INVERTEBRATE ALERT
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.

April 15

2017 April 15

 

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  This morning I happened to Google Egira hiemalis, and one of the sites offered was “Images for Egira hiemalis”.  That site does indeed have many photos of hiemalis, but it also has lots and lots of photos of other moths and other invertebrates  – many of them taken (some quite recently) from our Invert Alert site. The individual photographers are not acknowledged (perhaps they should be?), but they are attributed to vicnhs.  If you look there, you may find some of your own photos.   Whether you are pleased or outraged (or a bit of both!) to see them there is up to you!

 

 

   Last year on April 1 Libby Avis found a pretty micro moth at Piper’s Lagoon, Nanaimo, identified by Dave Holden as Eucosoma amphorana. The moth was shown on the 2016 May 16 posting on this site. This year she found it again at the same place on April 11, and it turns out to be a new one for the BC list.  It was among Gumweed Grindelia integrifolia, which is thought to be the host plant – or one of them, anyway.

 

   Libby continues:  This has been our best week so far this spring. Nothing out of the ordinary, but at least more species showing up. Also got our first two Egira curialis this week. Had a couple of Peridroma saucia, ditto Acerra normalis, one each of Cerastis engimatica, Cladara limitaria, Feralia deceptiva, three different species of Lithophanes, Pleromelloida conserta, Melanolophia imitata, Nola minna, Triphosa & Ypsolopha falciferella. A lot of Venusias – obsoleta/pearsalli types – 10 at the light this morning! Also several sightings on the wing of Epirrhoe plebeculata & Mesoleuca gratulata.

 

   Devon Parker writes:  Yesterday on the VNHS wildflower walk up Mill Hill we found four species of butterflies. 4 Moss’ Elfins, 2 Western Brown Elfins, 2 Sara Orangetips and 1 Comma  sp. flyby.

 

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  Today I walked around Mount Tolmie in the vain hope of seeing a butterfly.  I didn’t see any, but I did see the tiny, tiny reddish geometrid moth Leptostales rubromarginaria. To remind yourself what this one is, have a look at Ron Flower’s photograph posted on May 1, 2016.