Butterflies
Common Butterflies in London
For those newly interested in butterflies, or merely curious, see this illustrated list of butterflies. It is suitable for viewing on a mobile phone.
The checklist “Butterflies of Middlesex County” refers to an obsolete Yahoo group. Report your observations in iNaturalist instead.Mission Monarch
The International Monarch Monitoring Blitz is an annual event devoted to research for the preservation of the monarch. Monarch lovers, throughout North America, are called to join their efforts during this week. The goal? Capture the state of monarchs’ breeding habitats in Canada.
The 2023 blitz runs from July 28 to August 6. See the Mission Monarch website.
Other Organizations
- Toronto Entomologists’ Association https://www.ontarioinsects.org/
- North American Butterfly Association https://www.naba.org/
- eButterfly https://www.e-butterfly.org/
Online Resources
- Check the websites of the organizations
- Use iNaturalist to help with species identification of your photos
Where and When
Look in almost any park or public garden with flowers, which means mostly in the summer. You may start to notice that some plants are popular with many species, while some species seem to specialize. You will be rewarded when you visit the same area one or two weeks later. There is even a butterfly seen only briefly and only at Sifton Bog!
Toolkit
If you plan to wade through deep grass, beware of ticks. At a minimum, tuck your pants into to your socks.
Much of the time, you can get a good photo of a butterfly when it is feeding on a blossom with a mobile phone. Of course, you can get more and better photos with fancier camera gear.
Please send corrections and suggestions for addition content to:
Glenn Berry, nlwebguy@gmail.com.
