Rondeau Butterfly Count July 9/2017

This morning I headed down to Rondeau Provincial Park to participate in the annual butterfly count.  I have been doing this count (with the exception of a couple) since its inception in 1999.  South Point trail is my usual area.
Along the way, the White-winged Dove was in its usual position.  It is still in its same routine!

There were few counters this year (seems interest is waning in these counts), so I ended up doing my area myself. Just as well as there were few butterflies (as expected).
One looks at other things along the way, including dragonflies.  One year I found a Painted Skimmer.
Halloween Pennants seemed plentiful this year.

I ended up going a bit farther than usual along the beach since time was on my hands.  The shoreline sure has changed over the years.  In 2008 we found some Mulberry Wing at the end of one of the sloughs.  This year I found one, but it was back on the old Dillon Trail.  I never got a photo though, as I spent too much time looking at it!

Red Admirals were fairly numerous.

And, I only got two each of Eastern Comma and Question Mark.

A few Northern Pearly-Eye were in the woods as usual.

A few Appalachian Browns were found, but no Eyed-Browns.  The Eyed-Browns like wetter areas.

The best spot was the old Dillon Dump.  Each year the Common Milkweed seems to keep increasing!

There were butterflies flitting around all over!

Here I found about a dozen hairstreaks, which all seemed to be Banded.  However, they were mostly high in the Sumacs.

There were lots of Silver-spotted Skippers, Northern Broken-Dash, several Monarch and Tiger Swallowtails.

I ended up with 21 species which was OK given the year.  Average in my area is somewhere around 22 species.  Every year is different!

azure!