiseshell appeared in Invert Alert was in 2016.

 

  Recent additional sightings of butterflies:  At 5:00 pm on Tuesday May 9 there was a California Tortoiseshell on the Mount Tolmie reservoir (it was there again on May 11), and a Red Admiral (first reported sighting of the year) nectaring on Spanish Bluebells at the entrance to the reservoir.   Also on May 9,  Aziza Cooper photographed a Mourning Cloak (shown below)at Rithet’s Bog.  And on May 10 a Mourning Cloak was at Swan Lake.   On May 11, three Sara Orangetips were seen along the Panhandler Trail off Munn Road.

 

Mourning Cloak Nymphalis antiopa (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Aziza Cooper

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  On May 11, an eyed hawk moth emerged from its pupa.  I had reared it from a caterpillar found at Rithet’s Bog last year, and I released the adult moth there.  Hawk moths of the genus Smerinthus are known as eyed hawk moths.  Since S. cerisyi (Cerisy’s Eyed Hawk Moth) was split a few years ago into two species, the only English name that I have seen for our species, S. ophthalmica, is Southwestern Eyed Sphinx.  However, it doesn’t belong to the genus Sphinx, so it would be better to call it Southwestern Eyed Hawk Moth.  For the time being I shall stick to the scientific name.

 

   While I was photographing the moth, a mayfly landed on the wall next to me, so I
photographed that as well.

 

Smerinthus ophthalmica  (Lep.: Sphingidae)  Jeremy Tatum

 

Mayfly  Callibaetis ferrugineus  (Eph.: Baetidae)   Jeremy Tatum