Observation of the Week: July 8 - 14, 2023
The tenth OOTW for 2023 is this Compton Tortoiseshell, seen by Erin (@erinpilling) and Sage (@sagehandler). Erin and Sage are CVC staff on the Education team. They were out at Belfountain Conservation Area when they spotted this butterfly.
Sage shared these thoughts about the observation:
“Butterflies always seem to elude Erin and fly away just before she can get a photo. We had set up a Conservation Interpreter booth just beside the main map kiosk at the parking lot [in Belfountain Conservation Area]. This butterfly was hanging around a lot on the back of the kiosk beside us and finally Erin decided to try to get a photo of it and it was a good model. After she managed to get a photo it flew away but returned again at least twice to hang out on the kiosk again!”
I appreciate the patience Erin had for this butterfly! As we know through Butterfly Blitz training, patience is key when making observations. Luckily, butterflies will often come back to their previous location – just like this one did.
You can find our CVC Conservation Interpreters at different parks throughout the summer. They will have booths set up at various parks and would love to engage with you!
Last week we featured the Gray Comma as the OOTW. Did you know that the Compton Tortoiseshell is also known as a false comma? They look very similar to species in the comma group and are closely related to them. Do you see the small, silvery mark on the Compton Tortoiseshells hindwing? Very familiar… almost looks like a comma! See the photos below for comparison.
Underside of Compton Tortoiseshell (left). Photo by Christine (@birds-blooms-butterflies).
Underside of Gray Comma (right). Photo by Harleen (@hark0x0).
It’s easy to confuse a Compton Tortoiseshell with a Comma. Use these guidelines to help tell them apart:
- The Compton Tortoiseshell is larger than comma species
- The Tortoiseshell's hindwing has a more subtle and thin silvery mark when compared to a comma’s hindwing mark
- Tortoiseshells have bolder black spots and white spots on the leading edge of all the wings
If you’re looking to observe a Compton Tortoiseshell, you will likely find them along deciduous forest edges and openings from July to November.
Join us at the next event!
Join us for CVC’s annual one-day butterfly count this Saturday, July 22! During this event we will identify and count all the butterfly species found at Warwick Conservation Centre. The data we collect is an official butterfly census and will be submitted to the North American Butterfly Association for publication in their annual report. Learn more and register to attend.
Contest Alert!
Don’t miss the Butterfly Blitz Bingo Challenge! The challenge runs from July 1 to September 13! Here is how to participate:
- Enroll in the 2023 Butterfly Blitz.
- Join the 2023 Butterfly Blitz project on iNaturalist.
- Complete a Butterfly Blitz Bingo row, column, or diagonal line and fill out this form (https://www.cvc.ca/ButterflyBingoForm) to be entered into a draw to win an Individual Credit Valley Annual Parks Pass. Complete Contest Rules.
Today’s OOTW could qualify for either square B1 or I2 on the July Bingo card. What do you think fits better?
Happy butterflying,
Kristen and the Butterfly Blitz team
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