2018 April 1

   Nathan Fisk writes that in Oaklands cemetery yesterday, he saw a lone Cabbage White among myriad bee flies, Bombus vosnesenskii and honey bees nectaring on introduced bulbs and Spring Gold. 

Cabbage White Pieris rapae (Lep.: Pieridae)   Nathan Fisk

   Jochen Moehr sends photographs of two more moths from Metchosin.  One is an Orthosia praeses,  perhaps a little past its best-before date;  the other is a pristine-fresh beautiful Feralia deceptiva.

Orthosia praeses (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Moehr

Feralia deceptiva  (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Moehr

   Gerry and Wendy Ansell write: We saw our first butterflies of the year yesterday.  We were at Sooke Potholes Regional Park across from the farthest parking lot, on a sunny west-facing slope.  Two anglewings (commas) were spiraling upwards together.  When they were resting I got a few photos that I was hoping would identify them but the underside does not show well.  We are labelling them tentatively as Green Commas.  I’ll attach the pictures and you can see what you think.

   Well, viewers, writes Jeremy Tatum, what do you think?  The “comma” mark on the underside of the hindwing seems a bit V-shaped, rather than ear-shaped, which makes me wonder if we shouldn’t maybe even rule out gracilis.  We’d be happy for any comments.

Polygonia sp. (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Wendy Ansell

Polygonia sp. (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Wendy Ansell

The comma mark

   Today, April 1, seven hardy souls braved a bitter cold wind and went on the first Butterfly Walk of the year.  (They take place on the first Sunday of each month during the butterfly season.)  We took the same route as on last year’s April Butterfly Walk, which took place on April 2, 2017, along Lochside Trail beside Blenkinsop Lake, and, amazingly, we found exactly the same number of butterflies as last year.  The complete list follows.  As Churchill is reputed to have said (we’re not sure if he actually did so): “Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”

2018 March 31

   Gordon Hart writes: A few weeks ago, Anne-Marie found a black pupa while gardening. We placed it in a terrarium with a swallowtail pupa, and just yesterday the moth emerged.  This morning showed its beautiful hind wings.  Photographs below.

Smerinthus cerisyi (Lep.: Sphingidae)  Gordon Hart

Smerinthus cerisyi (Lep.: Sphingidae)  Gordon Hart

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  I saw my first butterfly of the year today – a Cabbage White flew past my livingroom window.  This surely augurs well for the first Butterfly Walk of the year, starting at the top of Mount Tolmie at 1:00 pm on Easter Sunday.  See Gordon’s announcement on the March 29 posting on this site.  All welcome!

2018 March 30

   Ron Flower writes:  We went to Gore Park yesterday, Thursday May 29. No butterflies yet, but we got this nice moth on an oak branch.  Jeremy Tatum writes:  This is Epirrhoe plebeculata, and I have been trying to find its caterpillar for years.  It is supposed to feed upon Galium, but I suspect that this may be wrong.  Please, anyone, if you see this moth, follow it to see if it oviposits anywhere – and let me have the eggs so that I can hatch and rear them!

Epirrhoe plebeculata (Lep.: Geometridae)  Ron Flower

   Jochen Moehr sends a picture of Orthosia praeses from Metchosin.

Orthosia praeses (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Moehr

2018 March 29

   Jochen Moehr sends, from Metchosin, a photograph  of a Venusia sp.  No one seems to know the difference – if any – between V. pearsalli and V. obsoleta, so we generally call them just Venusia obsoleta/pearsalli.  To all outward appearances they seem to be identical.  Says Jeremy Tatum – Oh, to find the caterpillars!  If they are really separate species, I bet the caterpillars would be different.

Venusia obsoleta/pearsalli (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Moehr

Message from Gordon Hart:

Hello Butterfly Watchers,
It may seem overly optimistic, but the first butterfly walk of the year will be on Easter Sunday, April 1. We meet at the top of Mount Tolmie by the reservoir, at 1.00 p.m. You can park in the parking lot there, or in the large lot north of the summit. After a look around the summit, and depending on the weather, we will decide on a destination from there.
See you on Sunday,
Gordon

Jeremy Tatum writes:

   Among the many emails received this morning was one announcing what may be a similar site to this one but dealing with microscopic organisms, concentrating, as we do, on Vancouver Island.  We have had some quite small animals on this site, such as very small mites, springtails and beetles.  We had a mention of a sighting (but not a photograph) once of a rotifer.  But the new site dealing with truly microscopic organisms sounds an intriguing idea.  Go to micronaturalist.ca to find further details.  We should encourage this new site, and I look forward to its success. 

   What happens if you photograph a tiny mite – should you send it to Invert Alert or to Micronaturalist?  I would say either, or, or both!  

2018 March 24

   Jeff Gaskin writes:  Today, March 24, Kirsten Mills tells me that she saw her first Cabbage Whites, two of them, in Fisherman’s Wharf .

  Jeremy Tatum writes:   I still haven’t seen a butterfly, so I am reduced to photographing whatever turns up, such as the brown lacewing at my Saanich apartment this morning, shown below.  And while at Blenkinsop Lake, I saw (but alas I was sans camera) a magnificent large, black mottled mayfly – surely a little early in the year.  I assure you that it was not a March Fly!

Brown lacewing  (Neu.: Hemerobiidae)  Jeremy Tatum