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.

November 7

2016 November 7

   Jeremy Gatten writes:  I don’t have photos to share, but I can add a few moth sightings from recent times.   There has been a sprinkling of Winter Moths (Operophtera brumata) and Autumnal Moths (Epirrita autumnata) under the lights and also a couple Orthosia mys that are starting to fade a little.  I also had an Alfalfa Looper (Autographa californica) yesterday.  I also had what I believe was an Artichoke Plume Moth (Platyptilia carduidactylus).  Getting pretty quiet, though.  Also, just for. reference, a few darners were seen flying around but I never got to see any up close for identification.

November 6

2106 November 6

 

   Jeremy Tatum sends a photograph of Autographa californica from his Saanich apartment yesterday.

  


Autographa californica (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jeremy Tatum

 

  My computer may be “down” for parts of Monday and Tuesday.  By all means continue to send Invert contributions – but I might not be able to post them until Wednesday.  If you have difficulty in sending a contribution, try again on Wednesday.

November 4

2016 November 4

 

 

   Devon Parker writes that there was a single Cabbage White yesterday at Martindale Road near the flowering mustard, and Jeff Gaskin writes that Marie O’Shaughnessy saw one along Metchosin Road yesterday. Today Jeremy Tatum found a full-grown Cabbage White caterpillar on a mustard, Charlock Sinapis arvensis, also in the Martindale area.

 

Cabbage White Pieris rapae (Lep.: Pieridae)  Jeremy Tatum

 

November 3

2016 November 3

 

    Jeff Gaskin writes:  Today there was a still a Cabbage White in the Gorge Park community garden. This sighting breaks my old personal late record for Cabbage White, as the latest Cabbage White I ever saw in Victoria was on November 1st.  I believe the mild and rainy weather we’ve been having coupled with the few sunny breaks is the main reason for that. I’m almost sure that there are other Cabbage Whites around – one just has to be around at the right time. I like checking around 12:45 pm to just past 1 pm.  In past experience I found the Capital City Allotment Gardens on Kent Road and the Martindale valley are worth checking because of vegetables still growing there.