Diario del proyecto CVC Butterfly Blitz 2022

Archivos de diario de agosto 2022

05 de agosto de 2022

Observation(s) of the Week: July 24th - 30th, 2022

A few updates before we get into our 11th OOTW:

  1. We’re having a Butterfly Blitz Photo Contest (all ages): Contest runs August 8th to September 8th, 2022. See details here.
  2. Don’t forget to register for the Butterfly Blitz hike at Rattray Marsh.
  3. Our project is up to 63 species and 1,100+ observations . Thank you for the time and effort you’ve put towards observing butterflies in the watershed!

A butterfly species has officially overtaken the Cabbage White as the most observed species in the Butterfly Blitz project. So, we thought it was time to feature one of the most recognizable species in Canada., the Monarch!

For this week’s OOTW, we have chosen two of Peeter’s (@peeterinclarkson) observations as we couldn’t decide on just one.
Monarch butterfly in mid-flight and Monarch and bumblebee species facing off on purple coneflower.

When asked about his beautiful butterfly photography, Peeter commented, “Last year, thanks to the Butterfly Blitz, I began my effort to recognize and photograph more butterfly species. I use a telephoto lens to optimize my chances of capturing an image without disturbing the butterfly. These two images were taken at Jack Darling Park which has a wonderful selection of native plants.”

We’re seeing so many Monarchs this time of year because they’re preparing to make their migration south. The Monarch migration is fascinating, and we’ve only touched on this journey in earlier OOTW journals from 2019, 2020, and 2021. One aspect of this journey that has always turned my curiosity, is how they find their way. Experts believe that monarchs likely use a variety of environmental queues to find their way. They rely on the sun's positioning and the earth's magnetic pull to find their overwintering location. With the help of air currents and thermals, they can fly as far as 3,000 miles to reach their destination! Read more here and here .

Next time you see a Monarch in late summer, be sure to wish them well on their journey south.
Thanks for reading and happy butterflying!

Written by @kristenvalencia, Program Assistant in Community Outreach, CVC.

Publicado el agosto 5, 2022 03:45 TARDE por kristenvalencia kristenvalencia | 0 comentarios | Deja un comentario

11 de agosto de 2022

Observation of the week: July 31 to August 6, 2022

Hello Butterfly Blitz enthusiasts! Have you completed our survey about the wrap-up event on September 17th? We’re excited about planning this event and need your input about how it should be held. If you’re not on our email list and want to be, please let us know. Comment below and we'll get in touch.

This week’s OOTW is a Fiery Skipper, observed at the Riverwood Conservancy in Mississauga by Steph (@stephkeeler).

Fiery Skippers are not a common species in our area. The last time one was spotted in the Credit River Watershed was 2020. Side note – that observation won the best photo award for the 2020 Butterfly Blitz!

Their rarity is because the Fiery Skipper is one of our occasional breeding migrant species. The bulk of its populations occur further south in the US, but sometimes those populations expand and move north into Ontario. These incursions are more common in southwestern Ontario than in the Greater Toronto Area.

Although they reproduce here, Fiery Skippers never establish a permanent population in Ontario because they can’t survive the winter. The descendants of those individuals that move north die off and don’t migrate back south.

While it might be a welcome rarity here, in more southern parts of their range, Fiery Skippers can pests. This is because Fiery Skipper caterpillars feed on grass, which can cause dead, brown patches. The caterpillars also live on grass blades that they roll lengthwise and web into a shelter.

Fiery Skippers are generally found in open areas, such as grassy fields, lawns, roadsides, and meadows. In Ontario, they are often seen in ornamental gardens – especially near the lakeshore.

Like many skippers, the Fiery Skipper can be mistaken for a moth because of its brownish colouring, large eyes, short and knobby antennae, hairy and chunky body, and the positioning of its wings when resting. Their wings fold into a triangle shape while sitting, which is unique to skippers among the butterflies and more characteristic of moths.


Left: male Fiery Skipper, by @betcrooks Right: female Fiery Skipper, by @jemredwood

The Fiery Skipper received its common name from the orange and brown patterning on their wings, which resemble flames. But they are a sexually dimorphic species, which means that the males look different than the females – as shown above. The males are light orange on the underside of their wings with dark brown spots. The females are larger than the males, and they are grey-brown with orange and brown spots. Which one do you think looks more fiery? Let us know!

Post written by Stephanie Donison, Assistant, Natural Heritage Management and Laura Timms, Senior Specialist, Natural Heritage Management

Publicado el agosto 11, 2022 07:36 TARDE por lltimms lltimms | 4 comentarios | Deja un comentario

18 de agosto de 2022

Observation of the week – August 7-13, 2022

Our 13th OOTW is this Orange Sulphur, observed by new Butterfly Blitz participant Jonathan (@jcbteach). Jonathan took this beautiful picture in southern Mississauga, near Rattray Marsh.

This is the first time that we have written about the Orange Sulphur in an OOTW – although the closely related Clouded Sulphur has been featured a few times ( here, here, and here,). Both species are common and widespread in southern Ontario, and you can find both in open fields, woodland clearings, roadsides, agricultural areas, and gardens.

If you see a yellow butterfly in our area, it’s almost certainly an Orange or Clouded Sulphur. But how do you tell them apart? Orange Sulphurs can be highly variable, and it can also be difficult to differentiate between the two species without a close inspection.

Orange Sulphurs gets their common name from the patches of orange on the upper side of their wings. These patches are also a great way to tell it apart from the Clouded Sulphur. The orange flashes are easy to see while the butterfly is flying, but not when they stop to rest. This is because Orange Sulphurs normally rest with their wings closed, like most other members of their subfamily. If you can get a photo – even a blurry one – of the butterfly in flight, you can usually see the orange well enough for an identification.


Left: A blurry photo of the upper side of an Orange Sulphur’s wings, by @lltimms
Right: An Orange Sulphur resting in the usual closed wing position, note the thick black border, by @bevlynn99

Some say that the easiest way to recognize Orange Sulphurs is by their flight pattern. Orange Sulphurs have an erratic, jerky flying style and usually stay low to the ground, whereas Clouded Sulphurs have more of a “wobbly” flying style. Be warned that both species can be very strong fliers and hard to catch up to!

One last clue is the thickness of the black border seen on the upper side of the wings. This border is thicker on Orange Sulphurs than Cloudeds.

Orange Sulphurs are also known as alfalfa butterflies, or alfalfa caterpillars in their larval stage. This is because one of its major food sources is alfalfa. Orange Sulphurs are commonly found near alfalfa fields in Ontario, but rarely cause significant damage here. However, in more southern parts of their range they can be a serious pest.

Interestingly, no one is sure whether Orange Sulphurs can survive the winter in Ontario. They are usually identified as one of our breeding migrant species - those are species that move back up north each spring after dying off in the fall.

Do you want to see this gorgeous butterfly on your property? Plant native pollinator-friendly plant species such as Black-Eyed Susan, Butterfly Milkweed, Asters, Goldenrod, and Purple Coneflower. These plants will provide nectar for sulphurs and other butterfly species throughout the growing season. And then don’t forget to submit all the beautiful observations of butterflies in your yard!

Post written by Stephanie Donison, Assistant, Natural Heritage Management and Laura Timms, Senior Specialist, Natural Heritage Management

Publicado el agosto 18, 2022 07:28 TARDE por lltimms lltimms | 0 comentarios | Deja un comentario

23 de agosto de 2022

Photo contest!

Did you know that we're running a photo contest?

Between now and September 8, 2022, you can enter for a chance to win the Butterfly Blitz Photo Contest by submitting a photo that includes at least one of the following criteria:

A photo of a butterfly that includes a human element (e.g. butterfly landing on your hand or arm)
A photo of a butterfly in flight
A photo of a butterfly duo (capturing two butterflies together)
A photo of a butterfly with a flowering plant

Since you've all been taking such wonderful photos, consider entering some into our contest!

The contest is open to legal residents of Ontario and to all ages. Photo submissions must be taken from within the Credit River Watershed.

Send your submissions to Lindsey.Jennings@cvc.ca. Please include Butterfly Blitz Photo Contest in the subject line of your email.

See here for more info:
https://cvc.ca/contest-rules/

Publicado el agosto 23, 2022 12:18 TARDE por lltimms lltimms | 0 comentarios | Deja un comentario

25 de agosto de 2022

Observation of the week: August 7-13, 2022

This week we are featuring an observation made by Patrick (@patrick2008), who has been a participant of the Butterfly Blitz since our very first year. Patrick recently spotted this Peck’s Skipper in Mississauga.

Peck’s Skippers are very common at this time of year, and they are also our most common native skipper butterfly. This is likely why they are currently the 7th most observed species in this year’s Butterfly Blitz. It seems like every other observation in the Butterfly Blitz these days is a Peck’s Skipper, so they may move up that list soon.

You can find this species in every province in Canada. The caterpillars eat several grass species, and Peck’s Skippers can be found in many habitats—even poolside, like this observation.

So, why is it called “Peck’s” Skipper? It was named by William Kirby, a well-known British entomologist. Kirby named it after William Dandridge Peck, who was the first professor of natural history at Harvard University, and an entomologist who described many insect species.

Some people also call it the yellow patch skipper, because of the big yellow patch on the underside of the hind wing. It is easy to confuse Peck’s with the Hobomok Skipper—one key difference is that the yellow patch on Peck’s extends further towards the body of the butterfly than on Hobomoks. Peck’s Skippers also have two generations per year, so any skippers that look like this that you see in late July or August are almost certainly Peck’s.

Often species descriptions in field guides will talk about the stigma on the wings of male butterflies – especially in skippers, but do you know what a stigma is? A stigma is a section of scent scales on the forewing that produces pheromones, which helps the males to attract female butterflies. Next time you see a Peck’s Skipper, look for the prominent dark line on the upper side of the forewing – that’s a stigma, full of pheromones!

We are getting close to the end of this year’s Butterfly Blitz and are planning our wrap-up event, taking place on September 17th at Terra Cotta Conservation Area. The event will include a guided hike through the conservation area, with one last chance to find and submit butterfly observations for this year’s project. We will also hand out prizes for the winners of six different categories, including rarest find, most species, and the best photo.

Do you think you have what it takes to be one of our winners? Patrick will be hard to beat for the most participation prize, as he and his family have been coming out to all our events this year. They even went out on their own when we had to cancel our July event. We love to see the butterfly enthusiasm!

Make sure to register for the event by September 13th and keep submitting your photos in the meantime. We hope to see you there!

Post written by Stephanie Donison (@stephd), Assistant, Natural Heritage Management

Publicado el agosto 25, 2022 02:48 TARDE por lltimms lltimms | 0 comentarios | Deja un comentario

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