2015 March 25

   Libby Avis sends a photo of an almost full-grown Lorquin’s Admiral caterpillar from her greenhouse in Alberni.  This is astonishingly early for a caterpillar in this stage; at this time of year they would normally be found in their overwintering stage, which is a tiny first-instar caterpillar.  Presumably the combination of greenhouse plus mild winter did the trick. It was feeding on Scouler’s Willow, one of the usual foodplants.

Lorquin’s Admiral Limenitis lorquini (Lep.: Nymphalidae) Libby Avis

   Libby seems to be getting far more moths up there than we do here in Victoria, for she writes:  Starting to get quite a bit of activity at the light now – we`re up to 28 species for March so far, but pretty much the usual suspects:

Lithophane – baileyi, innominata, petulca and georgii

Xylena – nupera,  curvimacula

Egira – hiemalis and several crucialis

Acerra normalis, Anticlea vasiliata, Cerastis enigmatica, Ypsolopha falciferella, Pleromelloida conserta (both dark and light versions) and a couple of Zale lunata

Piles of Triphosa, Orthosia (both hibisci and praeses) and numerous Peridroma saucia.

Several Eupithecia including one gilvipennata which is not that common here.

2015 March 23

   Rosemary Jorna writes from Kemp Lake Road:  On March 21 I was out on Kristiina Ovaska’s Slug and Snail walk at Devonian Park and she introduced us to Vertiginidae family of micro snails.  Today I thought I would check our maple trees and I found eight to ten of them.

Nearctula sp.: (Pul.: Vertiginidae)  Rosemary Jorna

   Jeremy Tatum remarks:  These tiny snails (there are several species) are from 1 to 3 mm in size.  Viewers might look at a ruler to remind themselves just how tiny this is!

2015 March 22

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  Judy Smith telephoned yesterday from her house on Grant Street to say that she had unearthed several caterpillars while she was digging in the soil in her garden.  Unsurprisingly, these turned out to be rather unprepossessing prepupal caterpillars of Noctua pronuba, a European invader often found in gardens.  She also found a mystery object, which I believe to be the cocoon of a hymenopterous parasitoid, probably an ichneumonid from its size.  Maybe it had come from a pronuba caterpillar.  [Added later:  It turned out to be a species of Ophion.]

Large Yellow Underwing Noctua pronuba (Lep.: Noctuidae) Jeremy Tatum

   Jeremy continues:   And here is an Egira curialismoth from my Saanich apartment this morning.

Egira curialis (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jeremy Tatum

And this from Scott Gilmore from Upper Lantzville: I have never looked at the Invert Alert page with such fantastic timing. I found a Eupithecia species on my house this morning (March 21) that I have never seen before. Seeing Jeremy Gatten’s Eupithecia gilvipennata  from March 20 makes me think I found a much less boldly marked individual. I have attached a picture of the moth I found.

   Jeremy Gatten writes from Saanichton:  It’s that time of the year again.  Behrensia conchiformis, that beautiful moth that lacks a common name, will start putting in appearances under lights to dazzle people with its striking green flecks.

Behrensia conchiformis (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jeremy Gatten

2015 March 21

   Jeremy Tatum sends a photo of another pug, from his Saanich apartment this morning.  He writes:  I consulted Jeremy Gatten on this one, and we both think that it might be Eupithecia annulata, though I don’t think either of us would want to wager his life-savings on it.

Probably Eupithecia annulata (Lep.: Geometridae)   Jeremy Tatum

   Bill Katz writes:  Herald of Spring.  This Scoliopteryx libatrix made an appearance at Mattick’s Farm on the first day of Spring.

Bill Katz

2015 March 20

   Jeremy Gatten writes:  Here’s a boldly marked Eupithecia gilvipennata from my place (Saanichton) yesterday morning.  It’s pretty easy when the tan markings are this strong.

Eupithecia gilvipennata (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jeremy Gatten