I did the west half of Centreville Drive, as I often do. There was not a large number of leps, and in fact I never found a single skipper! No doubt the this heat wave was a factor to some degree in keeping butterflies less active.
I started off with a good number of Monarchs, which seem to be doing well this year.
Tawny Emperors are quite numerous at this time.
Hairstreaks were few in number, but I saw more before the day's count officially began. I attribute this to the extreme heat. I only saw Banded.
Highlight for the day was my discovery of a Harvester! I first saw it sitting beside a hickory nut on the road.
These are unique creatures that feed only on aphids, and are not often seen.
This was only the third one I have ever seen and the last one was on this count in 2012, I believe.
I also found an uncommon species in the form of a Compton Tortoiseshell. We had a single one last year as well in the same area.
Gray Commas were in good numbers on Centreville. There were a few Eastern Commas, but I never saw a Question Mark.
After lunch, I checked out a couple of spots in the northwest section of the circle. The best spot is off Mosside Road along the river near the bridge south of Aughrim. It is always a favourite stop of mine.
I finally saw some skippers, including several Delaware, several European and a single Tawny-edged. I later saw a Dun or two.
Dragonflies were somewhat scarce today. I recall one year I spotted a female Great Blue Skimmer, a rarity in southern Ontario.
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| Halloween Pennant |
The afternoon was stifling hot and I mainly just drove around!
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| Eastern Tiger Swallowtail |
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