CVC Butterfly Blitz 2023's Journal

Our seventeenth OOTW for 2023 is this Black Swallowtail as observed by Grace (@merganser5). Grace gave us some insight to her observation; here’s what she had to comment:

“The image was taken in my back yard, a Mississauga suburban yard 40' wide. I describe my garden as being on the wild side as my aim is to provide habitat for butterflies, pollinators and such. The garden (front and back) boasts butterfly bushes (with the big Buzz Magenta pictured being a favourite of butterflies year after year), Joe Pyeweed, regular and swamp milkweed, bee balm, rudbeckia, coneflowers, catmint, lavender, Rose of Sharon shrubs, sedums, hyssop, yarrow, wild asters, goldenrod and other insect friendly plants.
Like many other nature lovers, I am an ardent nature photographer both at home and in parks and conservation areas nearby. I have been a member of iNaturalist for a couple years, participating in the Blitzes when I can. For me, getting out in nature restores my soul.
Sometimes capturing a butterfly or other insect is just luck. A few are regular visitors and others are here for a moment and gone. I have seen a Swallowtail only a few times this summer.”

Keep a look out for these beautiful butterflies as they’re often found in meadows, gardens and alongside roads and open areas from the late spring through early fall.

You’ll notice differences between the male and female of the species as they display sexual dimorphism. The females are typically larger than the males and the males display larger and brighter yellow spots on their upper wings. The females generally also have an iridescent blue band, whereas the males’ band is more pale in colour.

All of the species in the Swallowtail family of butterflies have similarities, but the Spicebush Swallowtail is the most common that is misidentified with the Black Swallowtail. See this observation of a Black Swallowtail that was at first identified as a Spicebush Swallowtail. When comparing the species, the males are most similar in appearance when looking from above as they both have similar blue bands and yellow spots on their hind wings. The Black Swallowtail, however, displays more vibrant colours and a larger orange spot just under their abdomen.

Join us at the Butterfly Blitz Wrap-up and Celebration event!
Join Credit Valley Conservation’s Butterfly Blitz team to celebrate the end of the fifth and final year of the Butterfly Blitz! The evening will include an overview of all five years of the project, prizes, and a film screening of Flight of the Butterflies. Learn more and register to attend.

Contest Alert!
Don’t forget to submit your Butterfly Blitz Bingo Challenge entry!
If you’ve ever played Bingo, you already know what to do. Use your iNaturalist observations to complete one of the rows on the Bingo card below. You may already have all the observations you need for a row, or maybe you just need one more … check it out! This Peck’s Skipper observation would go well on squares B1 or N4 of the August BINGO sheet, what do you think?
The challenge will run from July 1 to September 13! Here is how to participate:

1. Enroll in the 2023 Butterfly Blitz.
2. Join the 2023 Butterfly Blitz project on iNaturalist.
3. 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.

The eighteenth OOTW is this Clouded Sulphur as observed by @christawise.

I chose the Clouded Sulphur as the OOTW as I have been seeing them everywhere when in the field and have been admiring their twirling and fluttering around me.

The Clouded Sulphur is found in open fields, woodland clearings, roadsides and gardens, which is likely why I have seen so many of them – they’re location generalists! You can spot them in these areas from mid-spring to the fall, so it’s not surprising that these butterflies are in our top 10 most observed in the watershed.

The butterfly species most similar in appearance to the Clouded Sulphur is the Orange Sulphur. Specifically, the females of these species are the trickiest to tell apart. The females of either species have more of a whiteish hue, while the males display bright lemon-yellow and orange-yellow colours, which are easier to distinguish, but still tricky if you ask me.

While we’ve seen butterfly populations of certain species fluctuate over the last 5 years of the Butterfly Blitz (e.g. the Red Admiral), the Clouded Sulphur populations stay at a general state. So, you can always count on finding these brightly coloured beauties!

Happy butterflying,
Kristen and the Butterfly Blitz team

For the final OOTW of the CVC Butterfly Blitz, how could we choose anything other than a photo of the most observed species made by the person with the most observations over time? You guessed it – we’ve got a Monarch seen by Julie (@sunrisegardener).

Julie has been a participant in the Butterfly Blitz since our first year in 2019, and over the five years of the project has made more than 1350 observations. Even more amazing than the sheer number of butterflies that she has observed – Julie has seen all these butterflies in her own yard.

Julie shares: “People are amazed at our numbers, with all our observations limited to our suburban property. 99% of our observations likely in the 50x50 foot front yard, with only a few in the back. Additionally impressed when we have come in first place ahead of people traveling all over the watershed. It causes people to realize that they can make a huge difference at home.”

In addition to being passionate about the difference she can make with native plants in her own yard, Julie has generously given away many plants to others who wish to add to their garden. She estimates that she has given away over 4,000 pollinator plants this year alone!

Efforts like this are truly valuable for helping support Monarchs and other native insects. Monarch butterflies are species at risk in Canada, largely because of threats to their overwintering habitat in Mexico but also because of pesticide and herbicide use.

Julie says: “Do you know, in 2019, we counted 610 Monarchs that visited our garden. Of course, during the summer, there were repeat visitors but, during migration, there were often about 30 going through a day. That was a banner year! Every year since has been hundreds less. The numbers we see give me an idea of what the numbers in Mexico will be like. I suspect, sadly, the numbers will be quite low this year.”

If you want to make a difference and support Monarchs in your area, consider following Julie’s lead and adding some native plants to your yard. Check out our website for options that may work for you: https://cvc.ca/ways-to-green-your-property/

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Images: Monarchs observed by Julie in 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022

Monarchs are the species that Julie has observed most frequently throughout the five years of Butterfly Blitz. Julie’s not alone – over 1720 Monarchs have been observed since 2019, almost 1000 more than the next most commonly seen species.

It’s hard not to love Monarchs, with their striking colours and graceful flight. Those who joined us at the wrap up event at Terra Cotta on Saturday enjoyed watching Flight of the Butterflies (link), a movie documenting Fred Urquhart’s search to find where the Monarchs fly to each winter. A great time was had by all at the event, where we had a beautiful Monarch cake, people showing off their Monarch fashion, and even a giant stuffed Monarch caterpillar!

Images: Our beautiful celebration cake, and me with the stuffed caterpillar

Our hearts are still full after the celebration on Saturday, even though we’re all feeling a bit sad the Butterfly Blitz has come to an end. We agree with Julie, who says: “I am really sad this is the final year, I wish it continued for years and years! One of my favourite parts of summer.”

Although the official five-year Butterfly Blitz is now done, we will still have some butterfly focused community science events next year – stay tuned!

Until then, happy butterflying,
Laura and the Butterfly Blitz team