Author: tatumjb352

2025 November 18

   Val George writes:  This Vancouver Looper, Erannis vancouverensis, was on the wall of my Oak Bay house this morning, November 18.

  Jeremy Tatum writes:  This species needs some careful work by professional taxonomists.  It is a very abundant moth here, and is indeed usually called Erannis vancouverensis.  Followers of this site may have noticed that I have often written that I believe it is actually the European species E. defoliaria.  I have been assured many a time that defoliaria and  vancouverensis  are different species.  Perhaps so, but this does not answer the question as to which of the species occurs here in the Victoria area of Vancouver Island.  I see no obvious difference between Val’s moth and defoliaria.  More work is needed.

Erannis defoliaria / vancouverensis  (Lep.: Geometridae)   Val George

2025 November 15

   In the last few days, European Winter Moths Operophtera brumata have become quite numerous locally, varying from being quite clearly patterned to having almost no easily- discernible pattern.  Here is one, photographed by Val George on the wall of the nature house at Swan Lake yesterday (November14), quite well patterned.

      Winter Moth  Operophtera brumata (Lep.: Geometridae) 
Val George

2025 November 14

   Jeremy Tatum writes:   Seven European Winter Moths were outside my back door in Saanich this morning, some well-patterned, some not so much.  The only one within easy camera-reach was this one, with scarcely any patterning at all.

Winter Moth Operophtera brumata  (Lep.:Geometridae)  
Jeremy Tatum

2025 November 10

   Jeremy Tatum shows a picture of this bug, photographed at his Saanich apartment this morning:

Halyomorpha halys (Hem.: Pentatomidae)  Jeremy Tatum

2025 November 9

 Jeff Gaskin writes: Today, November 9th, Kirsten Mills saw a Cabbage White at the Luxton Fair grounds in Langford. 

2025 November 8

   Val George and Jeremy Tatum independently reported the first European Winter Moths Operophtera brumata of the season, from their Oak Bay and Saanich homes respectively.  Both moths were a little worn and almost completely lacking in any discernible pattern, to the extent that neither of us could be totally sure that we had O. brumata  –  except that there seems to be nothing else that they could possibly be.  Here is Val’s moth:

Operophtera brumata  (Lep.: Geometridae)  Val George

2025 November 02

   Kirsten Mills reports being bitten by a mosquito (Dip.: Culicidae) on November 1.  She writes:  Right after the Blue Jays game,a mosquito sp. Landed on my finger and bit me.  Jeremy Tatum writes: At this time of year, the likely offenders are Culiseta incidens  and Culex pipiens. It was quite a small mosquito, and was indoors, so it is more likely to be Culex pipiens.

2025 November 1

   Jeff Gaskin writes that Kirsten Mills saw a Cabbage White on Saanich Road near Lodge Avenue on October 29.

  Is a November butterfly possible?  Last year, 2024, was a little like this year in that Cabbage White butterflies persisted in small numbers until the last October sighting by Kirsten also on October 29.  But that wasn’t the last one of the year – a single was seen in the Martindale area – also by Kirsten – on the late date of November 14.

2025 October 29

   Val George writes:  This Juniper Carpet Moth Thera juniperata was on the wall of the nature house at Swan Lake this morning, October 29.

Juniper Carpet  Thera juniperata  (Lep.: Geometridae)  Val George

2025 October 28

   Ted Dobie photographed this October Thorn moth in Gordon Head Road this morning.

October Thorn  Tetracis jubararia  (Lep.: Geometridae)  Ted Dobie