Observation of the week – September 4-10, 2022
The 2022 Butterfly Blitz may be almost over, but we are still seeing many wonderful observations come in. This includes our 17th Observation of the Week— this Common Buckeye seen by Nick (@nickuzhov).
Common Buckeye is one of the handful of breeding migrant species found in our area. These species can’t survive the winter here; some adults move north each summer from their permanent southern range. However, there is no guarantee that you will Common Buckeyes every year in the Credit River Watershed. They were last seen in the 2020 Butterfly Blitz and are generally observed in the area one out of every two to three years.
You might wonder why a species that is not commonly found is called the Common Buckeye. There are several other Buckeye species in North America, but you’d have to travel south and/or west to see them. Of these species, Common Buckeye is the most widespread—leading to its name. The next most abundant is the Gray Buckeye, which looks very similar to the Common Buckeye but is found in western North America.
When you do see a Common Buckeye, the distinctive colouration and giant eyespots make it hard to mistake it for anything else! Nick explains how he found this particular butterfly:
“There is a small wooded park close to my home, I can say almost downtown Mississauga, next to the Cooksville creek.
Even though I know it quite well and for years, it doesn't stop surprising me with new species of birds, butterflies and other animals.
Just this summer, I saw my first European common blue and the buckeye there.
I have been mostly working from home for the last 2.5 years. It was a quiet and sunny Friday, so I spent my lunch hour going for a walk in that park.
There is a wide rectangular clearing, and there I saw a butterfly. I realized it was something unusual, unknown to me. I was lucky as it didn't shy away very much and after I took a picture of it with wings folded, in maybe 2 min I took one more with the wings wide open.”
Some describe Common Buckeye as an easily approachable species that is less inclined to fly away quickly than other butterflies. This matches Nick’s experience, and might explain all the beautiful iNaturalist photos of this species where they are posing nicely for the camera!
Which butterflies do you think are the best subjects for photos? Let us know in the comments.
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