Victoria Natural History Society

Category: 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 (jtatum@uvic.ca). 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.

  • 2023 May 18 morning

    2023 May 18 morning

    Yesterday evening Kirsten Mills photographed all five nymphalids that were seen yesterday on Mount Tolmie [see yesterday’s evening posting].

     

     

     

     

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    Mourning Cloak  Nymphalis antiopa  (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Kirsten Mills

     

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    California Tortoiseshell  Nymphalis californica  (Lep.:  Nymphalidae)

    Kirsten Mills

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    Painted Lady  Vanessa cardui (Lep.: Nymphalidae)   Kirsten Mills

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    West Coast Lady  Vanessa annabella  (Lep.: Nymphalidae)   Kirsten Mills

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    West Coast Lady  Vanessa annabella  (Lep.: Nymphalidae)   Kirsten Mills

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    Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta  (Lep.: Nymphalidae)   Kirsten Mills

       Aziza Cooper photographed the blue butterfly below yesterday at Lochside Trail and Lohbrunner Road, and the moth on Mount Douglas.   We thank Libby Avis for identifying the moth for us.

     

     

     

     

     

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    Western Spring Azure Celastrina echo  (Lep.: Lycaenidae)   Aziza Cooper

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    Digrammia muscariata  (Lep.: Geometridae)  Aziza Cooper

       Cheryl Hoyle photographed the four creatures below in View Royal Yesterday.   Thanks to Thomas Barbin for identifying the jumping spider, and to Scott Gilmore for confirming the tiny ladybird beetle.

     

     

     

     

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    Platycryptus californicus  (Ara.:  Salticidae) Cheryl Hoyle

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    Male Misumena vatia   (Ara.: Thomisidae)   Cheryl Hoyle

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    Twenty-spotted Ladybird  Psyllobora vigintimaculata 

    (Col.: Coccinellidae)

    Cheryl Hoyle

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    Malacosoma californicum  (Lep.:  Lasiocampidae)  Cheryl Hoyle

  • 2023 May 17 evening

    2023 May 17 evening

     

    Jeremy Tatum writes that he saw a Mourning Cloak fly outside his living room window on Poplar Avenue, Saanich, this afternoon.

     

       At 5:20 pm this evening, Jeremy Tatum and Jeff Gaskin met at the Mount Tolmie reservoir, and we were given an exciting display of five species of Nymphalidae (Painted Lady, West Coast Lady, Red Admiral, California Tortoiseshell, Mourning Cloak), plus a Pale Tiger Swallowtail, in a whirling cloud of butterflies chasing each other, and occasionally alighting on the surface of the reservoir.  It was difficult to count them; we know there were at least two Mourning Cloaks, and there were probably more than one of several of the other species.  Jeff also saw on Mount Tolmie a Cabbage White and a Western Spring Azure, which, however, were not taking part in the spectacular show on the reservoir.

     

       About an hour later, Kirsten Mills arrived armed with camera. She writes: I saw 2 Painted Ladies, 1 West Coast Lady, 1 Mourning Cloak, 1 Red Admiral, and 1 California Tortoiseshell.   Kirsten took photographs of all five nymphalids, which we shall try to post tomorrow morning.

     

      Aziza Cooper writes: Today, a Pale Tiger Swallowtail flew past me on Lochside Trail south of Lohbrunner Road. I also saw two Cabbage Whites and one Western Spring Azure there.  On the west slope of Mount Douglas, there was one Sara Orangetip, three Western Spring Azures, and one moth.   Aziza also took photographs of one of the butterflies and the geometrid moth, which we hope to post tomorrow, by which time we hope we shall have identified the moth.

     

      And there are some non-butterfly photographs also waiting in the queue, perhaps for posting tomorrow.  Quite an eventful day!

  • 2023 May 17 morning

    2023 May 17 morning

     

       Aziza Cooper writes:  May 16, at Mount Tolmie, I saw four Painted Ladies, one Mourning Cloak and a Spring Azure.

     

     

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    Painted Lady  Vanessa cardui  (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Aziza Cooper

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    Mourning Cloak Nymphalis antiopa  (Lep.: Nymphalidae)
    Aziza Cooper

  • 2023 May 16

    2023 May 16

     

     

     

       Jeremy Tatum writes:  The moth below, variously known as the Virginia Tiger or the Virginia Ermine, is widespread in North America.

     

     

     

     

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    Spilosoma virginica   (Lep.: Erebidae – Arctiinae)  Jeremy Tatum

  • 2023 May 15

    2023 May 15

     

     

       Val George writes:  This impressive hawk moth was on the wall of my Oak Bay house this morning,  May 15.

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    Smerinthus ophthalmica   (Lep.: Sphingidae)   Val George