2018 November 11

    Val George sends a photograph of a spider that had been sitting on the wall of his house for a week.  Thanks to Dr Robb Bennett for confirming its identity as a female Araneus diadematus.

 

Araneus diadematus (Ara.: Araneidae)  Val George

2018 November 10

   Jochen Möhr sends a photograph of a caddisfly from Metchosin, November 9.  Thanks to Libby Avis for identifying it as Halesochila taylori.

Halesochila taylori  (Tri.: Limnephilidae)  Jochen Möhr

   Libby writes from Port Alberni that she had two Mythimna unipuncta a couple of nights ago, and a Dargida procincta last week.

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  Here is a rather typical European Winter Moth Operophtera brumata from my Saanich apartment this morning, and, below it, another one, much more strongly marked, from UVic.

Winter Moth Operophtera brumata (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jeremy Tatum

Winter Moth Operophtera brumata (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jeremy Tatum

2018 November 5

    Jeremy Tatum writes:  In the November 3 posting, I said I’d look up the date of the last 2017 butterfly.  It was a Cabbage White on 2017 November 1.  Thus Kirsten’s November 2 sighting of a Cabbage White this year beats last year’s by one day!   

  We may have seen the last butterfly of the year, but there are still a few invertebrates around, so Invert Alert will remain open, though doubtless at a reduced rate of activity, so please continue to send your observations or photographs in.

IKNov0319

2018 November 3

   Jochen Möhr sends photographs of two moths from Metchosin.  One is Drepanulatrix sp. – I think D. monicaria.  The other is Epirrita autumnalis.

Drepanulatrix (probably monicaria)  (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

Epirrita autumnalis (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Möhr

   Kirsten Mills writes that she saw a Cabbage White yesterday, November 2,  at Eddy’s Storage on Stelly’s Cross Road.   This is surely going to be a good candidate for last butterfly of the year!  I’ll have to look it up when I get a moment, but I believe that November 2 last year was also the date of the last butterfly – a Cabbage White.   I’ll post a confirmation when I have had a chance to search last year’s records.   Jeremy Tatum

2018 October 30

   Val George writes:  Yesterday, October 29, I counted 26 of these guys on the walls of the Nature House at Goldstream Park.  

   Thanks to Libby Avis for confirming the photo as Autumnal Moth Epirrita autumnata.

Autumnal Moth Epirrita autumnalis (Lep.: Geometridae) Val George