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.

June 24

2016 June 24

 

   Monthly Butterfly Walk.  No, it’s not quite yet – it will be on Sunday July 3.  We usually meet on the top of Mount Tolmie in the early afternoon, but on July 3 we are meeting there at 10:00 a.m. because we are contemplating going farther afield than usual, maybe Shawnigan Lake or Cowichan.  We’ll put a reminder on this site closer to the time, but I thought I’d mention it now because of the change in the meeting time.

 

   Jeff Gaskin reports that a Western Sulphur has been in a private garden in the Prospect Lake area for a week.  Also there – a Red Admiral and a Mourning Cloak.  Jeff  also reports a Red Admiral on the college grounds at Royal Roads today, June 24.

 

   Gordon Hart writes:  Even though the weather has not been great, there have been 19 counts submitted so far, with 12 species seen. Numbers are down from May, and several species only have one individual butterfly. After Cabbage Whites, Western Tiger Swallowtails and Lorquin’s Admirals are most common.

 

   Gordon Hart sends a photograph of a Dot-tailed Whiteface from Munn Road.

 Dot-tailed Whiteface Leucorrhinia intacta (Odo.: Libellulidae)  Gordon Hart

 

 

   Rosemary Jorna writes:  This is the second Pacific Sideband Snail  Monadenia fidelis I’ve found on our Kemp Lake Road property in the last week.  The cool damp weather must be bringing them out.  This one pulled in his “horns“ as I took its photo this afternoon, June 23, 2016.

 


Pacific Sideband Snail Monadenia fidelis (Pul.: Bradybaenidae)  Rosemary Jorna

 

   Mike Yip sends a photograph of two ladybirds (or should that be a gentleman and a lady?) enjoying themselves in his Nanoose Bay potato patch.

 

Harmonia axyridis (Col.: Coccinellidae)   Mik Yip

June 23

2016 June 23

 

   Annie Pang sends a photograph of a Western Pondhawk from Gorge Park, Victoria, June 22.

 

Western Pondhawk Erythemis collocata (Odo.: Libellulidae)  Annie Pang

June 22

2016 June 22

 

   Marie O’Shaughnessy writes: Here are a couple of butterflies I found at Government House yesterday, June 21st – a Painted Lady and a Lorquin’s Admiral.  Also there, 9 Cabbage Whites and 4 Western Tiger Swallowtails.

 

Painted Lady Vanessa cardui (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Marie O’Shaughnessy

 

Lorquin’s Admiral Limenitis lorquini (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Marie O’Shaughnessy

 

 

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  Today, June 22, I found a first or, probably, second instar caterpillar of Lorquin’s Admiral at Swan Lake.  This is unusual at this time of year.  In this stage of development, it should be just about ready to construct its little hibernaculum in which it spends the winter.  I don’t know how it will enjoy spending the hottest months of the year, July and August, in a hibernaculum hoping that spring is just ahead. The other slightly unusual thing is that it was feeding on Black Hawthorn Crataegus douglasii.  I have never seen it on this plant before, the usual foods being Ocean Spray, willow, or crabapple.  However, hawthorn is listed by Guppy and Shepard as a recorded foodplant.

June 21

2016 June 21

 

   Mike Yip writes: I only had ten minutes at Mount Tolmie this afternoon (June 20), but I saw 3  ladies, 3 Western Tiger Swallowtails, 2 Cabbage Whites, and 1 Lorquin’s Admiral. I managed a quick photo of a West Coast Lady and I believe the others were the same.

 

West Coast Lady Vanessa annabella (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Mike Yip

 

West Coast Lady Vanessa annabella (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Mike Yip

 

   Marie O-Shaughnessy writes:  This lovely Painted Lady was at the south end of Turkey Head walk at the Marina yesterday at 5pm. June 20th. It settled on the rocks rather than on the ground numerous times.

 

Painted Lady Vanessa cardui (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Marie O’Shaugnessy

 

 

   Jeremy Tatum writes: Here is a chrysalis of a Satyr Comma from Lochside Drive north of Blenkinsop Lake.

 

Satyr Comma Polygonia satyrus (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Jeremy Tatum

 

 

June 20

2016 June 20

 

   Welcome to summer – at 3:34 pm PDT today.

 

   On June 19, Jeremy Tatum and Bill Savale tried to take part in this month’s Butterfly Count.  After three-and-a-half hours exploring the Hydro cuts around Munn Road, we saw a grand total of 1 Western Tiger Swallowtail.  Others had a little more success.  Gordon Hart writes that in his Highlands garden (not that far away from Munn Road) he had at least 5 Cabbage Whites, minimum 6 Lorquin’s Admirals, most of them around the flowering Escallonia , one or two Pale Tiger Swallowtails, a Cedar Hairstreak, and one Western Tiger Swallowtail.  Aziza Cooper walked around Swan Lake and counted  11 Western Tiger Swallowtails, 15 Lorquin’s Admirals, 6 Cabbage Whites, and 25 Essex Skippers.  She notes that all the skippers (photograph below) were near Saanich Road along the Swan Lake walking trail.  She also kept her eyes open for dragonflies and she spotted, near the south lollipop, an Eight-spotted Skimmer ovipositing, and 3 Cardinal Meadowhawks.  Val George covered Mount Douglas and the surrounding area.  Results:   39 Cabbage Whites, 8 Western Tiger Swallowtails, 3 Red Admirals, 3 Essex Skippers, 2 Lorquin’s Admirals, 1 Anise Swallowtail, 1Grey Hairstreak (photograph below).

Essex Skipper Thymelicus lineola (Lep.: Hesperiidae)  Aziza Cooper

 

Grey Hairstreak Strymon melinus (Lep.: Lycaenidae)  Val George