Pinery Butterfly Count June 28

Ausable Channel

I went up to Pinery Provincial Park on this fine, but hot day.  It was the annual butterfly count which I have been doing there most years since 2000.  Every year is certainly different!  My group did the south half of the park as usual.
Today, as in most places this year, numbers were lower.  Red-spotted Purple seemed to be quite plentiful.

Red-spotted Purple on fish-head!

At Pinery, we can see considerable variation in the species as some are intermediate between the White Admiral form and Red-spotted Purple. Going farther north, such as MacGregor Point Provincial Park, one can see both forms.  I did not see any transition types today.

Some first of year butterflies included Silvery Checkerspots.  At the Carolinian Trail parking lot, Paul Carter and I found a very fresh individual.  Unfortunately I could not seem to get a good photo!

Down the road at Burley Bridge, we found a Northern Cloudywing.  It was very active, so I did not get a clear photo.

Earlier, Paul had a beat-up Juvenals's Duskywing here.  We sometimes get some lingering ones at Pinery at this date.  (no photo).

Pinery is one of the only areas to find Dusted Skipper (Pinery-Port Franks-Ipperwash) in Ontario.  We seem to get them every year, usually in the same spot.

Nearby, this tiger beetle was on the trail.

Cicindela formosa

A meadow in Burley campground did not produce this year.  We did get the reliable Great-spangled Fritillary there as usual.  They were too active to get a photo!

Burley Meadow

Some dragonflies included Halloween Pennants.

I assume this is a fresh and colourless female Widow Skimmer?

Hairstreaks were absent today (late?), but I found this first of year Edwards' Hairstreak elsewhere!

Snakes today included Brown Snake, Fox Snake and Garter.  No Smooth Green this year!