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Ontario Lepidoptera 2008

Edited and Compiled by


Ross A. Layberry and Colin D. Jones

Toronto Entomologists Association


Occasional Publication #39-2009

ISBN: 0-921631-35-4

Ontario Lepidoptera 2008

Edited and Compiled by


Ross A. Layberry and Colin D. Jones

October 2009

Published by the Toronto Entomologists Association


Toronto, Ontario
Production by Colin D. Jones

TORONTO ENTOMOLOGISTS ASSOCIATION


(TEA)

ONTARIO LEPIDOPTERA

The TEA is a non-profit educational and scientific


organization formed to promote interest in insects, to
encourage co-operation among amateur and professional
entomologists, to educate and inform non-entomologists
about insects, entomology and related fields, to aid in the
preservation of insects and their habitats and to issue
publications in support of these objectives.

Published annually by the Toronto Entomologists


Association.

The TEA is a registered charity (#1069095-21); all


donations are tax creditable.
Membership Information:
Annual dues:
Individual-$25
Student-$15
Family-$30
All membership queries and payment of dues can be
directed to Glenn Richardson, President, T.E.A., 18
McDonald St. W., Listowel, Ontario, Canada N4W 1K4.
Publications received as part of a TEA membership
include:
3 issues per year of our newsjournal
Ontario Insects
annual Ontario Lepidoptera summary
discounts on sales of other publications including
Ontario Odonata

Ontario Lepidoptera 2008


Publication date: October 2009
ISBN: 0-921631-35-4
Copyright TEA for Authors
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be
reproduced or used without written permission.
Information on submitting records, notes and articles to
Ontario Lepidoptera can be obtained by contacting an
editor:
Colin D. Jones
Co-editor and co-compiler of Butterflies and Skippers
Box 182
Lakefield, Ontario, Canada
K0L 2H0
Home Tel: (705) 652-5004
Work Tel: (705) 755-2166
Email: colin.jones@ontario.ca
Ross A. Layberry
Co-editor and co-compiler of Butterflies and Skippers
6124 Carp Road
Kinburn, Ontario, Canada
K0A 2H0
Tel: (613) 832-4467
Email: rosslayberry@yahoo.ca

The TEA Board


The TEA is run by a volunteer board. The executive
officers are elected every two years.
Executive Officers:
President: Glenn Richardson
Vice-President: Alan Macnaughton
Treasurer: Chris Rickard
Secretary: (vacant)
Board of Directors:
Chris Darling: R.O.M. Representative
Nancy van der Poorten: Past President
Carolyn King: O.N. Representative
Carolyn King: Publicity Co-ordinator
Carol Sellers: Programs Co-ordinator
Steve LaForest: Field Trips Co-ordinator

Currently Vacant
Editor and compiler of Moths

COVER PHOTOGRAPHS
Front: Southern Hairstreak at Reid Conservation Area,
Lambton on June 28, 2008 (photo: Bob Yukich)
Back: Female Common Checkered Skipper at Sturgeon
Creek, Essex on October 14, 2008 (photo: Alan
Wormington)

CONTENTS
General Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 1
Corrections to Previous Summaries............................................................................................................ 1
The Power of Databasing Our Records and How You Can Help ............................................................... 2
Acknowledgements..................................................................................................................................... 3
List of Contributors..................................................................................................................................... 3
Counties, Districts and Regional Municipalities of Ontario ....................................................................... 5
Why We Kill Bugs: The Case for Collecting Insects by Greg R. Pohl.................................................... 7
Identification of the Hickory Hairstreak (Satyrium caryaevorum) by Ross Layberry ........................... 16
A Second Canadian Record of Whirlabout (Polites vibex) by Barry Harrison...................................... 19
The Marine Blue (Leptotes marina) in Toronto July 2008 by Bob Yukich........................................ 20
Summary of Ontario Butterflies and Skippers in 2008
compiled by Ross A. Layberry and Colin D. Jones ............................................................ 23
Hesperiidae............................................................................................................................. 24
Papilionidae............................................................................................................................ 34
Pieridae................................................................................................................................... 36
Lycaenidae ............................................................................................................................. 39
Nymphalidae .......................................................................................................................... 48
Checklist of Ontario Butterflies and Skippers by Colin D. Jones.......................................................... 61
Publications Available from the TEA....................................................................................................... 67

Ontario Lepidoptera 2008_______________________________________________________________________

GENERAL INTRODUCTION
This issue of Ontario Lepidoptera includes notes, photos and records from the 2008 seasons as well as a
number of valuable and interesting notes and articles on Lepidoptera in the province.
With permission of the Biological Survey of Canada, we have reprinted here a very well written and
informative article by Greg Pohl explaining the rationale behind collecting insects. Ross Layberry has
included a note on how to identify Hickory Hairstreaks, complete with colour plates featuring photographs
of several individuals of both Hickory and Banded Hairstreak. This excellent article will be very helpful in
allowing others to understand the similarities and differences between these two very similar species. Barry
Harrison has included a short note documenting a sight record of a female Whirlabout from his back yard in
Scarborough. Bob Yukich documents another notable record from the Toronto area a small colony of
Marine Blues at the old munitions factory near Marie Curtis Park.
Data for all records of all species received for 2008 (much more data than can be included in the printed
summary!) are included in a table available to TEA members as PDF files from Colin Jones (see contact
information below). For any members without a computer, simply contact Colin, he will be more than
happy to send you a printed copy of the tables.
The contents of this publication have been checked for errors and accuracy as much as possible. Please
notify us of any corrections of errors or omissions, and these will be included in future issues of Ontario
Lepidoptera and incorporated into the database.
Work on the compilation and production of Ontario Lepidoptera 2009 has already begun but we will be
accepting additional records, notes and photographs from the 2009 season until January 31, 2010. Please
send any contributions to:
Colin Jones
Box 182, Lakefield, ON
K0L 2H0
Tel: 705-652-5004
email: colin.jones@ontario.ca

Ross Layberry
6124 Carp Rd., Kinburn, ON
K0A 2H0
Tel: 613-832-4467
email: rosslayberry@yahoo.ca

OR

Information on how to submit records can be obtained from the compilers.


CORRECTIONS TO PREVIOUS SUMMARIES
Ontario Lepidoptera 2006-2007
On Page 40 Alfred Adamos October 21, 2007 record of Common Checkered Skipper was actually of a
Checkered White
On Page 49 Alfred Adamos June 2, 2007 record of Giant Swallowtail should have read Humber Trail,
near the MTRCA Nursery not MTRCA Nursery near Humber Trail
On Page 54 Alfred Adamos April 22, 2007 record of Clouded Sulphur should read Parklawn Cemetery,
Etobicoke not Etobicoke Cemetery
1

Ontario Lepidoptera 2008_______________________________________________________________________

THE POWER OF DATABASING OUR RECORDS AND HOW YOU CAN HELP
Most people these days have a personal computer at home and use it for record keeping. In order to greatly
speed up the process of databasing records submitted for Ontario Lepidoptera we ask that contributors
submit records in electronic form, preferably in a spreadsheet (e.g. Microsoft Excel) or database (e.g.
Microsoft Access) format.
There is also a technological advance that has become much more accessible in recent years that has given
us the ability to easily assign geographic data to observations (allowing us to easily map them for projects
such as The Ontario Butterfly Atlas, for example). This is the advent of the hand-held GPS (Global
Positioning System). A growing number of field biologists and amateur naturalists and entomologists have
GPS units and are finding them an extremely useful and handy tool. For those of you who own or have
access to a GPS unit (or to topographic maps of your area) we are also asking that you supply geographic
coordinates (UTM grid reference or Latitude/Longitude) with your records. Although these coordinates can
be read from a topographic map, with the advent of the handheld GPS unit (available for $200 or less from
most camping and outdoors stores, including Canadian Tire) such coordinates can be obtained much more
quickly, easily and accurately than they can from a map.
For those contributors who cannot or wish not to supply records in a database format, records submitted in
another electronic format (word-processing application such as Microsoft Word) or even in handwritten
format are better than nothing at all. In addition, if you are unable to assign a geographic reference to your
records, the raw records are fine. The compilers will enter the records into the database and attempt to georeference them ourselves. Obviously, the more you can do as contributors, the easier our job as compilers
becomes.
There are several reasons for using such a format for data submission. Increasingly, data on invertebrates
(especially butterflies, dragonflies and damselflies) is being used to aid in conservation land-use planning.
Most of this readership would probably agree that this is a very positive movement. The TEA and the
contributors to Ontario Lepidoptera have an opportunity, by databasing their records and attaching precise
geographic coordinates to the records, to add greatly to the conservation of butterflies and moths. The
power of a fully databased set of records is incredible. The records can easily be sorted or manipulated in
any number of ways in order to: i) produce a county list; ii) map all of the records for a particular species;
iii) compare records from one time frame to another (e.g. 1800-1950 with 1951-present). In these ways,
once fully databased, the application of the database becomes much more useful than just the production of
the annual summary.
More detailed information on how to submit records (including how to supply geographic coordinates), and
a sample of the database structure can be obtained by contacting the compilers (see contact information on
page 1).

Ontario Lepidoptera 2008_______________________________________________________________________

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Ontario Lepidoptera would not be possible without the considerable effort of the contributors who take the
time to submit their records each year. In particular, we would like to acknowledge the following
individuals for their efforts as they took the time to submit records, in some instances not only of their own
but also on behalf of others: the Algonquin P.P. Naturalist Staff, Alfred Adamo, Ann Gray, Alan
Wormington, Black Mann, Bill Bower, Bob Bracken, Bruce Ripley, Barry Harrison, Bob Yukich, Brenda
Van Ryswyk, the Charleston Lake P.P. Naturalist Staff, Christina Lewis, Christine Hanrahan, Chris
Robinson, Colin Jones, Craig McLauchlan, Dan Bogar, David Bree, Diane Lepage, Don David, Ed Poropat,
Harry Barber, James Kamstra, Jerry Ball, Linda Jeays, Mary and Tony Rapati, Peter Hall, Ross Layberry,
Sue Bryan and Xi Wang.
We would also like to thank those who submitted photographs from 2008 including: Alan Wormington,
Aaron Yukich, Bob Yukich, Colin Jones, Christine Hanrahan, Joy Cohen, and Juha Varrela.
LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS AND OBSERVERS
Ontario Lepidoptera 2008 summarizes data and observations of butterflies and skippers for the 2008
season in the province of Ontario, Canada, received from the contributors and observers listed below:
AA
ABe
AC
ACP
AdBe
ADW
AEW
AG
AHR
AJH
APP
AW
AY
BAM
BBo
BBr
BDiL
BER
BG
BH
BHe
BHo
BJM
BK
BLa
BMa
B Ri
BVR
CB
CBe
CDJ
CE
CEa
CEs
CGo
CH

Alfred Adamo
Alex Benvenuti
Alison Clark
Adam C. Pinch
Adrianna Benvenuti
Amy Whitehorne
A.E.Wilson
Ann Gray
Alfred H. Rider
Adam J. Hall
Algonquin P.P. Naturalist Staff
Alan Wormington
Aaron Yukitch
Blake A. Mann
Bill Bower
Bob Bracken
Bruce DiLabio
Bruce E. Ripley
B. Gilmour
Barry Harrison
Bob Helman
Brandon Holden
Brian Moore
Brenda Kostiuk
Barb Lappan
Barb Martin
Bradley Ritteau
Brenda Van Ryswyk
Chris Boettger
Catherine Benvenuti
Colin D. Jones
Chris Evans
Chris Earley
Chris Escott
Clive Goodwin
Christine Hanrahan

Toronto
New Liskard
Alderville
Leamington
New Liskard
Charleston Lake P.P.

CK
CL
CLa
CPa
CPR
CSAM
DA
DaB
DAM
DaO
DAS
DBi
DBo
DBr
DD
DLe
DLG
DMa
DMo
DoSh
DPa
DPy
DTy
EB
EH
EP
FL
GC
GSl
HB
HC
HEv
HHe
HTO
IR
IS

Toronto
Forest
Algonquin P.P.
Leamington
Toronto
Wallaceburg
Ottawa
Ottawa
Carp
Kingston
Sandbanks P.P.
Scarborough
Elliot Lake
Algonquin P.P.
Thunder Bay
Ottawa
Port Elgin
Hamilton
Algonquin P.P.
New Liskard
Lakefield
Midhurst
Rockwood
Thunder Bay
Cobourg
Ottawa

Carolyn King
Christina Lewis
Cliff Lappan
C. Paddock
Chris P. Robinson
Craig S.A. McLauchlan
David Allison
Dave Brown
David A. Martin
Dale Odorizzi
Don A. Sutherland
Dave Bishop
Dan Bogar
David Bree
Don Davis
Diane Lepage
David LeGros
Dave Marin
Drew Monkman
Don Shanahan
D. Paddock
Donald Pye
Don Tyerman
E. Batalla
Ethan Huner
Ed Poropat
Frank Landry
Geoff Carpentier
Glenda Slessor
Harry Barber
Heather Campbell
H. Evans
H. Heron
Henrietta T. O'Neill
Ian Richards
Ian Shanahan

Willowdale
Ottawa
Haliburton
Glenburnie
Toronto
Ottawa
Harrietsville
Perth
Peterborough
Haliburton
Pennsylvania
Bloomfield
Toronto
Ottawa
Algonquin P.P.
Peterborough
Brighton
Haliburton
Presqu'ile P.P.
Kingston
Algonquin P.P.
Haliburton
Presqu'ile PP
Ajax
Hamilton
Fergus
Windsor

Leamington
Burlington
Brighton

Ontario Lepidoptera 2008_______________________________________________________________________


JB
JCo
JD
JF
JFe
JG
JGM
JGP
JiH
JJL
JK
JMT
JP
JS
JSk
JTF
JW
KA
KaC
KAM
KAn
KBa
KCh
KFN
KH
KHo
KP
KRJ
KRY
LAM
LE
LFo
LiW
LJ
LMcC
LMcP
LPa
LS
MBR
MaRa
MCl
MCS
MPa
MRa
MSa
MVB
NEa
NGE
PPP
NM

Jerry Ball
Joy Cohen
Joanne Dewey
Jim Fairchild
Janet Fenton
Jessica Grealey
Joan & Gerard MacGillivray
John G. Powers
Jim Hopkins
Joan & Jim Lindamood
James Kamstra
J. Michael Tate
Justin Peter
John Stiratt
Jeff Skevington
John Fowler
John Walas
Ken Allison
Karen Castro
Kevin A. McLaughlin
K. Anderson
K. Ballantyne
K. Chubb
Kingston Field Naturalists
K. Hennige
Kyle Holloway
Kieran Poropat
Klara R. Jones
Karen R. Yukich
LeeAnne Matremouille
Lee Earl
Lucas Foerster
Linda Wladarski
Linda Jeays
L. McCurdy
L.McPherson
L. Paddock
Leon Schlichter
Marianne B. Reed
Matt Rapati
Marianne Clark
M. & C. Seymour
Madeleine Pageot
Mary Rapati
M. Saunders
Mike Burrell
Nathan Earley
Nick G. Escott
Presqu'ile PP Staff
Nathan Miller

Peterborough
Sault Ste. Marie
Picton
Scarborough

NSp
Nancy Spencer
PCar
Paul Carter
PD
Paul Desjardins
PGo
P. Good
PH
Peter Hall
PM
Paul Mackenzie
PMC
Paul M. Catling
PMid
Peter Middleton
PSB
Peter S. Burke
RA
Ruth Allison
RAH
Rosalee A. Hall
RAL
Ross A. Layberry
RCL
Ruth C. Layberry
RDS
Dan Strickland
RGT
Ron G. Tozer
RHC
Robert H. Curry
RJJ
Russ J.L. Jones
RJY
Robert J. Yukich
RLB
Robert L. Bowles
RMac
R. Macintosh
RP
Rayfield Pye
RWi
Rebecca Wilson
SB
Sue Bryan
SD
Simon Dodsworth
SDe
S. Dewey
SLa
Steve Laforest
SMa
Sophie Mazowita
SMac
S. Macintosh
SRai
S. Rainville
SRe
Sally Reinartson
SRi
Sarah Richer
STJ
Shan T. Jones
STP
Stephen T. Pike
TAG
Tyler Goff
TB
Tony Bigg
TCa
Travis Cameron
TLa
Thom Lambert
TRa
Tony Rapati
TRS
T. Rick Stronks
TS
Tim Sneider
TSp
Terry Sprague
TV
Tim Vogt
WGL
Bill G. Lamond
XM
Xi Wang
YB
Yvette Bree
_______________________________________
C.A. = Conservation Area
m.obs. = multiple observers
N.P. = National Park
P.P. = Provincial Park

Waterloo
Elliot Lake
Cambridge
Haliburton
Elliot Lake
Port Perry
Ottawa
Algonquin P.P.
Ottawa
Almonte
Thunder Bay
Ottawa
Ottawa
Hamilton
Peterborough
Kingston
Kingston
Algonquin Park
Haliburton
Lakefield
Toronto
Algonquin P.P.
London
Harrietsville
Ottawa

Haliburton
Toronto
Port Elgin
Lakefield
Kingston
Oxtongue Lake
Port Elgin
Heidelberg
Rockwood
Thunder Bay
Algonquin P.P.

Windsor
Ottawa
Kingston
Ottawa
Port Elgin
London
Ottawa
Kinburn
Kinburn
Oxtongue Lake
Hamilton
Toronto
Orillia
Peterborough
Oshawa
Thunder Bay
Peterborough
Oshawa
Algonquin P.P.
Peterborough

Lakefield
Leamington
Lakefield
Algonquin P.P.
Haliburton
Port Elgin
Dwight
Algonquin P.P.
Demorestville
Jefferson City,
Missouri
Brantford
Hamilton
Bloomfield

Ontario Lepidoptera 2008_______________________________________________________________________

COUNTIES, DISTRICTS AND REGIONAL MUNICIPALITIES OF ONTARIO

Counties, Districts and Regional Muncipalities of southern Ontario. The dotted line indicates the approximate southern and
eastern limits of the Canadian Shield in Ontario. The 4-letter codes listed below are used in the table of all butterfly records
submitted from the 2008 season.

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22

ESSE
KENT
ELGI
NORF
HALD
NIAG
LAMB
MIDD
OXFO
BRAN
HAMI
HURO
PERT
WATE
WELL
HALT
PEEL
YORK
METR
DURH
NORT

Essex County
Municipality of Chatham-Kent
Elgin County
Norfolk County
Haldimand County
Regional Municipality of Niagara
Lambton County
Middlesex County
Oxford County
Brant County
Regional Municipality of Hamilton-Wentworth
Huron County
Perth County
Regional Municipality of Waterloo
Wellington County
Regional Municipality of Halton
Regional Municipality of Peel
Regional Municipality of York
Metropolitan Toronto
Regional Municipality of Durham
Northumberland County

23
24
25
26
27
29
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
45
46
47

PRIN
HAST
LENN
FRON
LEED
STOR
BRUC
GREY
DUFF
SIMC
VICT
PETE
MUSK
HALI
RENF
LANA
OTTA
PRES
MANI
PARR
NIPI

Prince Edward County


Hastings County
Lennox and Addington County
Frontenac County
United Counties of Leeds and Grenville
United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry
Bruce County
Grey County
Dufferin County
Simcoe County
City of Kawartha Lakes
Peterborough County
District Municipality of Muskoka
Haliburton County
Renfrew County
Lanark County
Regional Municipality of Ottawa-Carleton
United Counties of Prescott and Russell
Manitoulin District
Parry Sound District
Nipissing District

Ontario Lepidoptera 2008_______________________________________________________________________

Map of Ontario indicating the districts of northern Ontario. The line A-B represents the approximate northern limit of the Carolinian Zone (see
Soper 1954, 1962). Line C-D approximates the 40 degree F mean daily temperature for the year isotherm, and has been adopted here as the
northern limit of southern Ontario. The 4-letter codes listed below are used in the table of all butterfly records submitted from the 2008 season.

48

ALGO

Algoma District

52

THUN

49

SUDB

Sudbury District (including City of Sudbury)

53

COCH

Cochrane District

50

TIMI

Timiskaming District

54

KENO

Kenora District

51

RAIN

Rainy River District

Thunder Bay District

Ontario Lepidoptera 2008_______________________________________________________________________

WHY WE KILL BUGS THE CASE FOR COLLECTING INSECTS


by Greg R. Pohl
The following article was featured in the Spring 2009 issue of the Newsletter of the Biological Survey of
Canada and is re-printed here with the permission of the Biological Survey of Canada.
Introduction
As I go about my work doing biodiversity research, I kill thousands of insects every year. I'm not proud of
that particular fact, but I'm proud of the work that it contributes to. Despite terminating so many insect
lives, I have a deep connection to these fascinating beings of tergites and tarsi, and I know that the
knowledge our research team reveals is helping to protect their habitats. It must seem incongruous to some
folks that I will go to great lengths to release a wayward spider unharmed out of my house, yet kill
hundreds of moths in a blacklight trap in the same evening. Most entomologists have no trouble
understanding this apparent contradiction, because they understand the nature of insect populations and the
techniques required to study them. This is not so obvious to members of the general public.
It pains me when, in my entomological
pursuits, I receive a comment along the lines
of; "great, kill them all!" These are typically
from people who only notice insects when
they are a nuisance, and who will stomp on
them whenever possible. Theirs are very
simple reactions, and the solution is basically
education. Depending on the situation, I often
try to open their eyes just a little to the
wonders of the miniature world around them.
More complex is the occasional expression of
horror at the carnage of my nets and traps.
These responses usually come from people
who are concerned about the environment,
but do not have much ecological knowledge.
Biologist Derrick Kanashiro sweeps for insects, as part of an inventory of Generally they are familiar with vertebrates,
insect species in native prairie near Purple Springs, Alberta.
and assume that other organisms operate in
(photo: G.R. Pohl)
similar ways. The solution in these situations
is also education, but the approach we take is critical. We can either engage in a mutually destructive fight
that distracts us all from the real threat of habitat loss, or recognise that we share the same concerns, and try
to work together to protect wild places and wild species. As someone who also cares deeply about these
creatures, I would much rather have these people as allies than enemies in the struggle for environmental
preservation.
I've recently dealt with a concerted campaign against "bug collecting" by a well-meaning but misguided
naturalist group. I approached it as an opportunity to educate them, and took considerable time and energy
to explain how insects are not the same as vertebrates, and why entomologists do what we do. In this article

Ontario Lepidoptera 2008_______________________________________________________________________

I present the arguments I used in that case; I hope this will serve as a resource for entomologists who may
find themselves in a similar situation where they are obliged to defend what they do.
Opposition to insect collecting generally comes from people familiar with birds and mammals. However,
insects are vastly different creatures. As I will detail below; they are incredibly numerous and prolific, so
the effects of collecting on their populations are minimal. Because we know little or nothing about most
insect species, and they are very difficult to identify, it is necessary to kill and collect them to study them.
I'll detail how collecting insects is a vital part of most entomology research, including taxonomic,
diagnostic, biodiversity, and pest management work. Much of this work is carried out by amateurs, who
have become world-class experts through collecting insects. Finally, I will argue that the conservation of
insects and other organisms will benefit from MORE, rather than less, collecting of insects.
Why are insect populations resilient to collecting?
Insects are very different from birds and other vertebrates in that they have short generation spans, they
have a phenomenal capacity for reproduction, and their populations regularly number in the billions. Insects
are so abundant that their numbers simply cannot be considered in the same terms as those of vertebrates.
Think of the thousands of insects that a single songbird eats during its lifetime; while each species is
important in the ecosystem, a given individual of each species do not have equal ecological importance.
Because of their population size and their ability to reproduce, it is very difficult to affect insect populations
by collecting. While it is true that over-collecting may pose a threat to species that are already endangered,
those species did not become endangered as a result of collecting (New et al. 1995). Pyle (2002) states
"while it is extremely difficult to make a dent in most insect populations with a net, the bulldozer, the cow,
and the plow eradicate whole butterfly colonies in no time." Habitat loss is by far the most significant threat
to insects in Canada and elsewhere.
The special challenges of entomology
Insects are incredibly diverse: Before delving into why entomologists must collect specimens, we must
first discuss the enormous diversity of insects, and the special challenge this presents to entomologists.
Insects comprise over 2/3 of the approximately 2 million known species of living things on the planet, and
scientists estimate there are millions more species of insects remaining to be discovered. Danks (1979)
estimated that approximately 66 000 species of insects and related terrestrial arthropods live in Canada,
slightly more than half of which had been discovered and described at that time. Compared to birds and
other vertebrates, the number of insect species is staggering. There are over ten times as many known kinds
of beetles in the world (approximately 357 000 known species; Bouchard et al. 2009) as all terrestrial
vertebrates birds, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians combined (20 000 species; Tree of Life 2009).
There are more species of butterflies and moths in one small area of Boreal forest in Alberta (500+; Pohl et
al. 2006), than there are resident bird species in all of Canada (470; Avibase 2009). This is the special
challenge that entomologists deal with every day identifying, recognizing, describing, and cataloguing the
millions of species of insects is almost overwhelming.
Insects are tiny: Another challenge in entomology is that insects are so small. With the exception of a few
large and distinctive species like some butterflies and moths, the majority of insects need to be examined
under a microscope to make an accurate species identification. Often specimens need to be dissected and
their internal reproductive organs examined in order to accurately identify them. Needless to say, this
8

Ontario Lepidoptera 2008_______________________________________________________________________

precludes identification of living specimens in all but a slim minority of insect groups. Thus, killing and
collecting insects is a necessary part of almost all entomological research that requires species
identifications.
Insects are poorly known: Because of the enormity of the task, and the lack of resources and people to
carry it out, entomologists are still in the exploratory stage of discovering and naming species. At last
count, approximately 1.2 million insect species have been described, out of a total estimated at between 5
and ten million (Marshall 2006). Except for a few species that have economic or health impacts on people,
just about nothing is known about them. Many species are known only from a very brief description, often
unaccompanied by illustrations, in an obscure journal article over 100 years old. Some species cannot be
identified at all with our present state of knowledge. We simply do not possess the knowledge required to
put together comprehensive identification guides to most insect groups. General insect guides cover only a
few representative species, and omit the myriad of lesser-known but very similar-looking ones. A few
relatively well-known groups such as butterflies and odonates have been the subjects of some excellent
field guides published in recent years (Layberry et al. 1998; Acorn 2001, 2004, 2007; Cannings 2002; Jones
et al. 2008). Even among these groups, many species-level taxonomic problems remain (for example in the
butterfly genera Boloria and Polygonia and the ladybeetle genus Scymnus).
The comfortable position ornithologists and birders are in today, where comprehensive field guides exist
and accurate field identifications can be made without killing specimens, is built on a strong taxonomic
foundation. That exists now because, at one time, people collected birds and studied their skins and
skeletons to arrive at a stable nomenclature and classification. For entomologists, that level of knowledge is
a dream that is still decades or even centuries away. In entomology we are still building that foundation,
and are highly dependent on insect collecting to do so.
Why is it necessary to collect insects?
Taxonomy: Insect collections are a critical building block to almost all other aspects of entomology (Danks
1991, Wiggins et al. 1991). A basic field of entomological research that is heavily dependent on collections
is taxonomy - the discovery and description of new species. To describe and name a new species, a "type
specimen," and ideally a "type series," must be designated and safeguarded so that future workers can reexamine the organism in detail. These types are the basis of our nomenclature and are required for a stable
system of names. Insect collections are the repository for existing type material, as well as the source for
future types. It is not an exaggeration to say that taxonomists make just as many exciting discoveries among
historical specimens in collections as they make in the field. The accumulation of unidentified specimens,
as long as they are properly labeled, is exactly the substrate from which crucial new discoveries are made.
The existence of a whole new insect order, the Mantophasmatodea, was discovered recently among old
museum specimens obtained years earlier in the course of general collecting (Klass et al. 2002). It may not
seem valuable to an observer or even a collector at the time, but well labeled and curated specimens of all
but the most common species are a useful addition to any collection.
Diagnostics: Getting a correct identification on a sample is important in scientific research and in pest
management. An incorrect species determination can result in spurious research results, in costly and
needless application of pesticides being applied in error to a non-pest species, or in failing to detect a new
outbreak in the early stages.

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Because of the aforementioned challenges of diversity, small size, and lack of published identification
guides, insects are difficult to identify. Thus synoptic insect collections are an essential tool for making
identifications. Where comprehensive guidebooks do not exist, entomologists examine specimens that have
been authoritatively identified in the past, and exchange information and specimens with researchers in
other collections. As entomologists encounter new species, they add these to the collection, which becomes
an ever-expanding "identification guide" to the insects of a given region.
Vouchers: Because nomenclature changes over time as we discover new species and refine our
understanding of existing species, it is very important, in all entomological research, to collect and save
vouchers of the species being studied (Huber 1998, Wheeler 2003). Over time, if our understanding and
definition of a particular species changes, we can go back and re-examine the vouchers from past research
and determine the current identity of the organisms being studied, and thus ensure the ongoing scientific
value of the work. For example, the symbiotic relationship between yuccas and yucca moths has been the
subject of many studies over the past century. Before Pellmyr (1999), all these pollinator moths were
thought to be a single widespread species, Tegeticula yuccasella. It is now recognised that yucca moths are
in fact a complex of 13 very similar species with different natural history, identifiable only via
microscopical examination. Any previous research on yucca moths is of questionable value, unless voucher
specimens were kept so it can now be determined which species was really the subject of the research.
A voucher collection is also very important in the legal realm, to stand as proof that a particular species
existed at a particular time and place. This can be very important information when a corporation fights
against environmental restriction on resource development. Vouchers are also important when legal action
or trade sanctions are pursued over exotic pest issues; they can prove what was intercepted in a shipment,
and whether or not a species occurred in an area at a given time.
Inventory and biodiversity work: Insects are also collected to do inventory work - to fully understand
which species live in a given area, and what the range and habitat associations of a given species are. Such
information on many species forms the basis of biodiversity information. By sampling and identifying the
insects that live at a given location, researchers measure the composition and diversity of the insect
community there. They can then use the insect community as a tool to assess the relative "ecological
health" of the area, and compare it to other areas - this allows us to identify biodiversity hotspots, to
determine which areas should be set aside for protection, and to assess whether existing areas adequately
protect biodiversity. Researchers also use this biodiversity information to measure the environmental
effects of human activities such as agriculture, mining, forestry, and urbanization on the environment.
To carry out biodiversity work, researchers choose an appropriate target group (for example moths, ground
beetles, or aquatic larvae) and then deploy traps that catch these particular insects in a standardised,
repeatable manner. By its very nature, this work requires broad sampling of many individuals of an insect
community, to generate the data that will lead us to more sustainable land use decisions and, ultimately, to
more protection for all wildlife.
Existing insect collections can also be a useful source of baseline environmental data in biodiversity
research. Each specimen represents proof of the historical occurrence of a species at a particular place and
time. This information allows us to retroactively track the arrival and extinction of various species, and
forms a baseline for the study of the effects of human disturbance and climate change.
Pest management: Pest control in agriculture, forestry, and human health obviously accounts for the deaths
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of billions of harmful insects, but many beneficial insects are killed in pest control operations as well. Some
pest monitoring work, which is vital to the protection of our agricultural and forest products and our health,
involves the unavoidable collection of beneficial insects. Monitoring programs for exotic forest pests
depend on traps that broadly sample insects, and collect beneficial as well as harmful species. Likewise,
mosquito traps for monitoring West Nile Virus carriers inevitably collect non-pest species as well.
However, this supposed "bycatch" does not have to be wasted; when examined it often yields new species
records, including unexpected introduced pests. For example, the first detection in Alberta of the exotic
shot-hole borer (Scolytus rugulosus; a pest of fruit trees) came from the bycatch in traps deployed to
monitor elm bark beetles (Pohl et al. 2007).
Education and training: An insect
collection is a wonderful tool to open
people's eyes to the beauty and wonder of
the natural world before them.
Entomologists who regularly bring
collections to schools will attest to the
sense of excitement and wonder they bring
to the students. The building of an insect
collection is a valuable training tool as well
- there is no better way to get to know the
species in an area than to make an insect
collection. Every expert identifier of insects
that I know in western Canada developed
and continues to develop his/her expertise
by building and maintaining an insect
collection.

The author, Greg Pohl, gives a presentation about insects


to high school students in Fort McMurray, AB.
(photo: R. Walters, Timberlea Public School)

DNA: Another use of old specimens that


may not have been imagined by the original collectors is the extraction and analysis of DNA from them.
With modern techniques, it is now possible to take a single leg from a specimen up to several decades old,
and extract and sequence DNA from it (Meusnier et al. 2008). This is an incredibly powerful tool that
allows researchers to check identifications, discern species relationships, and study changes in the genetic
make-up of populations over time. Old specimens can also yield parasites and phoretic mites, and plant and
fungus spores, helping us make ecological associations. Thus, specimens from inventory and biodiversity
work, voucher collections and bycatch from pest monitoring programs, all continue to provide valuable
information. Who knows what uses we will find for insect collections in the future?
Amateurs versus professionals
The argument for allowing professional researchers to collect insects is clear, but collecting by amateurs is
at least as important (Miller 1986). The distinction between "amateur" and "professional" is largely
artificial. Just about everyone involved in entomology was drawn to the field by a love of the subject. We
are all passionate about what we do, but some of us are lucky enough to get paid for it, while others do it on
their own time at their own expense. The quality of the resulting information often has nothing to do with
whether or not the researcher got paid to do the work. Some of the most knowledgeable people in
entomology are folks who are self-taught, and carry out their avocation in their spare time. This is
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especially true in taxonomy, where all one needs to do excellent work is a microscope, access to specimens,
and an aptitude for the subject. In this era of "fiscal restraint," governments provide little support for basic
taxonomic research. Thus the discovery and inventory of non-pest species is largely left to those who do it
for the love of it. The majority of the data
points on our species distribution maps have
likely been obtained by amateurs.

A boy hunts for bugs in the badlands of Alberta. (photo: G.R. Pohl)

Another role of amateurs is that they are often


our future experts, as noted above. The young
people who might be casual hobby collectors
today are the world-class experts of
tomorrow. Not every "hobby collector"
becomes a world-class taxonomist, but there
is no doubt that virtually every world-class
taxonomist started out as a "hobby collector."
If we discourage the casual collectors, we
will have no experts in the future. I am
especially concerned that undue restrictions
placed on insect collecting would effectively
relegate it to the "paid professionals" only. I
cannot overstate the importance of amateurs
to entomological science and conservation if we limit collecting to ill-defined "serious
researchers" only, we will lose a huge
resource of valuable specimens, information,
and expertise.

Insect Conservation
Resource managers are beginning to recognise the importance of insect conservation (New et al. 1995;
New 2004), but we cannot protect species that we do not know well. Many entomologists (including
myself) sit on conservation boards such as the Arthropod Specialists Subcommittee of the Committee on
the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) and Alberta's Endangered Species Conservation
Committee. These are the bodies that assess species and make recommendations for protective legislation
for them. The kind of information required to get protection for a species is derived from data from
specimens in insect collections, most of which were collected by amateurs. Other than perhaps for the
Monarch butterfly, there would be no formal protection of any insect species in Canada, if it were not for
the work of amateur insect collectors.
Insects are also making a major contribution to the conservation of vertebrates and their habitats. An
example of this is the yucca habitat in southeastern Alberta. The plant is already listed as Threatened
federally and Endangered provincially. However, three moths and one skipper butterfly, all obligate yucca
associates, have also been or are in the process of being evaluated (Committee on the Status of Endangered
Wildlife in Canada 2009). The addition of these four insects to the endangered species list will lend much
greater voice to the protection of this unique community in southeastern Alberta. The same is true for dune
habitats - several moths that are restricted to dunes (Copablepharon grandis, Melaporphyria immortua,
Schinia avemensis, and S. verna) are in the process of being assessed nationally and provincially, based on
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work carried out by several amateurs (Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada 2009,
Albertas Endangered Species Conservation Committee 2009). Listing of these species as threatened or
endangered will help provide protection for all the animals and plants living in dune habitats. These insects
can only be assessed if they are well known taxonomically, and their range and population levels are well
enough known. All that information can only be gathered accurately by killing and collecting insect
specimens, so it remains necessary to kill some insects, in order to protect the rest.

The COSEWIC Arthropod Specialist Subcommittee visits Norman Criddles historic entomology laboratory at Aweme, MB.
(L-R): Gloria Goulet, Gary Anweiler, Ron Hooper, Donna Hurlbert, Laurence Packer, Rob Roughley, Jean-Francois Landry
(with net), Ross Layberry, Henri Goulet, Greg Pohl, Donna Giberson, Rob Cannings, Colin Jones, Paul Catling (kneeling),
Robb Bennett, and Dan Johnson. (photo: Brenda Kostiuk)

Collecting and Endangered Species: As detailed by Pyle (1992), insect collectors are a very minor
mortality factor for insects, and their efforts generally do far more good than harm. The Lepidopterists'
Society has developed a well-considered position on insect collecting (The Lepidopterists' Society 1996).
Of all the insects listed as threatened or endangered in Canada by COSEWIC, not one of the species
assessments lists insect collecting as a significant threat (Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife
in Canada 2009). In fact, without the work of collectors, we would not have had the background
information required to measure their populations accurately enough to make such assessments in the first
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place. Once these species are recognized as threatened or endangered and protected by legislation, it
becomes illegal to collect them on crown lands, and it is illegal to collect them or any other species in
provincial or national parks and protected areas without a research permit. This is adequate protection for
these threatened species from overzealous collectors. For the vast majority of insects that are not yet well
enough known to make accurate assessments of their rarity, we need MORE collecting, not less, in order to
gather that information.
Conclusion
In the recent campaign against "bug collecting" that I mentioned earlier, a society of local entomologists
(The Alberta Lepidopterists' Guild) decided to engage with naturalist groups in a constructive way, by
joining the Federation of Alberta Naturalists (FAN), an umbrella group of local naturalists' groups,
including the group that had launched the anti-collecting campaign. I think that we have effectively
communicated what entomologists do, and we are working with FAN to draw up a specimen collecting
policy. The Alberta Lepidopterists' Guild has also been drawn into a local fight over proposed gas well
drilling in the Suffield National Wildlife Area in southern Alberta and we have been providing welldocumented scientific information on rare and little-known insects there, which appears to have been
instrumental in putting a halt to the proposed drilling. Time will tell, but so far this has been a mutually
beneficial collaboration, resulting in a much greater understanding of "bug collecting" and entomology
among the local naturalist community, and a greater contribution by scientists to specific habitat protection
initiatives.
References cited
Acorn, J. 2001. Tiger Beetles of Alberta. Killers on the Clay, Stalkers on the Sand. University of Alberta
Press, Edmonton, 120 pp.
Acorn, J. 2004. Damselflies of Alberta. Flying Neon Toothpicks in the Grass. University of Alberta Press,
Edmonton, 156 pp.
Acorn, J. 2007. Ladybugs of Alberta. Finding the Spots and Connecting the Dots. University of Alberta
Press, Edmonton, 169 pp.
Albertas Endangered Species Conservation Committee. 2009. Albertas Endangered Species Conservation
Committee. http://www.srd.gov.ab.ca/fishwildlife/escc/default.aspx (Accessed 20 March 2009).
Avibase. 2009. Avibase - Bird Checklists of the World. Canada. http://avibase.bsceoc.org/checklist.jsp?lang=EN&region=ca&list=clements (Accessed: 20 March 2009)
Bouchard, P., V.V. Grebennikov, A.B.T. Smith, and H. Douglas. 2009. Biodiversity of Coleoptera. In, R.
G. Foottit and P. H. Adler (eds.), Insect Biodiversity: Science and Society. Blackwell Publishing,
Oxford, 632 pp.
Cannings, R.A. 2002. Introducing the Dragonflies of British Columbia and the Yukon. University of British
Columbia Press, Vancouver, 96 pp.
Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada, 2009. Website:
http://www.cosewic.gc.ca/eng/sct5/index_e.cfm (Accessed 20 March 2009)
Danks, H.V. 1979. Summary of the diversity of Canadian terrestrial arthropods, pp. 240-244. In: Danks,
H.V. (ed.). Canada and its insect fauna. Memoirs of the Entomological Society of Canada 108: 1-573.
Danks, H.V. 1991. Museum collections: fundamental values and modern problems. Collection Forum 7(2):
95-111.
Huber, J.T. 1998. The importance of voucher specimens, with practical guidelines for preserving specimens
of the major invertebrate phyla for identification. Journal of Natural History 32: 367-385.
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Jones, C.D., A. Kingsley, P. Burke, and M. Holder. 2008. The Dragonflies and Damselflies of Algonquin
Provincial Park and the Surrounding Area. The Friends of Algonquin Park, 263 pp.
Klass, K.-D., O. Zompro, N.P. Kristensen, and J. Adis. 2002. Mantophasmatodea: A new insect order with
extant members in the Afrotropics. Science 296(5572): 1456-1459.
Layberry, R. A., P.W. Hall, and J.D. Lafontaine. 1998. The Butterflies of Canada. NRC Research Press,
Canada Institute for Scientific and Technical Information, in association with University of Toronto
Press, Toronto, 280 pp.
The Lepidopterists' Society. 1996. Statement on Collecting.
http://www.lepsoc.org/statement_on_collecting.php (Accessed 20 March 2009).
Marshall, S.A. 2006. Insects: their natural history and diversity. Firefly Books, Buffalo, 718 pp.
Meusnier, I., G.A.C. Singer, J.-F. Landry, D.A. Hickey, P.D.N. Hebert, and M. Hajibabaei. 2008. A
universal DNA mini-barcode for biodiversity analysis. BMC Genomics 9: 214.
Miller, L.D. 1986. Presidential Address 1984: A tribute to the amateur. Journal of the Lepidopterists'
Society 40: 1-7.
New, T.R. 2004. Moths (Insecta: Lepidoptera) and conservation: background and perspective. Journal of
Insect Conservation 8: 79-94.
New, T.R., R.M. Pyle, J.A. Thomas, & P.C. Hammond. 1995. Butterfly conservation management. Annual
Review of Entomology 40: 57-83.
Pellmyr, O. 1999. Systematic revision of the yucca moths in the Tegeticula yuccasella complex
(Lepidoptera: Prodoxidae) north of Mexico. Systematic Entomology 24: 243-271.
Pohl, G. R., Langor, D. W., Landry, J.-F., & Spence, J. R. 2004 [2006]. Lepidoptera of the Boreal
Mixedwood Forest near Lac La Biche, Alberta, including new provincial records. Canadian FieldNaturalist 118: 530-549.
Pohl, G.R., B.D. Gill, J. Wheeler, and J.W. Jones. 2007. The Banded Elm Bark Beetle Scolytus schevyrewi
(Curculionidae: Scolytinae); a New Exotic Pest Species in Western Canada, oral presentation abstract.
Joint Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society of Canada and the Entomological Society of
Saskatchewan, 29 September - 3 October 2007, Saskatoon.
Pyle, R.M. 1992. Handbook for Butterfly Watchers. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 280 pp.
Pyle, R.M. 2002. The Butterflies of Cascadia. Seattle Audubon Society, Seattle, 420 pp.
Tree of Life. 2009. Tree of Life website. http://www.tolweb.org/tree/ (Accessed: 20 March 2009)
Wheeler, T.A. 2003. The role of voucher specimens in validating faunistic and ecological research.
Biological Survey of Canada (Terrestrial Arthropods) Document Series 9: 1-21.
Wiggins, G.B., S.A. Marshall, and J.A. Downes. 1991. Importance of research collections of terrestrial
arthropods. Bulletin of the Entomological Society of Canada Supplement 23(2) 1-16.

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IDENTIFICATION OF THE HICKORY HAIRSTREAK


(SATYRIUM CARYAEVORUM)
by Ross Layberry
The Hickory Hairstreak (Satyrium caryaevorum) has always been one of our most difficult identification
problems. It is very similar in appearance to the Banded Hairstreak (S. calanus), which is very much more
common, and very variable in precisely the features used to separate the two species. The other problem is
that none of the distinguishing features gives an absolute yes or no answer, a feature is more than, or
bigger than, or narrower than in the other species, so an identification depends to a large degree on which
illustrations you are using for comparison.
When I first became interested in rearing butterflies, back in the 1970s, I went to a place in Quebec, just
across the river from Ottawa, where for several years I had seen literally hundreds of hairstreaks. I beat on a
few trees, mainly butternut and oak, and soon found about 20 lycaenid larvae. I was successful in rearing
most of them, but to my surprise the adults looked much more like Hickory Hairstreaks than Banded. I took
them in to the Canadian National Collection and showed Don Lafontaine. He felt that they should be
dissected, to be certain; the only absolute distinguishing features between the species are in the genitalia.
He taught me how to do this, and I dissected all my male reared specimens, and some others caught at the
same place in previous years. I did the dissections at home with two butterfly pins in a saucer of water, put
the genitalia in tiny glycerine-filled vials attached to the mounting pins, and took them back to the CNC for
identification. All the reared specimens and a few caught in previous years were Hickory Hairstreaks, the
rest were Banded Hairstreaks. I reared hairstreak larvae many times in the next decade, but never again
found Hickories.
The illustrations on the next two pages show nine males of each species, all from my collection and all
positively identified by genitalic dissection. In most you can see the vials, many with glycerine still in them,
stained brown by contact with the cork. It is interesting to compare these specimens with each point in the
Similar species feature in Butterflies of Canada (Layberry et al., 1998).
In Banded Hairstreak - the white-edged dark band on the hindwing underside is a series of dark
rectangular spots margined mainly on the outside with white. Almost always true, and it also applies on
the forewing: in the Hickory there is usually at least a little white on the inner margin of the spots.
The top-most spot is similar in size and shape to the others. Almost true, the top spot is sometimes a little
bigger than the next but in the Hickory it is much bigger.
[the top-most spot] is offset towards the base of the wings. True, but so it is in the Hickory.
[the top-most spot] is much narrower than the partial second band near the middle of the wing. True; in
the Hickory it is as wide as the partial second band, or a little wider. This is one of the best distinguishing
features.

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Nine specimens of Hickory Hairstreak. (photo: Ross Layberry)

The orange and black spot between the two tails (adjacent to the blue spot) is a reddish crescent above a
black triangular spot and [the reddish crescent] is as large as the black spot. True, and often the reddish
crescent is even bigger than the black spot. In the Hickory the height (thickness) of the reddish crescent is
usually about 30-35% of the height of the black triangle.
In Hickory Hairstreak - the series of spots forming the dark band is progressively wider towards the top,
so that the offset top spot is as wide as the partial second band. True, and it can even be a little wider.
There are two other features, not mentioned in Butterflies of Canada, although the first one is often what
people notice first on examining a specimen: the shape of the blue spot. In the Banded Hairstreak the blue
spot is about as high as it is wide, or just a little higher, up to about 1.25 times the width. In the Hickory
Hairstreak the spot is often much taller, from 1.2 to at least 1.6 times the width. There is some overlap, so
this feature, taken by itself, does not prove identity.
The other feature is the dark spot band on the forewing; in the Hickory Hairstreak it also gets progressively
wider towards the top, and the top spot (or spots) is almost always displaced towards the tip of the wing.
Neither of these things is true in the Banded Hairstreak.
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Nine specimens of Banded Hairstreak. (photo: Ross Layberry)

If you compare each specimen in the illustrations with each of the points in these notes, you will probably
find exceptions to most of them. But taken together, they will enable you to be almost certain of your
identification, if you are examining a mounted specimen, a clear close-up photograph, or a live specimen in
a small examining vial. But an ID based on a quick glimpse of a specimen nectaring on a milkweed will
forever remain largely guesswork.
References
Layberry, R.A., P.W.Hall and J.D.Lafontaine. 1998. The Butterflies of Canada. University of Toronto
Press, Toronto. 280 pp.

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A SECOND CANADIAN RECORD OF WHIRLABOUT


(POLITES VIBEX)
by Barry Harrison
July 25, 2008 was a hot, humid, sunny day, with the temperature reaching about 24C. The day prior was
cloudy in the morning but hot and sunny in the afternoon reaching a peak of about 26C. The previous
several days were also very hot and humid with a mixture of sun, some cloud and rain, and a daily high of
24C to 30C in the Toronto region.
The morning of July 25, I entered our garden at 9:20 to inspect the butterfly bushes (Buddleia spp.). I soon
noticed an average sized skipper nectaring six feet up on a Buddleia flower. I was now three to four feet
away and observing it in good light. I am very familiar with anticipated Fiery Skippers (Hylephila phyleus)
but this individual looked distinctly different above and below.
It was very dark-brown above, excepting three small but whitish spots on the central forewing and small
whitish costal markings. The under hind wing appearance was generally olivaceous, and had variable dark
shading. Overall, the underside was rather dull and unattractive. The skipper only remained for a few
minutes (no time to rush back for a net, but certainly enough time to take in its features), then it bolted off
quickly in a general east, northeast direction.
On perusing my books it seems that the ventral female Whirlabout (Polites vibex) can be quite variable,
ranging from the illustrations/photos in Brock and Kaufman (2003), to Glassberg (1999), of which my
observation seemed fairly close to, to Opler and Malikul (1992), to Pyle 1981. The under hind wing
markings on the individual in my garden (smudges and one clear inner dot) were somewhat like plate 57,
number 5 in Glassberg (1999), figure 151 in Pyle (1981), and plate 44 in Opler and Malikul (1992).

I have faithfully illustrated the sighting to the best of my ability, trying to particularly portray the unusual
under hind wing. With all of the information I have gathered I cannot find any other species that comes
close to this individual and have concluded that my observation was of a female Whirlabout.
There is only a single previous record of Whirlabout in Canada, a female collected in Toronto by Arthur
Gibson some time before 1910 (Layberry et al., 1998).

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References
Brock. J.P. and K. Kaufman. 2003. Butterflies of North American. Houghton Mifflin Co.
Cech, R. and G. Tudor. 2005. Butterflies of the East Coast: An Obervers Guide. Princeton University
Press.
Glassberg, J. 1999. Butterflies Through Binoculars: The East. Oxford University Press.
Layberry, R.A., P.W.Hall and J.D.Lafontaine. 1998. The Butterflies of Canada. University of Toronto
Press, Toronto. 280 pp.
Opler, P.A. and V. Malikul. 1992. A Field Guide to Eastern Butterflies. Houghton Mifflin Co.
Pyle, R.M. 1981. National Audubon Society Field Guide to Butterflies.
Scott. J. A. 1992. The Butterflies of North America: A Natural History and Field Guide. Stanford
University Press.

THE MARINE BLUE (LEPTOTES MARINA)


IN TORONTO JULY 2008
by Bob Yukich
During the Toronto Centre Butterfly Count on July 12, 2008, Steve LaForest and Carolyn King discovered
a fresh female Marine Blue (Leptotes marina) at the old World War II munitions factory site in
Mississauga. This site is located immediately south of Lakeshore Blvd. next to Marie Curtis Park on the
western Toronto waterfront (see photo on page 47). This abandoned site has no remaining man-made
structures other than a centrally located tall wooden water tower, now in disuse. The property has reverted
to a large overgrown field with abundant Cow Vetch (Vicia cracca), Birdsfoot Trefoil (Lotus corniculatus)
and lesser amounts of Alfalfa (Medicago sativa), all suitable host plants for Marine Blue this species uses
various plants in the Legume family. A few copses of small trees and shrubs are scattered throughout and
much of the field is bordered by trees and woodland. The field is mainly dry but there are some wetter
areas, as well as two small ponds with emergent vegetation at the south end.
The Marine Blue was netted in the early afternoon during cloudy weather as it rested in a patch of Birdsfoot
Trefoil at the north end of the field. It was brought back to the count round-up later in the day, where it was
kept in a plastic bag inside a cooler for most of the time. Whenever the butterfly was taken out of the cooler
to be shown to other participants or for photographs, it exhibited extreme restlessness. When taken back to
the site of capture that evening at dusk (8:45 p.m.), it was removed from the cooler at the site, taken out of
the bag and placed on Carolyn Kings hand, where it immediately became active and alert. Before I could
manage to get a photo, it vigorously flew upward, disappearing into the top of the closest tree, a 7 m high
Manitoba Maple (Acer negundo) about 50 m to the south.

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Thinking there may be a colony of Marine Blues at this site, John Carley, my wife Karen and I returned the
next day, July 13, at around 11:30 a.m. We were joined there by Garth Riley, his wife Nancy McPherson,
and their son Andrew. It had been cloudy overnight and throughout the morning, but it was now becoming
sunny and warm. We went directly to where the Marine Blue had been released the previous evening.
Within minutes John spotted a fresh female Marine Blue resting on the ground near the main pathway close
to the tree the released individual had flown to the previous evening. It was quite tame and approachable,
more so than the Eastern Tailed-Blues (Cupido comyntas) that were also present. It flew a short distance
and began to nectar on Birdsfoot Trefoil. Several photos were taken. Within minutes, while I was still
photographing the first Marine Blue, John spotted another fresh female about 50 m away. It was also
nectaring on Birdsfoot Trefoil. I managed to get a photo of it before it flew off (see photo on page 47).
After these initial sightings, which lasted only about a half hour, no more Marine Blues were seen that day
even though at least six others, besides our group, spent the afternoon combing the area.
Later that day I compared my photograph of the Marine Blue netted by Steve and Carolyn on count day
with the photos I had just taken in the field. Based on variations in the underwing pattern, it was apparent
that there were three individuals involved - all of them females.
The following day, July 14 at around 11:30 a.m., Barry Harrison and three friends observed another Marine
Blue, a fresh male this time, perched briefly in a large patch of Cow Vetch not far from where we saw the
two females the day before.
I visited this site again on July 15 and 19, and for the last time on August 14 with Glenn Richardson to look
for a possible second brood, but no Marine Blues were ever found here again. Good numbers of other
butterflies, especially Eastern Tailed-Blues, were present on all of our visits. A few others reported visiting
this site in search of Marine Blues during the same period but found none.
On July 22 just after 2:00 p.m., having returned from a trip downtown along the Toronto waterfront on my
bicycle, I stopped briefly at a wooden bridge at the southeast corner of Grenadier Pond in High Park to
check a tiny wet meadow that often attracts butterflies. Dark clouds threatening rain were quickly rolling in
from the north, but the sun was still shining.
As soon as I arrived I noticed what I thought was an Eastern-Tailed Blue, which would be unusual for this
spot, as it fluttered up onto some Blue Vervain (Verbena hastate) and began to nectar. Luckily I had
binoculars with me, but unfortunately no camera. As it twisted and turned on the flower head, I could see
that it was a Marine Blue by the barred pattern on the underwing. As the clouds began obscuring the sun,
the butterfly opened its wings, revealing the brownish upperside with purplish centre of a female. It was in
fresh condition. It nectared briefly and then, unprovoked, fluttered upwards about 20 to 25 m, disappearing
in the crown of a large oak (Quercus sp.) a short distance to the north.
I had moved a few feet into the vegetation for a closer look and was now returning to the pathway. I turned
to take another look at the meadow and immediately saw what I thought was the same butterfly flutter
down to the same Blue Vervain. I wondered how it had returned so quickly. After it landed on the flower
and began to nectar I could see the striking underwing pattern of a Marine Blue. It had clouded over by now
and the butterfly opened its wings, revealing the purple upperside of a male. It had two dark spots at the
anal angle of each hindwing, and the dark barring on the underside bled through to the upperside and was
clearly visible. It appeared quite fresh. When it started to rain the butterfly disappeared into the tall
21

Ontario Lepidoptera 2008_______________________________________________________________________

vegetation. I waited a while until it stopped raining but did not see any more Marine Blues. I phoned a
couple of friends who visited the site later in the day when it became sunny again, but no Marine Blues
were found.
The only obvious host plant for Marine Blue at this location was White Sweet Clover (Melilotus alba),
which was abundant this year along the south end of Grenadier Pond. A short time after my sighting, the
High Park restoration crew removed virtually all of the White Sweet Clover here as this non-native plant is
considered highly invasive. I checked the small meadow, as well as the south end of Grenadier Pond, many
times during the rest of the summer but never found any more Marine Blues.
A total of six Marine Blues were seen in Toronto in July 2008. All were in fresh condition and in suitable
breeding habitat, suggesting local emergence. High Park and the old munitions factory site are about 9 km
apart and both are located along the Lake Ontario waterfront. It is reasonable to assume that more than one
pregnant female Marine Blue arrived on the western Toronto waterfront sometime in June, laid eggs and
colonized these sites.
All previous records of Marine Blue in Ontario are from Point Pelee National Park, where they first
occurred in 1993 (Wormington 1994). Worn females arrived there in June of that year, forming a colony
along West Beach that persisted throughout the summer. The only other record was of a female, apparently
killed by a crab spider, found on White Sweet Clover near Delaurier House on July 31, 1999 (Wormington
2000).
The July 2008 Toronto sightings of Marine Blue constitute the most northerly record for this species in the
province. Shortly after these sightings, Jerry Ball and Ross Macintosh briefly observed a single Marine
Blue of undetermined sex at Seacliffe, just west of Leamington, on the annual Point Pelee butterfly count
on August 9, 2008.
It is puzzling that, after the initial sightings, no Marine Blues were ever seen again at either of the Toronto
sites, especially since they evidently bred. Perhaps after emergence and a brief period of nectaring they
simply moved on, feeling the same urge to migrate as their predecessors.
References
Wormington, A. 1994. Marine Blue (Leptotes marina): New to Ontario. Page 24-26 in A.J. Hanks. Toronto
Entomologists Association Occasional Publication #26-94: Butterflies of Ontario and Summaries of
Lepidoptera Encountered in Ontario in 1993.
Wormington, A. 2000. Point Pelee Butterfly Highlights - 1999. Page 23-25 in A.J. Hanks. Toronto
Entomologists Association Occasional Publication #32-2000: Butterflies of Ontario and Summaries of
Lepidoptera Encountered in Ontario in 1999.

22

Ontario Lepidoptera 2008_______________________________________________________________________

SUMMARY OF ONTARIO BUTTERFLIES


AND SKIPPERS IN 2008
Compiled by Ross A. Layberry and Colin D. Jones
Introduction
The following is a summary of the butterflies and skippers reported in Ontario in 2008. For each species,
the total number of records submitted is indicated, followed by at least the earliest and latest records (that
were submitted), as well as other noteworthy records to include: a) new information on range and new
occurrence localities; b) data, when submitted, on flight periods, broods and population monitoring; c) life
history data that is not well known or seldom reported including foodplants, nectar sources, larval
description and habits, ovipositing data and behaviour, pupal description and siting, adult habits, predation,
etc.; and, d) records of rare or seldom reported species.
Only those species for which there were reports from 2008 are listed. The full list of Ontarios butterflies
and skippers, along with superfamilies, subfamilies and genera, as well as taxon authors can be found in the
Checklist of the Butterflies of Ontario (see page 61). Counties, Districts and Regional Municipalities (as
listed on pages 5 and 6) in the text are truncated and printed in italics (e.g. Regional Municipality of
Waterloo appears as Waterloo).
The full sets of over 8,852 records (comprising 132 species) submitted from 2008 are available to TEA
members as a PDF file contact Colin Jones at colin.jones@ontario.ca to receive a copy. Records within
these tables are sorted taxonomically by species, then by county (alphabetically), and then by date. The PDF
file (Portable Document Format) can be opened using Adobe Acrobat Reader, which comes pre-installed
on most computers, and is also available as a free download at www.adobe.com/support/downloads/. The
table can be searched in a limited way using the Find function in Acrobat Reader. An additional PDF file
including the key to observers initials will also be included. For TEA members without access to a
computer or printer, a print-out of the butterfly and skipper tables can be requested from Colin Jones
(Editor, Ontario Lepidoptera), see contact information on the inside front cover.
Each record within the tables includes county, locality, date, observers, numbers seen, and any special
notes. Other valuable data that could not be included in the tables due to space limitations, such as
georeferencing (UTM and Lat/Long), is retained in the TEAs Ontario Butterfly Atlas Database, which is
housed at and maintained by the Natural Heritage Information Centre, Ministry of Natural Resources,
Peterborough. Further inquiries or requests for information can be directed to the compiler.
Both the species accounts and the butterfly checklist are organized in accordance with Layberry et al.
(1998) with some taxonomic updates from Opler and Warren (2003). The common names follow Layberry
et al. (1998).
Data has been carefully checked by the compilers and every effort has been made to verify records for
provincially rare and unusual species, as well as species in some particularly difficult groups. However, the
majority of records are unverified reports and occasional identification errors may remain. Any corrections
brought to the compilers attention will be published in future issues of Ontario Lepidoptera.

23

Ontario Lepidoptera 2008_______________________________________________________________________

The 2008 Season


The winter of 2007/2008 was very wet (third wettest on record) in S Ontario whereas it was drier than
average in the north.
Spring was about average for temperature and above average for precipitation across Ontario. The above
average temperatures resulted in fairly early emergence times for most of the early spring species. For
example, all of the regularly occurring elfins (the exceptions begin Bog and Frosted) emerged between
April 24 and 27. The first American Copper emerged on April 20th in Algoma District! Hobomok
Skipper was first recorded on May 10 in Frontenac Co. (earlier than average). Several late spring/early
summer species also emerged earlier than usual including Delaware Skipper (June 15 in Frontenac Co.)
and a Common Branded Skipper that was recorded in the Thunder Bay area on June 23rd!
It was a fairly warm summer across Ontario (slightly higher than average) but it was very wet in the south
(3rd wettest summer on record) and slightly wetter than average in the north. The wet weather, therefore,
caused the butterfly activity to slow down a bit.
It was an excellent year for southern strays into Ontario with the following species recorded: Horaces
Duskywing, Common Checkered Skipper, Fiery Skipper, Whirlabout (Canadas 2nd record), Sachem,
Ocola Skipper, Spicebush Swallowtail (including three records from Thunder Bay District!), Southern
Dogface, Cloudless Sulphur, Little Sulphur, White M Hairstreak, American Snout (2nd record for
Ottawa) and Variegated Fritillary.
Giant Swallowtail continues to do well north of its historical range. In addition, there was an incredible
record from Sault Ste. Marie in June (new to Algoma District)!
Two of the biggest highlights of the season were the discovery of a breeding colony of Southern
Hairstreaks in Lambton County by Blake Mann the first breeding colony recorded in Canada and a small
colony of Marine Blues in Toronto discovered by Steve Laforest and Carolyn King.
Autumn temperatures were average in the south and above average in the north resulting in a few late
season records but nothing especially noteworthy.
______________________________________________________________________________
Family: HESPERIIDAE
SILVER-SPOTTED SKIPPER

Epargyreus clarus

In 2008 - 70 records. The first report was on May 17, one seen at the Back Pit Panne, Sandbanks P.P.,
Prince Edward (JD). Regular records started in early June, with another sighting at Sandbanks PP on June
5 (JD) and one at Fletcher Wildlife Garden, Ottawa on June 8 (CH). Records were continuous from then
until August 7, another few seen at Sandbanks PP (JD), the last report of the first generation. The next
generation was first reported on August 18, when two were seen on the railtrail between the Blezard and
Cameron Lines, NE of Villiers, Peterborough (JB). There were five other August sightings, finishing with
a very worn individual seen on August 27 at Centre Island, Metro Toronto (RJY). There was then a threeweek gap, followed by the beginning of a third generation, a sighting of 28 individuals on September 20 at
24

Ontario Lepidoptera 2008_______________________________________________________________________

Sturgeon Creek and Bevel Line Rd., SE of Leamington, Essex (RJY) and a record on September 24 of a
fresh one at Centre Island, Metro Toronto (RJY). On September 28 one was seen nectaring on Asteraceae at
Bellamy Ravine, Scarborough, Metro Toronto (BH). The last three records were all from Essex: two seen
on October 11 at Sturgeon Creek (RJY) and on October 12 one opposite Point Pelee National Park
Headquarters and another on Hwy 18, 3.8 km W of Seacliffe, (AA).
SOUTHERN CLOUDYWING

Thorybes bathyllus

In 2008 - Only two records: one seen on June 13 in a large clearing on Con 6. at St. Williams Forestry
Station, Norfolk (RJY) and a sighting on July 6 at Newbury, Middlesex (BAM, PD).
NORTHERN CLOUDYWING

Thorybes pylades

In 2008 - 102 records. The earliest record was on May 29, when two were seen on Pencil Lake Rd.,
Peterborough (JB), and the next were on May 30, two seen on the Howie Rd. extension, E of Manion
Corners, Ottawa (PH) and two seen at ADRI, Fallowfield Rd., Ottawa (KA). One was reported on June 22
from Algonquin PP, at the Hemlock Bluff Trail, Nipissing (LFo); the species is rare in the Park. The
earliest reports from northern Ontario were on June 22, one seen on the Wolf Tree Trail, N of Raith,
Thunder Bay (NGE) and one caught and released at Shale Lake, 18 km NW of Dorion, Thunder Bay (SB).
The latest records were on July 10, 32 counted at High Park, Metro Toronto (RJY) and one caught and
released at Finnmark Rd., NW of the City of Thunder Bay, Thunder Bay (SB); on July 12, one caught and
released at Lochlin Bog, Lochlin, Haliburton (EP, TLa, DBi, JiH) and one seen in Hwy 11 berween
Beardsmore and Geraldton, Thunder Bay (NGE) and on July 25, seven seen at High Park, Metro Toronto
(RJY).
DREAMY DUSKYWING

Erynnis icelus

In 2008 - 70 records. The earliest report was one photographed on May 9 at the Burnt Lands Provincial
Nature Reserve, Ottawa (KA, DA). In the north, the earliest was on June 8, one seen on Alice Ave.,
Thunder Bay, Thunder Bay (NGE). On June 25 NGE reported 20 at Sedgman Lake PNR, Thunder Bay and
JB saw an individual at Sandy Lake Rd., Twin Lakes, Peterborough. On June 26 SB caught and released
eight at Pictured Lake, Thunder Bay. The latest reports were on July 14, a sight record at Elbow Lake,
Frontenac (KFN), very late for a southern record, and one seen on the Sawbill Lake Trail in Sleeping Giant
P.P., Thunder Bay (TRa, MRa).
SLEEPY DUSKYWING

Erynnis brizo

In 2008 - The only record was one photographed on May 15 at Ojibway Prairie, Windsor, Essex (PH).
JUVENALS DUSKYWING

Erynnis juvenalis

In 2008 - 108 records. The first three reports were on May 9: one at Rouge Park, Scarborough, Metro
Toronto (BH), one photographed at the Burnt Lands PNR, Ottawa (KA, DA), and in northern Ontario one
seen at Espanola, Sudbury (MRa). An individual collected along a logging road (with no oak in sight) in
Ethel Twp., Sudbury (CDJ, DAS) was quite far north for this species. The last records of the season include
one seen on July 14 at Elbow Lake, Frontenac (KFN) and one reported in the Petroglyphs PP Count on July
19 (TB).
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Ontario Lepidoptera 2008_______________________________________________________________________

HORACES DUSKYWING

Erynnis horatius

In 2008 - 11 records, ten in Point Pelee NP, Essex. This was the best year ever for the species in Ontario
beginning with a male photographed on June 14 in the Tip area (see photo on page 30), and watched for 15
minutes as it nectared on cinquefoil (RJY). This represents the first record of a first brood individual in
Ontario normally this species does not wander north into Ontario until the second brood. The second
generation occurred from August 9 (AW) to September 14 (BAM), both at West Beach. The only one from
outside the Park was a worn male seen on August 18 at Pelee Island Campground, Essex (AJH).
MOTTLED DUSKYWING

Erynnis martialis

In 2008 - 2 records. The first was on May 28 at a new location, a semi-open alvar 2.8 km S of Marmora,
Hastings (CDJ, DAS, JG); several were observed, and photographed by JG, and two specimens were
collected. One was seen on June 6 at the Burnt Lands, N of Con. 12, Lanark (PH).
FUNEREAL DUSKYWING

Erynnis funeralis

In 2008 - 1 record, on August 12 at Bellamy Ravine, Scarborough, Metro Toronto (JF, BH), exactly where
it was last seen in 2006.
COLUMBINE DUSKYWING

Erynnis lucilius

In 2008 - 49 records. The earliest reports were on May 10, a sight record on Co. Rd. 19 in the Helen
Quilliam Sanctuary, Frontenac (BER, PM), and on May 13, a single individual seen in a clearing in sandy
pine woods at Constance Bay, Ottawa (CH). The first generation continued until June 12, when one was
seen sunning at Wolf Grove Rd., 4 km SW Almonte, Lanark (DA). The second generation started with
reports on July 12 of two very fresh individuals at the Burnt Lands, Con. 12, Lanark (DA) and one seen on
July 13 at Burke Settlement, Frontenac (JK, MSa). There were many reports in July and early August,
including a total of 71 on July 19 during the Petroglyphs PP Count, Peterborough (JB et al.) and a count of
300+ at Wylie & Alvar Rds., on the Carden Plain, Kawartha Lakes (AA). The latest reports were of eight
seen on August 21 in the Burnt Lands N of Con. 12, Lanark (PH), and a sight record on September 10 on
the Cataraqui Trail at MacGillivray Rd., Frontenac (BER).
WILD INDIGO DUSKYWING

Erynnis baptisiae

In 2008 - 18 records. Once again this year, there were three generations, flying from May 10 at Eglinton
Flats, Metro Toronto (RJY) to June 20 at Toronto area (BH), from June 27 at Eglinton Flats (RJY) to
August 26 at Toronto area (BH), and from September 17 at James Gardens, Metro Toronto (RJY) to
October 13 at Sturgeon Creek, 3 km SE Leamington, Essex (RJY). A female was noted laying eggs on Wild
Lupine (Lupinus perennis), a known food plant, on July 25 at High Park, Metro Toronto (RJY) see photo
on page 30. Two others were from new areas, one seen on May 28 at Heber Down CA, Durham (RJY) and
one photographed on July 19 at the old munitions factory, W of Marie Curtis Park, Mississauga, Peel
(RJY).

26

Ontario Lepidoptera 2008_______________________________________________________________________

COMMON CHECKERED SKIPPER

Pyrgus communis

In 2008 - 10 records, all single sightings of fall migrants in the southwest. The earliest was on September
16 at Seacliffe, Essex, a very fresh female seen on alfalfa (AW) and the latest was on November 6 at
Ojibway Prairie, Windsor, Essex, a sight record of one worn male (RJJ).
COMMON SOOTYWING

Pholisora catullus

In 2008 - 1 record, a worn individual seen on August 31 at McKeough CA, Lambton (BAM).
ARCTIC SKIPPER

Carterocephalus palaemon

In 2008 - 54 records. The season began on May 30 at Moscow Marsh, Lennox & Addington (BER, KH).
The next record was on June 5, when a fresh individual was photographed at the Turner Tract, Halton
Regional Forest, Halton (RJY), and one was on the Galway-Cavendish Forest Access Rd., Peterborough
(JB). The first report from the north was of two on June 22, Wolf Tree Trail, Thunder Bay (NGE). The last
report in the south was of one on June 30 on the Cedar Grove Trail, Marlborough Forest, Ottawa (CH), and
in the north four were caught and released on July 2 at the Mills Block CA, Thunder Bay (SB).
LEAST SKIPPER

Ancyloxypha numitor

In 2008 - 93 records. The earliest reports were on June 5 at the Scheck Site, 1.5 km N of Newburgh,
Lennox & Addington (KH) and on June 9 on Con. 10 in the Larose Forest, Prescott-Russell (CH). There
was a complete overlap between generations, records continuing without a break until early September. The
highest daily total was 71, on July 19 during the Petroglyphs Butterfly Count, Peterborough (JB). On
August 10 four were caught and released at Sawmill Point on the Nipigon River, Thunder Bay (SB), the
only northern record. There were a few probable third-generation reports, with the latest on September 20 at
Sturgeon Creek & Bevel Line Rd., 3 km SE Leamington, Essex (RJY) and on October 12 at Rouge Park,
Scarborough, Metro Toronto (LS), the latest ever Toronto record.
EUROPEAN SKIPPER

Thymelicus lineola

In 2008 - 247 records. The earliest reports were on June 6 at Rouge Park, Scarborough, Metro Toronto
(BH), and on June 8 on Moodie Dr., 3 km S of Bells Corners, Ottawa (LJ) and on Burns Lane, S of
Charleston Lake, Leeds and Grenville (KH). There were many reports of large numbers; the highest was an
estimated 16,300 on July 1 on Charlie Allen Rd., W of Rockcroft, Peterborough (JB). The latest reports
were: July 27 on Pennock Creek Hiking Trail, Thunder Bay (SB); August 9, one seen at the Smurfit-Stone
Mill, Thunder Bay (NGE, BJM, JW) and possibly an all-time late record (second generation?) of two seen
on August 21 at Courtcliffe Park, Carlisle, Hamilton-Wentworth (BVR).
FIERY SKIPPER

Hylephila phyleus

In 2008 - 9 records. There were only late season reports this year, starting on September 18 at Sturgeon
Creek, Essex, where about 90, both fresh and worn, were seen in a small alfalfa field (AW). The only
Toronto report was on September 24 at Hanlans Point, Metro Toronto, where a fresh male was
photographed (RJY). All the rest were from the southwest, finishing on October 13 when 14 were seen at
Sturgeon Creek, Essex (RJY, BAM).
27

Ontario Lepidoptera 2008_______________________________________________________________________

COMMON BRANDED SKIPPER

Hesperia comma

In 2008 - 6 records. The first reports were earlier than usual, individuals caught and released on June 23 at
MacKenzie Station, Thunder Bay and on June 26 at Painted Lake, Thunder Bay (SB). One was
photographed on August 17 in Wishart Park, Sault Ste Marie, Algoma (RJY). In Algonquin PP on August
21, BEP saw one at Mew Lake, Nipissing and one at the Whitefish Lake millsite, Haliburton. The latest
report was of two caught and released on August 24 in a grassy meadow on the Pennock Creek Hiking
Trail, Thunder Bay (SB).
LEONARDS SKIPPER

Hesperia leonardus

In 2008 - 32 records. The earliest report was of one observed on August 3 at the Visitor Centre tilebed,
Algonquin P.P., Nipissing (KHo, NM). Then on August 14 one was seen on Co. Rd. 40, N of Twin Lakes,
Peterborough and four were seen on Jack Lake Rd., Peterborough (JB, TB). There were only three
northern records, but the earliest and latest were both at Webbwood, Sudbury; one was photographed there
on August 16 and four were seen on August 30 (TRa). In the south the last reports were from the end of
Ridge Rd., Mer Bleue, Ottawa on September 16 (PH), and from the Cataraqui Trail at MacGillivray Rd.,
Frontenac on October 22 (BER).
INDIAN SKIPPER

Hesperia sassacus

In 2008 - 45 records. The first reports were on June 6, at Bayview Bog, 1 km NW of Amherstview, Lennox
& Addington (BER) and at the Burnt Lands N of Con. 12, Lanark, where PH saw about 20, and
photographed some. On June 14 one was reported from the Cache Lake parking lot, Algonquin PP,
Nipissing, only the second record for the Park (BHo). There were only two northern records, on June 18 at
Agawa Campground, Lake Superior PP, Algoma and on June 22 on Hwy 17, 48 km W of Kenora, Kenora
(TRa, MRa); in both cases the individuals were photographed. The latest date was July 4, a female
captured and released E of Carnarvon, Haliburton (EP, KP), and one observed at the Howie Rd. extension,
E of Manion Corners, Ottawa (PH).
PECKS SKIPPER

Polites peckius

In 2008 - 52 records. There seems to be little doubt that there were three generations of this species in 2008.
The first ran from June 2 at Lambton Woods, Metro Toronto, two seen (RJY) to August 1, when one was
reported NE of Villiers, on the railtrail between the Cameron and Blezard Lines, Peterborough (JB).
Reports of the second generation started and finished at James Gardens, Metro Toronto, where 54 were
seen on August 12 and 44 on September 3 (RJY). Also on September 3 was a sight record from the West
Beach, Point Pelee N.P., Essex (BAM), the first Point Pelee record since 1996 (AW pers. comm.). There
were two third-generation records, on October 6 at Port Lambton, Lambton (BAM) and on October 12 on
Hwy 18, 3.8 km W of Seacliffe, Essex (AA).
TAWNY-EDGED SKIPPER

Polites themistocles

In 2008 - 108 records. The first reports were sight records on June 2 and 4 at ADRI, Fallowfield Rd.,
Ottawa (KA), and June 4 at the Scheck Site, 1.5 km N of Newburgh, Lennox & Addington (KH).The latest
first-generation reports were of one seen on July 18 on Co. Rd. 46, N of Twin Lakes, Peterborough (JB)
and 11 tallied on July 19 during the Petroglyphs Butterfly Count, Peterborough (JB). In the north the
28

Ontario Lepidoptera 2008_______________________________________________________________________

season was reported only from July 2 at the Mills Block CA, Thunder Bay (SB) to July 14 at the Sawbill
Lake Trail, Sleeping Giant PP, Thunder Bay (TRa, MRa). On August 5 PH photographed a fresh individual
at the end of Ridge Rd., Mer Bleue, Ottawa the second generation is new to Ottawa in the last few years.
The second generation was reported nine times between August 6 and September 3 from the railtrail
between the Cameron and Blezard Lines, NE of Villiers Peterborough (JB).There were three other late
reports; August 22 at Amherstview Sewage Lagoon, Lennox & Addington (BER); August 25 at Ridge Rd.,
Mer Bleue, Ottawa, (PH); and September 22 at Port Lambton, Lambton (BAM).
CROSSLINE SKIPPER

Polites origenes

In 2008 - 17 records. The earliest reports were sight records, on June 15 at Opinicon Rd., Frontenac (PH)
and on July 4 at Bayview Bog, 1 km NW of Amherstview, Lennox & Addington (BER). On August 4 a pair
was observed in copula at the Burnt Lands off March Rd., Ottawa (DA). The last report was of one, only
partially worn, on September 24 at Eastpoint Park Scarborough, Metro Toronto (BH) quite possibly a
second generation individual.
LONG DASH SKIPPER

Polites mysti

In 2008 - 127 records. First reported on June 8 on the railtrail between the Cameron and Blezard Lines, NE
of Villiers Peterborough (JB). This was followed by four reports on June 11: at the Clay Bank Alvar, 6.5
km SSW of Arnprior, Renfrew (RAL); on the Roger Stevens Trail off Kettle Rd., Ottawa (LJ); on 8th Line
N, Dummer Twp., Peterborough (JB); and on Hubble Rd., 12 km N of Havelock, Peterborough (JB). On
June 17 CH counted 57 on Bertrand Rd., Larose Forest, Prescott-Russell, by far the highest one-day total.
There were records almost every day until July 25, when they were reported from Co. Rd. 46, S of Twin
Lakes, Peterborough and from Fire Route 5857, off Jack Lake Rd., Peterborough (JB). There was one
presumed second-generation record, a worn individual seen on August 17 in the pannes, Presquile PP,
Northumberland (IS).
WHIRLABOUT

Polites vibex

On 2008 - 1 record, a female observed on July 25 by BH on Buddleia flowers at 51 Chestermere Blvd.,


Scarborough, Metro Toronto. This is only the second Canadian record. The first was caught by Arthur
Gibson in Toronto some time before 1910. It was misidentified for about eighty years before finally being
recognized; it was pictured in Butterflies of Canada and is currently in the Canadian National Collection in
Ottawa. See article on page 19.
NORTHERN BROKEN-DASH

Wallengrenia egeremet

In 2008 - 26 records. The earliest sightings were on June 24 and July 1 on Charlie Allen Rd., W of
Rockcroft, Peterborough (JB) and on July 4 at Bayview Bog, 1 km NW of Amherstview, Lennox &
Addington (BER). On July 16 RJY reported 13 at High Park, Metro Toronto, the highest daily count.
Records were continuous until August 9, when there were two reports, a worn individual seen at James
Gardens, Metro Toronto (RJY), and one seen on Con. 11 on the Burnt Lands, 2 km N of Almonte, Lanark
(KA, DA).

29

Ontario Lepidoptera 2008_______________________________________________________________________

Dreamy Duskywing near Marmora, Hastings on


May 28, 2008 (photo: Colin D. Jones)

Horaces Duskywing at Point Pelee, Essex on


June 14, 2008 (photo: Bob Yukich)

Wild Indigo Duskywing eggs on Wild Lupine at High Park


Metro Toronto on July 25, 2008 (photo: Bob Yukich)

Common Checkered Skipper near Point Pelee, Essex


on September 20, 2008 (photo: Bob Yukich)

Female Sachem at Sturgeon Creek, Essex on


October 14, 2008 (photo: Alan Wormington)

Little Glassywing perched beside Gray Treefrog, Rouge


Valley, Metro Toronto, July 1, 2008 (photo: Juha Varrela)

30

Ontario Lepidoptera 2008_______________________________________________________________________

Pipevine Swallowtail ovipositing on Dutchman's Pipe,


Toronto, Metro Toronto, July 11, 2008 (photo:Bob Yukich)

Pipevine Swallowtail eggs on Dutchman's Pipe, Toronto,


Metro Toronto, July 11, 2008 (photo:Bob Yukich)

Predated Pipevine Swallowtail eggs on Dutchman's Pipe,


Toronto, Metro Toronto (photo:Bob Yukich)

Giant Swallowtail in Sault Ste. Marie, Algoma


on June 22, 2008 (photo: Joy Cohen)

Southern Dogface at West Beach of Point Pelee National


Park, Essex on August 31, 2008 (photo: Alan Wormington)

Edwards Hairstreak at West Becher (Reid Conservation


Area), Lambton on July 1, 2008 (photo: Alan Wormington)

31

Ontario Lepidoptera 2008_______________________________________________________________________

LITTLE GLASSYWING

Pompeius verna

In 2008 - 7 records, starting with a single reported on June 30 at Snodden Rd., Georgina, York (RJY), four
seen on July 1 at Altona Rd. & Taunton Rd., N of Cherrywood, Durham (JK), and one photographed on
July 5 on Opinicon Rd., Frontenac (BER). One was reported on July 17 from West Kosh Rd. in the
Kasshabog Lake area, Peterborough (TB). On July 19 another was reported from the Kasshabog Lake area,
this time on North Shore Rd., Peterborough, and two more were reported from Posts Rd, near Oak Lake,
Peterborough (CK, SLa). The final report was on July 25 at the Helen Quilliam Sanctuary, Frontenac
(BER).
SACHEM

Atalopedes campestris

In 2008 - 3 records, all by AW, the first Ontario records since 2003. On October 12, three fresh males were
seen and two collected on Henderson Rd., S of Browns Rd., Pelee Island, Essex. The next day he saw two
more fresh males in the same spot. Then on October 14 he photographed a worn female at Sturgeon Creek,
just north of Point Pelee NP, Essex (see photo on page 30).
DELAWARE SKIPPER

Anatrytone logan

In 2008 - 50 records. The first report was about two weeks earlier than usual, one seen on June 15 on the
Opinicon Rd. at the Lindsay Lake Trail, Frontenac (PH). The next records are on more normal dates: July 5
at Beaverdale & Old Almonte Rds., NE of Manion Corners, Ottawa (PH) and July 6 at the Office Meadow
at Charleston Lake PP, Leeds and Grenville, three caught and released (CPR). On July 7, three were seen
on Hydro Dam Rd., 16 km SW of Calabogie, Renfrew, only the second Renfrew County record (DLe), and
on August 1 one was reported at Metcalfe St. and Slater St., in downtown Ottawa, Ottawa (DA). The
species appears to have been widespread and abundant all season in Peterborough; JB reported it 33 times
on 14 different dates, including the latest two records: August 5 at both Jack Lake Rd., Apsley and Clare
Newnhams Rd, S of Lasswade, Peterborough.
MULBERRY WING

Poanes massassoit

In 2008 - 17 records. The first reports were of one photographed on July 5 at the Wylie Rd. marsh on the
Carden Plain, Kawartha Lakes (RJY), and two observed on July 8 at Boundary Rd. at Con. 12, Larose
Forest, Prescott-Russell (CH). On July 12 two were caught and released on the Milburn Rd., 4 km W of
Irondale, Haliburton (EP, TLa, DBi, JiH). More were seen on Con. 10 in the Larose Forest, PrescottRussell on July 12 (CH) and on July 17 (PH). The remaining 12 reports are all from JB in Peterborough,
ranging in date from July 10 at Petroglyphs P.P. and Stoney Point Rd., in the Kasshabog Lake area, to July
29, when eight were seen on Galway Rd.
HOBOMOK SKIPPER

Poanes hobomok

In 2008 - 208 records. The first reports were very early: a sight record on May 10 on Co. Rd. 19 in the
Helen Quilliam Sanctuary, Frontenac (BER) and another on May 16 in Sandbanks P.P., Prince Edward
(JD). The next reports were on May 28 at Rouge Park, Scarborough, Metro Toronto (BH) and on May 30 at
ADRI, Fallowfield Rd., Ottawa (KA). In the north, the earliest reports were on June 9 at two locations on
Hwy 144 in Ulster and Invergarry Twps., Sudbury, (CDJ, DAS), and the latest was on July 14: nine were
seen on the Sawbill Lake Trail, Sleeping Giant PP, Thunder Bay (TRa, MRa). The highest daily count was
32

Ontario Lepidoptera 2008_______________________________________________________________________

76, on June 21 on a Forest Access road off Jack Lake Rd., Peterborough (JB, TB, RJY, AA). The last
reports were on July 17, on Boundary Rd. at Con. 10, Larose Forest, Prescott-Russell (PH) and NE of
Keene, on the railtrail between David Fife and Settlers Lines, Peterborough (JB).
BROAD-WINGED SKIPPER

Poanes viator

In 2008 - 49 records. The earliest reports were on July 7: two were noted on on a floodplain sedge marsh on
the E side of Kettles Lake, Awenda PP, Simcoe (JK) and another two were seen on Fire Route 68 near
Twin Lakes, Peterborough (JB). On July 19 JB saw 105 on Sandy Lake Rd., Twin Lakes, Peterborough,
and on July 25 he counted 116 at the same place. But the highest count of all was on July 19 during the
Petroglyphs Butterfly Count, Peterborough, when 348 were recorded (JB et al.). The latest reports were
sight records on August 6, at the Calf Pasture, Presquile P.P., Northumberland (DBr) and on August 15,
NE of Villiers, on the railtrail between the Cameron and Blezard Lines, Peterborough (JB).
DION SKIPPER

Euphyes dion

In 2008 - 15 records. The season started with three seen on July 7 at Eels Creek, Northeys Bay Rd.,
Peterborough (DBr) and one seen at Rogers Pond in the Marlborough Forest, Ottawa (CH). The
Petroglyphs Butterfly Count, Peterborough had the highest daily tally at 17 (JB et al.). The latest records
were one seen on July 31 in a sedge marsh on the NE side of Wye Marsh, Simcoe (JK) and another on
August 4 on Sandy Lake Rd., Twin Lakes, Peterborough (JB).
DUKES SKIPPER

Euphyes dukesii

In 2008 - Just 3 records: on July 12 at East Beach, Point Pelee NP, Essex (BAM), on July 29 two seen at
Reid CA, 8 km N of Wallaceburg, Lambton (BAM), and on August 9 six seen on the Shuster Trail, Point
Pelee NP, Essex (BAM, HC, DPy, RCar).
BLACK DASH

Euphyes conspicua

In 2008 - Only 1 record, of five photographed on July 18 on Blair Rd., Cambridge, Waterloo (RJY).
TWO -SPOTTED SKIPPER

Euphyes bimacula

In 2008 - 14 records. The earliest reports were sight records on June 25: on the E side of the Minesing
Wetlands, W of Fort Willow, Simcoe (CDJ, CE) and on Sandy Lake Rd., Twin Lakes, Peterborough (JB).
On July 1 JB counted 11 on Pencil Lake Rd., Peterborough, the highest one-day count. On July 2 three
were reported on Sunday Creek at Sunday Lake Rd., Algonquin P.P., Nipissing during the Algonquin
Butterfly Count (CDJ, KBa, CEa, NEa). The latest report was of one seen on July 29 on Pencil Lake Rd.,
Peterborough (JB).
DUN SKIPPER

Euphyes vestris

In 2008 - 167 records. Strangely, the earliest record was from the north, one of only three northern reports:
one was seen on June 21 at Alice Ave., Thunder Bay, Thunder Bay (NGE). Elsewhere, it was first reported
on June 29 at Heber Down CA, Durham, when three were seen (RJY), and at the Dumfries CA, Waterloo
where one was reported (BVR). There was no suggestion of a second generation; records were continuous
33

Ontario Lepidoptera 2008_______________________________________________________________________

throughout July and August. Once again the highest count was on July 19 during the Petroglyphs Butterfly
Count, Peterborough: JB et al. counted 2741! The latest reports were on August 27 on Co. Rd. 46, N of
Twin Lakes, Peterborough (JB) and on August 30, a sight record on Con. 11 at the Burnt Lands, 2 km N
Almonte, Lanark (KA, DA, RA).
PEPPER AND SALT SKIPPER

Amblyscirtes hegon

In 2008 - 3 records: two seen during the Algonquin East Count on June 7 on the hydrocut between Barron
Canyon Rd. and the Petawawa River, Algonquin P.P., Nipissing (CDJ, EH); four along a Forest Access Rd.
off Jack Lake Rd, Peterborough on June 12 (JB); and one at the same location on June 21 (AA).
COMMON ROADSIDE SKIPPER

Amblyscirtes vialis

In 2008 - 32 records. The first reports were on May 23, one seen on Sandy Lake Rd., Twin Lakes,
Peterborough (JB) and on May 24: one seen on Con. 11 at the Burnt Lands, 2 km N of Almonte, Lanark
(KA, DA); one seen at Ritchie Falls, Lochlin, Haliburton (EP); and four seen on Sandy Lake Rd., Twin
Lakes, Peterborough (RJY). The earliest Algonquin record was on June 7, ten counted on the hydrocut
between Barron Canyon Rd. and the Petawawa River, Algonquin PP, Nipissing (CDJ, EH). There were five
reports from the north, the earliest on June 18, five seen 6 km N of Shabaqua, Thunder Bay (NGE). In the
south the latest date was July 10 with sight records on a dirt track between Hwy 6 and Krug Fen, Bruce
(CDJ, CE, RLB, TV, DAS) and at Petroglyphs P.P., Peterborough (JB). In the north, the last record of the
year was on July 14 on the Sawbill Lake Lake Trail, Sleeping Giant PP, Thunder Bay (TRa, MRa).
OCOLA SKIPPER

Panoquina ocola

In 2008 - 1 record, the first since 1999. On October 11, a worn individual was observed on the West Beach
Trail, Point Pelee NP, Essex (BAM, KAM).

Family: PAPILIONIDAE
PIPEVINE SWALLOWTAIL

Battus philenor

In 2008 - 8 records. The earliest report was of a ragged male seen on June 14 on the DeLaurier Trail, Point
Pelee N.P., Essex (AW). On July 8, two were seen in Point Pelee N.P., S of the entrance (HTO). On July 8,
9 and 11 a female was photographed flying around Dutchmans Pipe (Aristolochia durior) in downtown
Toronto, Metro Toronto (KRY). The one on the 11th was a different individual, and it laid 10 eggs on the
petiole of a young leaf. These eggs were photographed, but were later destroyed by an insect or a spider,
just before hatching (RJY, KRY) see photos on page 31. On July 9 one was seen at Point Pelee N.P.,
Essex flying S along the surfline, under a strong W wind (AW). A probable second-generation individual
was seen on July 30, on the main park road, S of the entrance in Point Pelee N.P. (AW), and another was
seen on August 9 at the old dump site in Leamington, Essex (RMac, SMac).
ZEBRA SWALLOWTAIL

Eurytides marcellus

In 2008 - 1 record, the first since 2003, a fresh individual was seen on July 1 at the Visitor Centre in Point
Pelee N.P., Essex (DAM, LiW).
34

Ontario Lepidoptera 2008_______________________________________________________________________

BLACK SWALLOWTAIL

Papilio polyxene

In 2008 - 99 records. The first reports were on May 5 on Blue Mountain Rd., S of Charleston Lake P.P.,
Leeds-Grenville (MVB), and on May 9 at the Scheck Site, 1.5 km N of Newburgh, Lennox & Addington
(KH) and on Fallowfield Rd., 2 km SW of Fallowfield, Ottawa (KA), all single sightings. On May 30 LJ
saw a pair exhibiting courtship display on Moodie Dr., 5 km S of Bells Corners, Ottawa. There were many
reports throughout May and most of June, but none between June 26, a sight record at the Wesleyville
Generating Station Property, Durham (CDJ, KBa) and July 6, when the earliest second-generation
individual was seen on Spruce Ridge Rd., 5.7 km S of Carp, Ottawa (KA, DA). On July 21 DBr saw a fresh
individual sitting, and presumably feeding, on a dead gull, at Point Petre, Prince Edward. Records were
continuous from early July until September 2, when one was seen at the Bellamy Ravine, Scarborough,
Metro Toronto (BH). There were three probable third-generation record: September 10 in the Day Use area
in Presquile P.P., Northumberland (DBr); two on October 13, near Wheatley, Chatham-Kent (BAM); and
a fairly fresh male at the E end of Browns Rd., Pelee Island, Essex (AW).
GIANT SWALLOWTAIL

Papilio cresphontes

In 2008 - 161 records, almost certainly the most records ever in a single year. The first report was of two
seen at Deweys, 3 km NE of Elmbrook, Prince Edward on May 31, with nine more seen there on June 7
(JD). Between these dates, on June 5, a newly emerged individual was photographed resting in tall grasses
on a cold, damp cloudy morning at the Currie Tract, Halton Co. Forest, Halton (RJY), and one was seen on
June 6 and 7 at Middleton Rd., Flamborough, Hamilton-Wentworth (BVR). There were many reports
throughout June and to July 5, including an individual photographed (see photo on page 31) on a hanging
basket of Verbena in Sault Ste. Marie, Algoma on June 22 (JCo), the FIRST RECORD FOR ALGOMA
DISTRICT and the most northerly record of this species in Ontario! Several worn individuals seen at Rock
Chapel Sanctuary, Hamilton-Wentworth on July 27 (XW) were probably the very latest first-generation
individuals. So there was some overlap between generations; fresh ones seen at Rock Chapel on July 25
and August 2 (XW) must have been of the second generation. Records of adults were continuous throught
August and September, with the last ones being one seen on September 25 at Deweys, 3 km NE of
Elmbrook, Prince Edward (JD) and one photographed on September 28, 3 km E of Perth, Lanark (DaO),
the FIRST LANARK COUNTY RECORD. Finally, 3 larvae were found on October 6 on Prickly Ash at
Prince Edward Point, Prince Edward (CL, BBr).
EASTERN TIGER SWALLOWTAIL

Papilio glaucus

In 2008 - 96 records. There were three records in May, one photographed on May 17 at Kopegaron Woods,
2.5 km SW of Wheatley, Essex (RJY), one seen on May 28 at Rouge Park, Scarborough, Metro Toronto
(LS) and two caught and released on May 30 at the HP property at Elbow Lake, Frontenac (DBr). Reports
were mostly of small numbers, but IS reported many on July 15 in open areas at Presquile P.P.,
Northumberland. There was no gap in the records between the generations, but a fresh individual seen on
July 21 on a dead Cormorant at Point Petre, Prince Edward (DBr) must have been among the earliest
second generation individuals; it is unfortunate that so few people mention the condition (i.e. fresh or worn)
of individuals with multiple generations, such as this species, as it would provide valuable information
about flight times! There were many reports of second generation individuals by JB from Peterborough,
and two from Charleston Lake P.P., Leeds-Grenville: one seen on August 1 atop Blue Mountain (CPR) and
one seen on August 5 at the entrance to the Quiddity Trail (JFe). These are at about the limit of the normal
range, and there was one record from well beyond it, one seen nectaring on a hosta on August 1 at Bennies
35

Ontario Lepidoptera 2008_______________________________________________________________________

Corners, 5 km NW of Almonte, Lanark (KA). A tattered individual seen on August 23 at High Park, Metro
Toronto (RJY) was likely the last second-generation individual. A sighting on September 2 at Sylvan Park,
Scarborough, Metro Toronto (BH) and a fresh individual seen on September 8 on Main St., Bloomfield,
Prince Edward (HHe) must have been of a third generation.
CANADIAN TIGER SWALLOWTAIL

Papilio canadensis

In 2008 - 236 records. The earliest reports were of sightings on May 13 at Opinicon Rd., Frontenac (MCS),
on May 15 at Con. 7 and Boundary Rd., Larose Forest, Prescott-Russell (CH) and on May 18 at Constance
Bay Sandhills, Ottawa (CH). In Algonquin P.P., Nipissing the first sightings were on May 28, one at the
Lake of Two Rivers Parking Lot (CB) and two on Opeongo Rd. (JP, RDS, MPa), and in the north the first
was on June 1 at Espanola, Sudbury (CBe). On June 23 SB counted about 100 in a sandy Jackpine forest at
MacKenzie Station, Thunder Bay, the highest one-day total. The Algonquin flight season finished on July
11 when one was seen at the Trailer Sanitation Station, Nipissing (EH). In the north, the latest date was July
14, when one was photographed at Sherriff Creek Wildlife Sanctuary, Elliot Lake, Algoma (BHe), one was
seen on the Sawbill Lake Trail, Sleeping Giant P.P., Thunder Bay (TRa, MRa), and another was seen on
Alice Ave., Thunder Bay, Thunder Bay (NGE).
SPICEBUSH SWALLOWTAIL

Papilio troilus

In 2008 - 22 records, a very good year for this species. Unusually, there were five first-generation reports:
one fresh male photographed on May 17 at Kopegaron Woods, 2.5 km SW of Wheatley, Essex (RJY); one
seen on June 8, ovipositing on Sassafras at Churchill Park, Hamilton, Hamilton-Wentworth (XW); 29 seen
on June 14 in Point Pelee N.P., Essex (RJY); and sightings on June 16 and 21 at Rock Chapel Sanctuary,
Hamilton-Wentworth (XW). The earliest second-generation individuals were several fresh ones on July 25
and August 2 at Rock Chapel Sanctuary, Hamilton-Wentworth (XW), one female seen on August 3 on
Pelee Island, Essex (RJY) and 12 seen on August 4 at Point Pelee N.P., Essex (RJY). There were nine
reports from High Park, Metro Toronto, from August 11 to September 23, the latest report of all (RJY).

Family: PIERIDAE
MUSTARD WHITE

Pieris oleracea

In 2008 - 124 records. The first reports were on April 27, one seen flying around small violets at noon on
the NE side of Port Elgin, Bruce (TRa), and one on May 1 on Fallowfield Rd., Ottawa (KA). At first glance
it appears that there is no gap in the records between the first and second generation. But concentrating on
the two areas with the most records produces a very different picture. In Peterborough, only three of 46
reports were between June 18 and July 8, while in the Ottawa area only one of 42 fell between July 12 and
August 12. This suggests that the second generation may have started almost a month earlier in
Peterborough than in Ottawa. On July 5 RJY saw and photographed at least 100 very fresh individuals at
Wylie Rd. and Alvar Rd. on the Carden Plain, Kawartha Lakes; there the start of the second generation is
about the same as in Peterborough. There were nine reports from the north, the first on June 7 ovipositing
on mustard on Alice Ave., Thunder Bay, Thunder Bay (NGE) and the last two seen on August 9 at the
Smurfit-Stone Mill, Thunder Bay (NGE, BJM, JW). In the south, the latest records were at the Burnt Lands,
Con. 11, 2 km N of Almonte, Lanark, on August 30 (KA, DA, RA) and on September 1 (RAL), and on
September 19 on the railtrail between the Blezard and Cameron Lines, NE of Villiers, Peterborough (JB).
36

Ontario Lepidoptera 2008_______________________________________________________________________

WEST VIRGINIA WHITE

Pieris virginiensis

In 2008 - 7 records. The first report was a sighting on May 3 on Co. Rd. 19 in the Helen Quilliam
Sanctuary, Frontenac (BER). On May 5 three were reported on Blue Mountain Rd., just S of Charleston
Lake, Leeds-Grenville (MVB) and on May 12 two were seen on Beechwoods Trail, Charleston Lake P.P.,
Leeds-Grenville (CPR). There were three reports on May 19, two observed on the Galway-Cavendish
Forest Access Rd., Peterborough (JB), one collected on Bass Lake Rd., 4.7 km NNW of Nogies Creek,
Peterborough (CDJ, DAS) and one collected along Bass Line just E of Silver Creek, Peterborough (CDJ,
DAS). The final report was of two observed on June 5 on Charlie Allen Rd., W of Rockcroft, Peterborough
(JB).
CABBAGE WHITE

Pieris rapae

In 2008 - 450 records. The first records were on April 16 at Toronto area, Metro Toronto (LS), on April
17 at Toronto Islands, Metro Toronto (AA) and on April 19 at Main St., Bloomfield, Prince Edward (DBr,
YB). They were often abundant, and on July 21 DBr saw at least 1000 on Co. Rds. 1 and 2 at Bowermans,
Prince Edward. RAL found larvae on Carp Rd., 5 km SE of Fitzroy Harbour, Ottawa, on July 19 on
Brusssels Sprouts (and killed them) and on August 31 on Wormseed Mustard (Erysimum cheiranthoides).
These pupated between September 2 and 12, two emerged on September 12 and 16, the others overwintered
but died of a viral disease. The last reports were on November 4 at Monaghan Rd. and Romaine St.,
Peterborough, Peterborough (JB) and November 5 on the Leslie St. Spit, Metro Toronto (BH).
LARGE MARBLE

Euchloe ausonides

In 2008 - 3 records. The earliest was on June 18, when at least two were seen 6 km N of Shabaqua,
Thunder Bay (NGE). SB had two reports, both catch and release: one on June 26 at a grassy forest edge at
Pictured Lake, Thunder Bay, and a male on July 5 in an industrial meadow in the Current River waterfront
area, City of Thunder Bay, Thunder Bay.
OLYMPIA MARBLE

Euchloe olympia

In 2008 - 15 records. First reported on May 3 from Co. Rd. 19 in the Helen Quilliam Sanctuary, Frontenac
(BER), and on May 5, when one was observed on Blue Mountain, Charleston Lake P.P., Leeds-Grenville
(MVB) and another was found on Monck Rd., 2.4 km SW of Uphill, Kawartha Lakes (CDJ, PSB, IR). It
was recorded three times near Bishop Davis Dr., Constance Bay, Ottawa: three on May 17 (DLe), one on
May 23 (PH) and three photographed on May 25 (PH). JB reported it on May 23 in four locations in
Peterborough, including Sandy Lake Rd., Twin Lakes, where he counted 11, the most in any report. The
latest reports were on May 29, at Ties Mountain Rd., NE of Nogies Creek, Peterborough (JB) and at
Birch Point, Sturgeon Lake, Kawartha Lakes (CDJ, DAS), and on June 2 Carden Plain, Kawartha Lakes
(LS).
CLOUDED SULPHUR

Colias philodice

In 2008 - 345 records. Starting a little later this year, the earliest reports were on May 4 at Eastpoint Park,
Scarborough, Metro Toronto (BH) and on May 5 at Cambridge, Waterloo (JGP). There were only two
reports from the north, single males caught and released, on July 5 at the Current River area waterfront, in
the City of Thunder Bay, Thunder Bay and on July 10 on Finnmark Rd., NW of the city, Thunder Bay (SB).
37

Ontario Lepidoptera 2008_______________________________________________________________________

There were 13 November reports, the last two on November 14, at Calf Pasture, Presquile P.P.,
Northumberland (DoSh), and at Eastpoint Park, Scarborough, Metro Toronto (BH).
ORANGE SULPHUR

Colias eurytheme

In 2008 - 152 records. As with Clouded Sulphur, this species was first recorded later than usual this year.
The earliest records were on June 7 at Bronte Creek P.P., Halton (RJY), and at Eastpoint Park,
Scarborough, Metro Toronto (BH). There were three reports from Algonquin P.P., the earliest on June 24, a
single sight record at Rock Lake Rd. and Hwy 60, Nipissing (LFo) and just two from the north, one seen on
June 18, 6 km N of Shabaqua, Thunder Bay (NGE) and two caught and released on August 28 on the east
shore of the Nipigon River, opposite Nipigon Marina, Thunder Bay (SB). In late summer there were several
reports of high numbers, with many reported on September 14 at Main St., Bloomfield, Prince Edward
(HHe), and thousands on September 19, in an alfalfa field at Sturgeon Creek and Bevel Line Rd., 3 km
SE Leamington, Essex (RJY). RJY reported that the species was present everywhere in the Pelee area in the
biggest numbers he had ever seen. Later, at the Leslie Street Spit, Metro Toronto, RJY reported 309 on
October 19 and 123 on November 4. There were 8 other November reports, the latest being: one at the Back
Pit Panne, Sandbanks P.P., Prince Edward (YB) on November 7 and two at Eastpoint Park, Scarborough,
Metro Toronto (BH), on November 16 and 29 this last record the latest report of any species one seen
sheltering in the grass on a cold windy day, temperature 4 C.
PINK-EDGED SULPHUR

Colias interior

In 2008 - 13 records, starting with at least 10 caught and released on June 21 on the Milburn Rd., 4 km W
of Irondale, Haliburton (EP), and six counted on June 25 at Sandy Lake Rd., Twin Lakes, Peterborough
(JB). On July 2 one was seen on the Visitor Centre driveway, Algonquin P.P., Nipissing (CDJ, KBa, CEa,
NEa), the earliest Algonquin record. Five individuals seen on July 19 during the Petroglyphs Butterfly
Count, Peterborough (JB) constitute the last normal date. But there were two unusually late reports, one
seen on August 21 at Mew Lake, Algonquin P.P., Nipissing (BER) and three, whose identity was verified
by capture and release, on August 22 on the Milburn Rd., 4 km W of Irondale, Haliburton (EP).
SOUTHERN DOGFACE

Zerene cesonia

In 2008 - 3 records, the first in Ontario since a Toronto report by Sidney M. Daniels on July 5, 1972. All
were at Point Pelee N.P., Essex. On July 16 one was seen S of the Park entrance by HTO at 12.30 pm, and
at 2.50 pm by AW, nectaring on Indian-hemp (Apocynum cannabinum). On August 31 at 10 am AW
photographed another, at West Beach; it was very fresh and was landing in thickets off the trail (see photo
on page 31). The final record was on September 12, also at West Beach, 2 very fresh individuals seen by
JMT.
CLOUDLESS SULPHUR

Phoebis sennae

In 2008 - An incredible 19 records, all but two in Point Pelee N.P., Essex, and all but one just single
individuals. The earliest was on May 31 at the Tip (HTO) and the latest was on September 28 on the Tip
Road (HTO). On June 14, two were seen flying north at eye level, along the main path at West Beach, one
at 12.52 pm, the other at 2.27 pm (RJY). The two reports from outside the Park were at Wallaceburg,
Chatham-Kent on July 9 (BAM), and a fresh individual seen on Calla, on Con. Rd. D, Essex, just 700
meters N of Point Pelee N.P., on September 17 (HTO).
38

Ontario Lepidoptera 2008_______________________________________________________________________

LITTLE SULPHUR

Pyrisitia lisa

In 2008 - Just 2 reports, both from Point Pelee N.P., Essex: two seen on September 18, S of DeLaurier
House and two on September 28 at the Tip (HTO).

Family: LYCAENIDAE
HARVESTER

Feniseca tarquinius

In 2008 - 12 records, the first on May 25 at Rouge Park, Scarborough, Metro Toronto (LS) and the second
on May 30 when five were photographed and more were seen on at the Howie Rd. extension, E of Manion
Corners, Ottawa (PH). On June 18 two were seen 6 km N of Shabaqua, Thunder Bay (NGE). The last
report of the first generation was on June 18, two caught and released at the 1st boardwalk on the Quiddity
Trail, Charleston Lake P.P., Leeds-Grenville (TAG, ADW). The second generation began and finished at
Con. 10, Larose Forest, Prescott-Russell, on July 17 (PH) and August 27 (CH). In between there were two
northern records: two caught and released on July 27 at the Pennock Creek Hiking Trail, Thunder Bay (SB),
in an area where there are very few alders; and one reported on August 17 from Ouimet, Thunder Bay
(NGE).
AMERICAN COPPER

Lycaena phlaeas

In 2008 - 48 records. The first report, from northern Ontario, was very early, a few seen on April 20 at
Esten Dr. N, Elliot Lake, Algoma (JGM). Elsewhere, the first dates were more normal: a few on May 13 at
the Manestra Tract, St. Williams Forest, Norfolk (CDJ), three seen on May 24 at the Macoun Study Area, 2
km S of Bells Corners, Ottawa (DLe) and one seen on May 30 at the HP property at Elbow Lake,
Frontenac (DBr). The highest count was 20 on June 11, at the end of Ridge Rd., in the Mer Bleue, Ottawa
(PH). The latest records were on September 7 at the end of Ridge Rd. (PH), on September 10 at Battersea,
Frontenac (BER), and on October 11 at the Ferguson Forest, NW of Kemptville, Leeds-Grenville (CH).
Muliple generations, for sure, but without gaps in the dates it is impossible to tell how many.
BRONZE COPPER

Lycaena hyllus

In 2008 - 35 records. The flight season started a little later than usual with reports on June 20 on Hubble
Rd., 12 km N of Havelock, Peterborough (JB, TB), on June 26 on the railtrail between David Fife and
Settlers Lines, NE of Keene, Peterborough (JB), and on June 27 on Long Lake Rd., Peterborough (JB, TB)
and in the Long Swamp at the S end of Beavertail Rd., E of Manion Corners, Ottawa (PH). There is a gap
in the dates between July 26 one photographed at Amherstburg Sewage Lagoons, Lennox & Addington
(BER) and August 9 a sighting at West Beach, Point Pelee N.P., Essex (BAM, PCar, AHR), the first of
the second generation. The latest reports were on September 26 and October 3 on Cassels St. at Mud Lake,
Britannia, Ottawa (DLe) two individuals each time.
BOG COPPER

Lycaena epixanthe

In 2008 - 19 records, the first on June 24 when several were collected at Beaverdale Bog, Grey (CDJ, CE,
RLB). The earliest Algonquin report was on July 2 at Bab Lake Bog, where 26 were counted during the
Algonquin Butterfly Count (CDJ, KBa, CEa, NEa). There were three late reports on July 25: Second Depot
39

Ontario Lepidoptera 2008_______________________________________________________________________

Lake, Frontenac (BER); three observed at a roadside bog NW of Haliburton, Haliburton (EP); and, three
seen on Sandy Lake Rd., Twin Lakes, Peterborough (JB). The latest was on August 4, one seen on the
Milburn Rd., 2.5 km W of Irondale, Haliburton (EP).
DORCAS COPPER

Lycaena dorcas

In 2008 - 1 record, six seen on July 21 at the Bruce Power Station, near Tiverton, Bruce (TRa).
ACADIAN HAIRSTREAK

Satyrium acadica

In 2008 - 29 records. The first reports were on July 7, one seen on Fire Route 68, near Twin Lakes,
Peterborough and two seen on Sandy Lake Rd., Peterborough (JB), and on July 8, two seen at Con. 10 and
Boundary Rd., Larose Forest, Prescott-Russell (PH). On July 10, RJY saw one on the east side of High
Park, Metro Toronto, his first in the Park in 14 years of observing there. On July 18 JB counted 55 on Co.
Rd. 46, N of Twin Lakes, Peterborough, and on July 19 during the Petroglyphs Butterfly Count,
Peterborough, a total of 66 were tallied (JB et al.) The latest reports were of two seen on August 5 on Jack
Lake Rd., Peterborough (JB), and one partly worn individual observed on August 17 at Bellamy Ravine,
Scarborough, Metro Toronto (BH).
CORAL HAIRSTREAK

Satyrium titus

In 2008 - 32 records. The first two records were from Eglinton Flats, Metro Toronto one photographed on
June 20 and six seen on June 27 (RJY). In the south, the last two records were on August 7, one seen at the
Sandbanks Beach Panne at Sandbanks P.P., Prince Edward (JD) and one seen on August 14 on Co. Rd. 46,
N of Twin Lakes, Peterborough (JB). There was one later report from the north, a fresh individual seen on
August 18 at Peoples Rd. and 4th Line, Sault Ste Marie, Algoma (RJY).
EDWARDS HAIRSTREAK

Satyrium edwardsii

In 2008 - 4 records. 14 fresh individuals were photographed on June 28 at Reid C.A., N of Wallaceburg,
Lambton (RJY, AA) and AW photographed another there on July 1 (see photo on page 31). Another fresh
one was photographed on July 9 at Lambton Prairie, Metro Toronto (RJY). On July 19, five were recorded
during the Petroglyphs Butterfly Count (RP et al.) and on July 25 one was seen on Sandy Lake Rd., Twin
Lakes, Peterborough (JB).
BANDED HAIRSTREAK

Satyrium calanus

In 2008 - 28 records. The first two reports were from Lambton Prairie, Metro Toronto on June 23 when
one was photographed, and on June 27 when four were observed (RJY). On June 28, about 100 fresh
individuals were seen at Reid C.A., N of Wallaceburg, Lambton (RJY, AA), by far the greatest daily count.
The season continued into early August, with one seen on August 3 at the Fletcher Wildlife Garden, Ottawa
(DLe), another seen on August 4 on Co. Rd. 46, N of Twin Lakes, Peterborough (JB), and the last one seen
on August 6 on Bayshore Rd., Presquile P.P., Northumberland (BG), only the second record for the Park
(DBr, pers. comm.).

40

Ontario Lepidoptera 2008_______________________________________________________________________

HICKORY HAIRSTREAK

Satyrium caryaevorum

In 2008 - 8 records. The first report was on June 28 at Reid C.A., Lambton, when three fresh individuals
were seen (RJY, AA). On July 4 one was photographed at the Howie Rd. extension, E of Manion Corners,
Ottawa (PH). On July 5 it was reported on Co. Rd. 19 in the Helen Quilliam Sanctuary, Frontenac (BER).
One was photographed on July 6 at Deroche Lake, Hastings (DBr), and on July 18 one was photographed
on the Pangman Trail, Opinicon Rd., Frontenac (BER). On July 19, one was seen nectaring on Queen
Annes Lace at Robertson Rd., 2 km W of Bells Corners, Ottawa (DA) and on July 22 three somewhat
worn individuals were photographed at Mount Nemo Escarpment Woods, Halton (BVR). The final report
was a worn female photographed on July 25 at High Park, Metro Toronto (RJY). The photos by PH, DBr,
BER, and RJY, and one of the three by BVR have been positively identified as the Hickory Hairstreak.
STRIPED HAIRSTREAK

Satyrium liparops

In 2008 - 14 records. The first reports were on July 5, one seen at High Park, Metro Toronto (AA), and on
July 7, two seen at the Fletcher Wildlife Garden, Ottawa (CH). On July 22 BVR saw about ten, the most in
a day, and photographed some, at Mount Nemo Escarpment Woods, Halton. The latest reports were two
seen on July 25 at Sandy Lake Rd., Twin Lakes, Peterborough, (JB) and on August 21 another at Mount
Nemo Escarpment Woods, Halton (BVR).
SOUTHERN HAIRSTREAK

Fixsenia favonius ontario

In 2008 - 14 records. A colony of this southern species was discovered at Reid C.A., N of Wallaceburg,
Lambton by Blake A. Mann (BAM). This is the first breeding colony ever found in Canada and only the
third time that the species has been reported here. The other records were of single individuals, presumably
vagrants from the US, most recently a worn male at the Tip in Point Pelee N.P., Essex on June 14, 1999.
The only other report was a specimen collected at Port Stanley, Elgin in 1868! This became the Type
specimen of a newly described species, Strymon ontario, and is now preserved at the Canadian National
Collection in Ottawa. Much later, however, it was determined to be a northern subspecies of the southern
species, Strymon favonius, which soon changed to the current name Fixsenia favonius.
The colony at Reid C.A. was discovered on June 22 and visited by BAM 11 times between then and July
12; numbers varied from one to ten, on June 26 and July 1, respectively. On June 28, RJY and AA visited
and photographed four fresh and three worn individuals and on July 1 AW also photographed individuals
(see photos on front cover and on page 46). On June 29, at the Moore WMA, on Bickford Line, Lambton,
BAM saw a worn male, and on July 5 a fresh female. This is about 13 km NE of Reid C.A., so must
represent a second colony.
JUNIPER HAIRSTREAK

Callophrys gryneus

In 2008 - 13 records. The earliest report was of three observed on May 15 in alvar habitat at the Scheck
Site, 1.5 km N of Newburgh, Lennox & Addington (KH), and the second was on May 24, four
photographed at Deroche Lake, Hastings (DBr). On June 7, a total of sixteen were counted in a woodlot at
Forest Mills, Lennox & Addington (BER). The last first-generation record was of four worn individuals on
June 23, nectaring at MacAuley Mountain CA, Prince Edward (DBr). There were two second-generation
records, a sighting on July 14 at Elbow Lake, Frontenac (KFN) and a fresh individual seen on August 9 at
West Beach Trail, Point Pelee NP, Essex (BAM).
41

Ontario Lepidoptera 2008_______________________________________________________________________

BROWN ELFIN

Callophrys augustinus

In 2008 - 18 records. The earliest reports in southern Ontario were on April 24, when eight were seen on
Sandy Lake Rd., Twin Lakes, Peterborough (JB, TB) and on May 9 when one was seen at the Visitor
Centre, Algonquin PP, Nipissing (EH). There were only two reports from the north, both very early: MRa
reported 14 on April 28 and five on May 9 in a five-year-old clearcut in a sandy pine forest at Espanola,
Sudbury. The latest reports were on June 8, when two were seen on a dirt track NW of Haliburton,
Haliburton (EP) and on June 9, when two were observed at the old airfield in Algonquin PP, Nipissing
(LFo).
HOARY ELFIN

Callophrys polios

In 2008 - 19 records. There were three April records: on the 27th, at the Burnt Lands PNR, Ottawa, about
150 were seen in a burnt alvar woodland, at the site of a very intense fire in 1999 (BK, PMC); also on the
27th, at least ten were reported in a clearing in pine woods at Constance Bay, Ottawa (JSk). On the 28th
three were seen at Espanola, Sudbury (MRa), and on May 30 five were seen on the Corkery Rd. extension
into the Long Swamp, SE of Manion Corners, Ottawa (PH). The latest report was of one caught and
released on June 7 on a fire road off the Lake Traverse Rd. at km 69.3, Algonquin PP, Nipissing (RAL,
DLG, CB).
HENRYS ELFIN

Callophrys henrici

In 2008 - 32 records. On April 24, on Sandy Lake Rd., Twin Lakes, Peterborough, thirty were seen, not
only the earliest record but also the highest count (JB, TB). There were four other April records: on the 26th
one was seen on Con. 10 in the Larose Forest, Prescott-Russell (DLe); and on the 27th one was seen at the
Burnt Lands PNR, Ottawa, in a burnt alvar woodland (BK, PMC), one was seen at a clearing in pine woods
at Constance Bay, Ottawa (JSk), and 12 were seen W of Con. 10 in the Larose Forest, Prescott-Russell
(CH). On May 11, on the Carp Ridge, 6 km SW of Dunrobin, Ottawa, CL and BBr saw two and caught and
released one. Also on May 11, at Lochlin Bog, Haliburton, three freshly-emerged individuals were caught
and released (EP, Tla); this shows very clearly how much emergence can be delayed in a bog. The latest
reports were on June 13, one seen on a trail off Roger Stevens Dr., in the Marlborough Forest, Ottawa
(DLe), and another seen on June 21 on a fire road off the Lake Traverse Rd. at km 67.4, Algonquin PP,
Nipissing (DBo).
EASTERN PINE ELFIN

Callophrys niphon

In 2008 - 29 records. There were four April records, all on April 27: one was seen at the Burnt Lands PNR,
Ottawa, in a burnt alvar woodland (BK, PMC); two were seen (J Sk) and one was caught and released
(RAL) in the Constance Bay Sandhills, Ottawa; and others were photographed at Burns Lane, S of
Charleston Lake, Leeds-Grenville (KH). Surprisingly, the only Algonquin record was one seen on May 28
at the Lake of Two Rivers Trail parking lot, Algonquin PP, Nipissing (CB). The latest reports were on June
12, one photographed on Con. 10 in the Larose Forest, Prescott-Russell (PH), and three seen on a Forest
Access Rd. off Jack Lake Rd., Peterborough (JB), and on June 23, one caught and released at MacKenzie
Station, Thunder Bay (SB), the only northern record.

42

Ontario Lepidoptera 2008_______________________________________________________________________

WESTERN PINE ELFIN

Callophrys eryphon

In 2008 - 3 records. On April 24, one was photographed at the beginning of the Mizzy Lake Trail,
Algonquin PP, Nipissing (AY) see photo on page 46. This is a record early date for Algonquin, by one
day. Another was one seen on May 25 at the Old Airfield, Algonquin PP, Nipissing (EH), and NGE
counted at least six on June 18, 6 km N of Shabaqua, Thunder Bay.
WHITE M HAIRSTREAK

Parrhasius m-album

In 2008 - 8 records, mostly from Pelee Island, Essex; the most ever reported. This has always been
considered a very rare migrant, with usually worn wind-blown individuals found in extreme SW Ontario.
On Pelee Island, Essex, one was seen on August 2, N of Fish Point (RJY, KRY), and another was
photographed on West Shore Rd. (RJY) see photo on page 47. On August 3, another was seen N of Fish
Point (CE et al.) and two were seen at different spots on Garno Rd. (RJY, KRY) see photo on page 46.
On August 12 one was seen on the N side of Browns Rd. (BAM). All of these were very fresh, and quite
likely had recently emerged; on Garno Rd. the habitat was exactly right, with the foodplant, Chinquapin
Oak, present. There were two reports from elsewhere; one very fresh individual seen on August 2 at the
North Dike, Point Pelee NP, Essex (AW, WGL, KAM) photo on page 46, and the latest report, probably
of the next generation, one very fresh individual seen on September 28 at Sturgeon Creek, Essex (STP).
GREY HAIRSTREAK

Strymon melinus

In 2008 - 19 records. The earliest reports were of a very fresh individual photographed on May 24 on Sandy
Lake Rd., Twin Lakes, Peterborough (RJY), and another photographed on May 30 at Second Depot Lake,
Frontenac (BER, KH). During the Algonquin East Butterfly Count on June 7, one was reported on the
hydrocut between Barron Canyon Rd. and the Petawawa River, Nipissing (CDJ, EH), and two were caught
and released, one by CB, the other by DLG, on a fire road at km 69.3 on the Lake Traverse Rd., Nipissing.
All these were part of the resident population, but most of the remaining records almost certainly were not.
Two photographed at Point Pelee NP, Essex on June 14 (RJY) were recent migrants. There were no more
records until one fresh individual was seen on August 3 at High Park, Metro Toronto (BH), and another
was seen on August 6 at the Southwold Earthworks at Iona, Elgin (BAM). There were nine additional
reports from Essex, ranging in dates from August 9 on the West Beach Trail, Point Pelee NP (BAM, PCar)
to the latest of all, October 12, one photographed in an alfalfa field opposite Park HQ, Point Pelee NP,
Essex (AA). There was also one sighting on September 21 of three on the South Point Trail, Rondeau PP,
Chatham-Kent (BAM). This distribution reinforces the view that these were migrants and/or their
descendants. The only exception among late records was one seen on September 23 at the Visitor Centre
parking lot, Algonquin PP, Nipissing (JP); it likely represented a second, or possibly even a third generation
of the resident population.
MARINE BLUE

Leptotes marina

In 2008 - 5 records. On July 12, one was seen at Marie Curtis Park, Metro Toronto (CK, SLa) the third
Canadian record and the first outside of Point Pelee NP. The next day, July 13, RJY photographed two
females nectaring on Birds-Foot Trefoil (Lotus corniculatus) just across the river in Mississauga, at the old
munitions factory, W of Marie Curtis Park, Peel (see photo of individual and habitat on page 47). On July
14, the Marie Curtis Park site was visited by BH, LS, JF and JS and they were fortunate enough to find
another individual. On July 22 RJY saw a male and a female, both nectaring briefly on Blue Vervain
43

Ontario Lepidoptera 2008_______________________________________________________________________

(Verbena hastata) in a small wet meadow at the NE corner of Grenadier Pond, High Park (Metro Toronto).
Finally, on August 9, a fresh individual was observed at Seacliffe, Essex (JB, RMac).
See the full article on the Toronto colony on page 20.
EASTERN TAILED BLUE

Cupido comyntas

In 2008 - 114 records. The three earliest records were in Metro Toronto on May 10, singles at Eglinton
Flats (RJY), Toronto Islands (AA) and Scarborough, (BH). Elsewhere the earliest was a single seen on May
12 at Hazeldean Woods Park, Kanata, Ottawa (RA). There were regular reports through May and up to
June 5, when at least ten were reported from Moodie Dr. near Fallowfield Rd., 5 km S of Bells Corners,
Ottawa (LJ). In Ottawa, where there are a very large number of records, there was a gap of more than a
month, apart from one record on June 14 one on Corkstown Rd. W of Moodie Dr. (KA, RA). In the south
there was one additional record, outside of Ottawa during that one-month gap, a sight record on June 8 at
Burns Lane, S of Charleston Lake, Leeds-Grenville (KH). There was one northern record, one seen on June
25 at the Sedgman Lake PNR, Thunder Bay (NGE). The records started up again on July 4 when one was
seen NE of Keene, on the railtrail between David Fife and Base Lines, Peterborough (JB) and on July 7
when one seen at the Fletcher Wildlife Garden, Ottawa (CH) and at least 12, males and females including
one mating pair, were present on Moodie Dr. near Fallowfield Rd., Ottawa (LJ). Records continued,
without gaps, until late September, so the number of generations is unclear. Most of the records were of
small numbers, but RJY reported 42 on August 14 in Mississauga at the old munitions factory, W of Marie
Curtis Park, Peel, and 48 on September 19 at Point Pelee NP, Essex. The latest reports were: one seen at the
Fletcher Wildlife Garden, Ottawa on September 24 (CH); a male and a female caught and released on
Moodie Dr. near Fallowfield Rd., Ottawa, also on September 24 (LJ); and the last, a sighting on September
28 at Scarborough, Metro Toronto (BH).
WESTERN TAILED BLUE

Cupido amyntula

In 2008 - 5 records. On June 21 one was seen on Alice Ave., Thunder Bay, Thunder Bay (NGE). The other
four records were all catch-and-releases by SB, also in Thunder Bay: on June 18 three on the rail lines at the
Current River mouth in the City of Thunder Bay; on June 22 one at Shale Lake, 18 km NW of Dorion; on
June 23, four at MacKenzie Station, E of the city; and, on July 5 two at the Current River area waterfront,
in the City of Thunder Bay.
SPRING AZURE

Celastrina ladon

In 2008 - 182 records. First reported on April 20, a single individual was seen at Beaver Meadows CA,
Prince Edward (DBr). Two days later, on April 22, there were five reports: at Toronto Islands, Metro
Toronto (AA); on the Quiditty Trail in Charleston Lake PP, Leeds-Grenville (CPR); at the end of Maple
Hills Rd., 4 km SW of Haliburton, Haliburton (EP); on the Visitor Centre tilebed in Algonquin PP,
Nipissing (JP) and at the Sherriff Creek Wildlife Sanctuary, Elliot Lake, Algoma (JGM). The first Ottawa
records were on April 24, at Fletcher Wildlife Garden (CH) and on Carp Rd., 5 km SE of Fitzroy Harbour
(RAL). There were reports almost every day until mid-June with a few more continuing until the end of the
month. Some of these late reports probably were Spring Azures, for example two reports of very worn
individuals on June 21, a female captured and released on a dirt track NW of Haliburton, Haliburton (EP),
and one sighted on a Forest Access Rd. off Jack Lake Rd., Peterborough (JB). But for others it is equally
likely that they were Cherry Gall Azures or even very early Summer Azures. In the north the timing is quite
44

Ontario Lepidoptera 2008_______________________________________________________________________

different. Reports from between June 15 and June 21 in Thunder Bay and Kenora (TRa, MRa), and
between June 21 and July 2 in Thunder Bay were almost certainly worn Spring Azures, but Cherry Gall
Azures are also possible. The most northwesterly Ontario record of the Cherry Gall Azure is from
Espanola, Sudbury, larvae and an adult reported in 2007. But on June 23, 2008 Tony and Mary Rapati
photographed a larva in Spruce Woods PP., Manitoba, 300 km W of the Ontario border - observers in the
north should keep an eye open for Cherry Gall Azure larvae feeding on the very distinctive galls on cherry
(Prunus sp.)
SUMMER AZURE

Celastrina neglecta

In 2008 - 190 records. There were six reports from Hamilton-Wentworth, Metro Toronto and Peterborough
between June 6 and June 14: it is more likely, however, given the dates, that these were Cherry Gall
Azures. The report by RJY of about 800 on June 14 at Point Pelee NP, Essex, likely represents Summer
Azure (and perhaps also Cherry Gall Azure) given the high numbers. There were three reports on June 20,
all single sightings: on 8th Line N, Dummer Twp., Peterborough (JB), at Fork Meadow, Charleston Lake
PP, Leeds-Grenville (CPR, TAG) and at Sixteen Mile Creek and Hwy 407, Halton (BVR). After that the
records continued without a break well into September. Most reports were of very small numbers;
exceptions were 53 reported on June 24 at High Park, Metro Toronto and 125 counted on August 1 at Point
Pelee NP Essex (RJY). The latest reports were on September 23 in Larose Forest, on Rd. 25 between Cons.
8 and 9 (CH) and at High Park, Metro Toronto (RJY), on October 1 at the Leslie St. Spit, Metro Toronto
(BH) and on October 14 once again at High Park (RJY), the latest Toronto record by 11 days (R. Yukich,
pers. comm.). This must involve two generations, if not more. There were very few statements of condition
of specimens to confirm this, but one seen on July 25 at the Roger Stevens Trail, off Kettles Rd., Ottawa
was very worn (LJ), and one seen on September 3 on the Bill Holland Trail on Petrie Island, Ottawa was a
female, ovipositing on Hog-Peanut (Amphicarpaea bracteata) (PH).
CHERRY GALL AZURE

Celastrina serotina

In 2008 - 7 records. The earliest report was of two fresh individuals seen on May 30 on Carp Rd., 5 km SE
of Fitzroy Harbour, Ottawa (RAL). On June 12 one was photographed on Perron Rd., Larose Forest,
Prescott-Russell (PH) and on June 13 one was observed nectaring on Cow Vetch (Vicia cracca) at Bruce
Power, near Tiverton, Bruce, (TRa). The latest reports were of two very worn females caught and released
on July 1 at Ritchie Falls, Lochlin, Haliburton (EP, JiH) and two worn individuals observed on July 10 at
Beaver Meadows CA, Prince Edward (DBr).
SILVERY BLUE

Glaucopsyche lygdamus

In 2008 - 157 records. The earliest reports were on May 5, one photographed at ADRI, Fallowfield Rd.
(KA), and seven counted at Rouge Park, Scarborough, Metro Toronto (LS). Records were continuous until
early July; most were of small numbers, but on May 28, 35 were seen at Heber Down CA, Durham (RJY).
On May 31, 40 were seen at Blackburn Hamlet, Ottawa (DLe) and another 40 at the Old Quarry Trail,
Kanata, Ottawa (KA, DA). One week later, on June 7, KA and DA saw even more 50 on the Old Quarry
Trail. In the north, records ran from June 18, five caught and released on the rail lines at the mouth of the
Current River, on the Lake Superior waterfront, Thunder Bay (SB) to July 12, one worn individual seen on
Hwy 11 between Beardsmore and Geraldton, Thunder Bay (NGE). In the south the latest reports were one
photographed on July 12 at Wolf Grove Rd., 4 km SW of Almonte, Lanark (DA) and one seen at Fletcher
Wildlife Garden, Ottawa on July 14 (PH).
45

Ontario Lepidoptera 2008_______________________________________________________________________

Southern Hairstreak at Reid Conservation Area, Lambton


on July 1, 2008 (photo: Alan Wormington)

Southern Hairstreak at Reid Conservation Area, Lambton


on June 28, 2008 (photo: Bob Yukich)

Southern Hairstreak habiatat at Reid Conservation Area,


Lambton on June 28, 2008 (photo: Bob Yukich)

Western Pine Elfin on Mizzy Lake Trail, Algonquin Park,


Nipissing on April 24, 2008 (photo: Aaron Yukich)

Female White-M Hairstreak, North Dike, Point Pelee N.P.,


Essex, August 2, 2008 (photo: Alan Wormington)

White-M Hairstreak, Harris-Garno Rd., Pelee Island, Essex,


August 3, 2008 (photo: Bob Yukich)

46

Ontario Lepidoptera 2008_______________________________________________________________________

White-M Hairstreak, West Shore Rd., Pelee Island, Essex,


August 2, 2008 (photo: Bob Yukich)

Grey Hairstreak at West Beach of Point Pelee National


Park, Essex on August 26, 2008 (photo: Alan Wormington)

Marine Blue at Old Munitions Factory, Toronto, Metro


Toronto on July 13, 2008 (photo:Bob Yukich)

Marine Blue site at Old Munitions Factory, Toronto,


Metro Toronto (photo:Bob Yukich)

American Snout, Fletcher Wildlife Garden, Ottawa,


Ottawa, August 1, 2008 (photo: Christine Hanrahan)

American Snout, Fletcher Wildlife Garden, Ottawa,


Ottawa, August 1, 2008 (photo: Christine Hanrahan)

47

Ontario Lepidoptera 2008_______________________________________________________________________

NORTHERN BLUE

Lycaeides idas

In 2008 - 1 record, two males caught and released on July 10 on Finnmark Rd, NW of the City of Thunder
Bay, Thunder Bay (SB).

Family: NYMPHALIDAE
AMERICAN SNOUT

Libytheana carinenta

In 2008 - 11 records, of which six were from Essex, including the first and last, both at Point Pelee NP:
RJY photographed 11 on June 14 and a fresh one on October 10, right at the Tip. On July 13 they were
reported from the Visitor Centre Parking Lot at Rondeau PP, Chatham-Kent (BAM). One was observed by
JB on August 12 beside the Trent River at the end of the Mervin Line, 3 km S of Peterborough,
Peterborough. On August 29 one was photographed at Feeder Canal Rd. S and Bird Rd., ENE of
Stromness, Haldimand (AA), and on September 28 a very worn individual was observed at Reid CA, 8 km
N of Wallaceburg, Lambton (BAM). The most surprising report was from the Fletcher Wildlife Garden,
Ottawa, where on August 1 CH saw and photographed two (see photos on the facing page). This is only the
second report from Ottawa; it is so far beyond the normal range of the species that the only likely
explanation is that a migrant female, by sheer luck, found a Hackberry tree in the Arboretum of the Central
Experimental Farm, very close to the Wildlife Garden, and at least two of her offspring survived to emerge.
VARIEGATED FRITILLARY

Euptoieta claudia

In 2008 - 6 records, all late season migrants. The earliest report was of four seen at Cambridge, Waterloo in
August (no exact date) (JGP). The next two were on September 6, one seen near Breslau, Waterloo (JGP,
DD), and another in Port Elgin, Bruce (TRa). On September 20 one was photographed by RJY in an alfalfa
field near Sturgeon Creek, SE of Lemington, Essex. Finally, on September 20 and 21, one was seen each
day on the South Point Trail, Rondeau PP, Chatham-Kent (BAM).
GREAT SPANGLED FRITILLARY

Speyeria cybele

In 2008 - 205 records. The first report was on June 19, a sighting at Marble Rock CA, Leeds-Grenville
(BER et al.). The next two were on June 21, four seen on Perron Rd., Larose Forest, Prescott-Russell (CH),
and one seen on Jack Lake Rd., Peterborough (JB, TB, RJY, AA,). There were only two reports from
Algonquin PP, Nipissing, three seen on July 11 at the Trailer Sanitation Station (EH) and one seen on
August 19 on Brule Lake Rd. (LE, DLG). Also, there were only two reports from the north, one caught and
released on July 27 at the Pennock Creek Hiking Trail, Thunder Bay (SB), and one worn individual seen on
September 1 on Alice Ave., Thunder Bay, Thunder Bay (NGE). The latest records were on September 16,
one seen on the railtrail between the Blezard and Cameron Lines, NE of Villiers, Peterborough (JB) and on
September 20, one photographed on Wolf Grove Rd., 4 km SW of Almonte, Lanark (KA, DA).
APHRODITE FRITILLARY

Speyeria aphrodite

In 2008 - 51 records. The earliest records were on June 30, four seen on Con. 10, Larose Forest, PrescottRussell (DLe) and on July 1, one seen 1.8 km NW of Prospect, Lanark (RAL) and one observed on the
Galway Cavendish Forest Access Rd., Peterborough (JB). On July 19, 175 were reported during the
48

Ontario Lepidoptera 2008_______________________________________________________________________

Petroglyphs Butterfly Count, Peterborough (JB et al.), the highest daily count. Sandy Lake Rd.,
Peterborough was a hot-spot, with 48 counted on July 15 and another 53 on July 25 (JB). There were two
reports from Algonquin PP, Nipissing, one on July 22 at the Trailer Sanitation Station (EH) and two on
August 16 on the East Side Hydrocut (EH, PMi). There was a single report from the north, one caught and
released on July 24 at the Pennock Creek Hiking Trail, Thunder Bay (SB). On September 6, BAM reported
one at Cabot Head, Bruce and three at Dorcas Bay, Bruce. The final record was on September 17, one
caught and released on the rail trail 2 km N of Donald, Haliburton (EP).
ATLANTIS FRITILLARY

Speyeria atlantis

In 2008 - 48 records. The first report was of three seen on June 21 on a Forest Access Rd. off Jack Lake
Rd., Peterborough (JB, TB, RJY, AA). This was followed by two reports on June 25, two seen on Sandy
Lake Rd., Peterborough (JB) and one on Stringer Rd., Algonquin PP, Haliburton (LFo). There were eight
reports from the north, ranging in time from July 10, two caught and released at Muskeg Lake, 35 km E of
Upsala, Thunder Bay (SB) to the latest report of all, one seen on August 29 in the Everard Rd. Fen, on the
Black Bay Peninsula, Thunder Bay (SB). In the south the latest reports were on August 21, one seen on the
Burnt Lands, N of Con. 12, Lanark (PH) and another at Mew Lake, Algonquin PP, Nipissing (BER).
BOG FRITILLARY

Boloria eunomia

In 2008 - 7 records. One seen on June 6 in a floating bog on Beaver Lake Rd., E of Catchacoma,
Peterborough was the earliest report (JB, TB). There were 3 reports from Haliburton, all of good numbers
of individuals seen and some caught and released: on June 8, more than 100 were seen at Amaleen Lake, 3
km N of Haliburton (EP, TLa), and 50+ were seen at a roadside bog NW of the Haliburton dump (EP), and
on June 15, at least 30 were seen at Lochlin Bog, Lochlin (EP). There were also three reports from the
Spruce Bog Boardwalk, Algonquin PP, Nipissing: at least 25 on June 11(BHo), 40+ on June 12 (BHo) and
one last individual on June 20 (TCa).
SILVER-BORDERED FRITILLARY

Boloria selene

In 2008 - 75 records. The first reports were of a roadkill found on May 31 on Wolf Grove Rd., 4 km SW of
Almonte, Lanark (DA), and one seen on June 2 on Jack Lake Rd., Peterborough (JB). On June 11, three
were reported on the Hay Lake Rd. Hydroline at km 6, Algonquin PP, Haliburton (LFo), and on July 2 one
was caught and released at the Mills Block CA, Thunder Bay (SB). There was something of a gap in dates
between the two generations, July 12 to August 3 in the Ottawa area, July 19 to August 1 in Peterborough,
but there was a little overlap: one seen on July 12 on Wolf Grove Rd., Lanark was very fresh (DA). The
second generation was first noted on August 1 on the railtrail between the Blezard and Cameron Lines, NE
of Villiers, Peterborough (JB) and on August 3 on the Lowe Rd. extension, 5 km S of Manion Corners,
Ottawa (DLe). There were no reports of good numbers, the highest count being 11, on August 17 on Trail 2
between Con. 8 and Con. 10, Larose Forest, Prescott-Russell (CH). The last Algonquin record was on
August 17, one seen at Odenback, Algonquin PP, Nipissing (EH, PMi), and the last two in the north were
on July 12, one worn individual seen on Hwy 11 between Beardsmore and Geraldton, Thunder Bay (NGE)
and six caught and released on a sandy beach on the Lake Superior shore at Jarvis Bay, Thunder Bay (SB).
In the south, the latest reports were of three seen on August 27 on Con. 10 in the Larose Forest, PrescottRussell (CH) and one seen on August 30 on Con. 11 in the Burnt Lands, 2 km N of Almonte, Lanark (KA,
DA).
49

Ontario Lepidoptera 2008_______________________________________________________________________

MEADOW FRITILLARY

Boloria bellona

In 2008 - 48 records. The earliest reports were on May 13, a sight record on Opinicon Rd., Frontenac
(MCS) and one seen at ADRI, Fallowfield Rd., Ottawa (KA). On July 1, DLe counted 18 at the Perth
Wildlife Reserve, Lanark, by far the highest count for the year. There were no Algonquin reports and only
two from the north, six counted on June 18, 6 km N of Shabaqua, Thunder Bay (NGE) and two caught and
released on June 23 at MacKenzie Station, Thunder Bay (SB). The latest records were one seen on
September 3 at the Rideau Trail off Kettles Rd., Ottawa (LJ), and another on September 16 on the railtrail
between the Blezard and Cameron Lines, NE of Villiers, Peterborough (JB).
FRIGGA FRITILLARY

Boloria frigga

In 2008 - 1 record, four seen on June 25 on an open bog mat around a small lake in Sedgman Lake PNR,
Thunder Bay (NGE).

FREIJA FRITILLARY

Boloria freija

In 2008 - 1 record, two worn individuals seen in a bog 5 km N of Raith, Thunder Bay (NGE).
GORGONE CHECKERSPOT

Chlosyne gorgone

In 2008 - Only 1 record, at least 100 were seen on July 17 in a large field full of the larval foodplant,
Brown-Eyed Susan, on Co. Rd. 18, 4.1 km S of Oxford Mills, Leeds-Grenville (PH).
SILVERY CHECKERSPOT

Chlosyne nycteis

In 2008 - 30 records. The earliest reports were on June 7, two on Rd. 25 in Larose Forest, Prescott-Russell
(DLe), several at a Jack Pine cut at Lake Travers, Algonquin PP, Nipissing (EH) and 27 tallied on the
hydrocut between Barron Canyon Rd. and the Petawawa River, Algonquin PP, Nipissing (CDJ, EH), during
the Algonquin East Count. On June 21, at least 20 were seen, some caught and released, on Milburn Rd., 4
km W of Irondale, Haliburton (EP), the second highest count of the year, and on the same day one was
reported at Painted Lake, Thunder Bay (SB), the earliest northern record. One seen on July 14 on the
Sawbill Lake Trail, Sleeping Giant PP, Thunder Bay (TRa, MRa) was the latest from the north, but they
went much later in the south: one was photographed on August 2 on Haanel Dr., 2 km W of Bells Corners,
Ottawa (KA, RA) and a small individual was reported on August 24 at Moore WMA, Lambton (BAM).
HARRISS CHECKERSPOT

Chlosyne harrisii

In 2008 - 49 records. An individual seen on June 10 on Blue Mountain Rd., S of Tilley, Leeds-Grenville
(KH) was the earliest of the year. The next day there were four reports: one seen at the end of Ridge Rd., in
the Mer Bleue, Ottawa (PH), four on Fire Route 84, Peterborough and two on Sandy Lake Rd, Twin Lakes,
Peterborough (JB), and three sighted on the Hay Creek Rd. hydroline at km 6, Algonquin PP, Haliburton
(LFo). The highest count was 32, on June 21 on a Forest Access Rd. off Jack Lake Rd., Peterborough (JB,
TB, RJY, AA). The last reports were one seen on July 12 at the Burnt Lands, Con. 12, Lanark (DA) and
one caught and released on July 20 at Williams Bog, Thunder Bay, Thunder Bay (SB).
50

Ontario Lepidoptera 2008_______________________________________________________________________

PEARL CRESCENT

Phyciodes tharos

In 2008 - 66 records, clearly separating into three generations (at least in the south), from May 12 to July 4,
from July 12 to August 4, and from August 14 to September 28. The earliest reports were on May 12 and
17 at the Back Pit Panne, Sandbanks PP, Prince Edward (JD) and on May 23 at the Burnt Lands off Burnt
Lands Rd., Ottawa (PH) and on Petticoat Point Rd., Prince Edward (DBr). The latest were on September
25, five seen at Lambton Prairie, Metro Toronto (RJY) and one seen on Sandy Lake Rd., Twin Lakes,
Peterborough (JB) and on September 28 a sight record (no exact number) at Toronto area, Metro Toronto
(BH). Most reports were of very small numbers, but there were three high counts, 184 during the
Petroglyphs Butterfly Count on July 19 (JB et al.), and on Posts Road, in the Oak Lake area, Peterborough
110 were counted on July 18 and 106 on July 25 (JB).
NORTHERN CRESCENT

Phyciodes cocyta

In 2008 - 291 records. The season began on May 24, with two reports from the Burnt Lands, Lanark: six
were seen on Con. 11 (KA, DA) and two more S of Con. 12 (PH). On the same day one was observed at the
Macoun Study Area, 2 km S of Bells Corners, Ottawa (DLe) and a fresh male was reported on Sandy Lake
Rd., Twin Lakes, Peterborough (RJY). In the north the season ran from June 7, one seen on the Sherriff
Creek Wildlife Sanctuary, Elliot Lake, Algoma (JGM) to August 29, one caught and released in the Everard
Road Fen, on the Black Bay Peninsula, Thunder Bay (SB). The season ended with single sightings on
September 24 on the railtrail between the Blezard and Cameron Lines, NE of Villiers, Peterborough (JB)
and on September 22 and 25 at Carp Rd., 5 km SE of Fitzroy Harbour, Ottawa (RAL). There was complete
overlap between generations, ie there were absolutely no gaps in the dates. There were 39 reports of
Crescents from Sandbanks and Presquile PPs, and other places, between June 2 and September 23.
These likely contained both Pearl and Northern Crescents, but without photos or specimens they can only
remain unidentified.
TAWNY CRESCENT

Phyciodes batesii

In 2008 - 19 records. The earliest reports were on June 7, when two were photographed on Berry Side Rd.,
on the N side of Constance Lake, Ottawa (KA) and on June 8 when two were seen on Timm Dr., 2 km W
of Bells Corners, Ottawa (KA, DA). On June 12, RAL caught and released nine on a granitic barren, a very
unusual habitat for this species, on the Carp Ridge, 2.5 km N of Carp Rd., Ottawa. There was one northern
record, one caught and released on June 23 at MacKenzie Station, Thunder Bay (SB). On June 24 PH saw
and photographed at least 20 in an alvar habitat on the trail from Kerwin Rd. to Mud Lake, Ottawa, the
largest number reported. The last reports were on June 27, singles seen on Anstruther Lake Rd.,
Peterborough and on a Forest Access Rd. off Jack Lake Rd., Peterborough (JB, TB), on June 30, two
observed on Con. 10 in the Larose Forest, Prescott-Russell, DLe, the first record from Prescott-Russell, and
on July 19, one reported during the Petroglyphs Butterfly Count, Peterborough (TB).
BALTIMORE CHECKERSPOT

Euphydryas phaeton

In 2008 - 42 records. The first record was on June 7, one seen on Rd. 25 in the Larose Forest, PrescottRussell (DLe). On June 8 one was photographed at Burns Lane, S of Charleston Lake, Leeds-Grenville
(KH), and on June 9 there were two more reports from the Larose Forest, Prescott-Russell, one seen on De
la Tours Rd. and two on Perron Rd. (CH). On June 19, CDJ and CE found many larvae in a semi-open
seepage-fed cattail meadow on the E side of the Minesing Wetlands, Simcoe, and on June 22 BVR found
51

Ontario Lepidoptera 2008_______________________________________________________________________

two adults and a chrysalis, a very rare find, at Christie Lake CA, Hamilton-Wentworth. On June 21 CH
counted an incredible 137 at Perron Rd., Larose Forest, Prescott-Russell, and even as late as July 1 another
31 on Rte. 200, W of Bertrand Rd., Larose Forest, Prescott-Russell. On July 17, there were two records on
the rail trail NE of Keene, Peterborough: seven seen between David Fife and Base Lines, and two seen
between David Fife and Settlers Lines (JB). The last adult record was on July 25 at Second Depot Lake,
Frontenac (BER), but on August 14 RAL found a colony of second-instar larvae on Turtlehead beside a
stream in mixed woodland, at the N end of Perron Rd., Larose Forest, Prescott-Russell.
QUESTION MARK

Polygonia interrogationis

In 2008 - 70 records. The first reports were much earlier than usual, suggesting overwintering rather than
migration; these were sight records on April 16 and 17 at Espanola, Sudbury (MRa), one on April 26 at
Frontenac PP, Frontenac (NSp) and one seen on April 24 at Ritchie Falls, Lochlin, Haliburton (EP). The
species was not at all abundant; the highest number for the year was six seen by RJY at Point Pelee NP,
Essex, on June 14. There was no gap in dates between the first migrant generation and the dark summer
form, but this form finished in mid-August; a sighting on August 14 at Owen Point, Presquile PP,
Northumberland (IS) was said to be worn. There was a gap between the summer and light winter forms,
between August 18 and September 1, when one very fresh individual was sighted on Con. 11 in the Burnt
Lands, 2 km N of Almonte, Lanark (RAL). On September 10 RJY reported one fresh winter form
individual at High Park, Metro Toronto, and on September 11 BH reported one light form at Chestermere
Blvd., Scarborough, Metro Toronto. There were two late records from Presquile PP, Northumberland: one
on September 22 at Beach 1 to 3 (DoSh) and one on September 23 at Beach 4 (DBr). The last report was
one seen much later than usual on October 19 at the Leslie St. Spit, Metro Toronto (RJY).
EASTERN COMMA

Polygonia comma

In 2008 - 180 records. The season began with singles on April 5 on the North Shore Trails of the Royal
Botanical Garden, Hamilton-Wentworth (AA) and on April 6 at Lambton Prairie, Metro Toronto (RJY) and
Rouge Park, Scarborough, Metro Toronto (LS). On April 16, several were observed on Opeongo Rd.,
Algonquin PP, Nipissing (JSk) and one was seen in sandy pine woods at Espanola, Sudbury (MRa), the
only northern record. There were no reports between June 5 and June 13, when JB saw one on the railtrail
between the Blezard and Cameron Lines, NE of Villiers, Peterborough. The next day, June 14, RJY saw 10
at Point Pelee NP, Essex. These two reports were probably the beginning of the summer generation; it
would be unusual to see over-wintered individuals congregating like that. There were two definitive
summer brood reports on June 20 from Charleston Lake PP, Leeds-Grenville: ADW and JFe saw six on the
Sandstone Island Trail, and IS saw at the Tallow Rock West Meadow. There were only five reports in the
first half of August; this likely represents the end of the flight of the summer form. There was one summer
form report on August 16, but this was from Algonquin PP, four seen on the East Side hydrocut, Nipissing
(PMi, EH); one would expect it to fly a little later there. There were records most days from then on, with
fresh individuals of the overwintering generation reported on August 21 at the Visitor Centre meadow,
Charleston Lake PP, Leeds-Grenville (TAG), on August 27 at Sandbanks PP, Prince Edward (JD), on
September 1 at Lighthall Rd., 5.5 km NE of Point Petre, Prince Edward (DBr) and on September 10 at
High Park, Metro Toronto (RJY). On September 8 CH reported 11 individuals on Boundary Rd. and Con.
10, Larose Forest, Prescott-Russell, almost certainly fresh individuals. The latest records were on October
31, one seen at Southampton, Bruce (MRa), one photographed at High Park, Metro Toronto (RJY), and one
seen on the Quiddity Boardwalk, Charleston Lake PP, Leeds-Grenville (CPR); CPR noted that this was
after half an inch of snow has fallen two days previously.
52

Ontario Lepidoptera 2008_______________________________________________________________________

SATYR COMMA

Polygonia satyrus

In 2008 - 3 records, the first two of over-wintered individuals. One slightly worn individual was
photographed on May 29 in a small gap in coniferous forest at Cloud Bay, Thunder Bay (JK) and another
was observed on June 14 ovipositing on nettle on Alice Ave., Thunder Bay, Thunder Bay (NGE). The other
was of the next generation, two caught and released on August 10 in mixed woodland on the W shore of the
Nipigon River at Sawmill Pont, Thunder Bay (SB).
GREEN COMMA

Polygonia faunus

In 2008 - 28 records. The first reports were: April 19, one seen on Wolf Grove Rd., SW of Almonte,
Lanark (KA); April 23, two photographed from among a mixed group of six anglewings at the Grand Lake
Gate, Algonquin PP, Nipissing (JSk); and April 24, two seen 2 km SW of Riceville, Prescott-Russell (PH).
The latest reports of overwintered individuals were on June 14, one seen on Opeongo Rd., Algonquin PP,
Nipissing (BHo), and, in the north, a worn individual observed on July 12 on Hwy 11 between Beardsmore
and Geraldton, Thunder Bay, (NGE). The second generation was first reported on July 6, at Newbury,
MIDD, the second county record. (BAM, PD, HC, DPy, PCar) and on July 8 on Con. 10, Larose Forest,
Prescott-Russell (CH). On August 16 one was reported at Webbwood, Sudbury (TRa, MRa) and on August
21 NM reported one on the Spruce Bog Boardwalk, Algonquin PP, Nipissing. The last reports, both from
the Burnt Lands, Lanark were unusually early, on August 21 on Con. 12 (PH) and on August 30 on Con. 11
(KA, DA).
GREY COMMA

Polygonia progne

In 2008 - 93 records. There were five April reports, all singles, beginning on April 14 at Jobes Woods
Trail, Presquile PP, Northumberland (DBr) and on April 19 at Monaghan Forest, 5 km S of Bells Corners,
Ottawa (LJ). There were only two records in May and continuous reports from June 2 to late September, so
there is no sure way of distinguishing between generations, apart from the overwintered one. On July 2 JB
counted a total of 16 in three different localities in Peterborough, likely representing the start of the
summer brood. But the first one reported as fresh was on July 27, one photographed on Purple
Coneflower at the Childrens Garden in High Park, Metro Toronto (RJY). On June 18 NGE reported one 6
km N of Shabaqua, Thunder Bay, and on August 10 SB caught and released one on the W shore of the
Nipigon River at Sawmill Point, Thunder Bay, the only reports from the north. Four fresh individuals
reported on August 22 from the railtrail between David Fife and Base Lines, NE of Keene, Peterborough
(JB) could only have been of the final generation.There were three reports of singles on September 20, in a
backyard in Port Elgin, Bruce (TRa, MRa), on the Lowe Rd. extension, 5.3 km SE of Manion Corners,
Ottawa (RAL) and at Prince Edward Point, Prince Edward (BER). The final one was one seen on
September 25 on Jack Lake Rd., Peterborough (JB).
COMPTON TORTOISESHELL

Nymphalis vaualbum

In 2008 - 112 records. The earliest reports were on March 30, on the Jack Pine Trail, 2.5 km S of Bells
Corners, Ottawa (PH), on April 2 at the Bellamy Ravine, Scarborough, Metro Toronto (LS), and on April 5
on the NE side of Port Elgin, Bruce (TRa, MRa) and at Burns Lane, S of Charleston Lake, Leeds-Grenville
(KH). The north was only a little later; one was photographed on April 13, sunning on a tree trunk at
Chutes PP, Sudbury (JJL) and one was seen on April 15 at Espanola, Sudbury (MRa). The last reports of
over-wintered individuals were on May 25 on the Big Pines Trail, Algonquin PP, Nipissing (EH), and, in
53

Ontario Lepidoptera 2008_______________________________________________________________________

the north, on June 18, a very worn individual seen 6 km N of Shabaqua, Thunder Bay (NGE). The next
generation was first reported on July 7 between the boardwalks on the Quiddity Trail, Charleston Lake PP,
Leeds-Grenville (ADW) and on July 4 and 5 at the Howie Rd. extension, E of Manion Corners, Ottawa
(PH). On July 15 JB counted 15 on Clare Newnhams Rd., 3 km S of Lasswade, Peterborough, the highest
count of the season. In Algonquin PP the first report was on April 8, one seen on Opeongo Rd., Nipissing
(RHC, GSl) and the last was on October 8, one seen at the Vistor Centre, Nipissing (EH). In the north the
latest was on August 30, one caught and released at Chippewa Park in the City of Thunder Bay, Thunder
Bay (SB). The latest reports were on October 23 and November 5 and 6, at the Office in Charleston Lake
PP, Leeds-Grenville (CPR).
MOURNING CLOAK

Nymphalis antiopa

In 2008 - 420 records. The first report was on March 28, the earliest date of any species: a single individual
seen on Main St., Bloomfield, Prince Edward (HHe). On April 3 BH reported one at Bellamy Ravine,
Scarborough, Metro Toronto and RJY reported 11 at Lambton Prairie, Metro Toronto. The first report in
Algonquin PP was one seen on April 5 at Mew Lake Campground, Nipissing (CLa, BLa) and in the north,
twelve seen on April 19 at Espanola, Sudbury (MRa). As usual there was complete overlap of generations.
Fresh individuals binoculared on June 6 at Lochlin Lake, Haliburton and on June 9 at Burnt River, 1.5 km
W of Blue Hawk Lake, Haliburton (EP) must have been early individuals of the summer generation. A
worn individual seen on June 21 at Rock Chapel Sanctuary, Hamilton-Wentworth (XW) and another seen
nectaring on Common Milkweed on July 4, on Moodie Dr., S of Bells Corners, Ottawa (LJ) were likely
survivors of the over-wintered generation. Larvae were observed twice, at least 30 on willow on July 9, at a
bog 1 km SW of Haliburton, Haliburton (EP, DPa, CPa, LPa) and hundreds on willow and cottonwood on
July 22 on High Bluff Beach, Presquile PP, Northumberland (IS); these would be from eggs laid by the
summer generation. The latest reports were all of single sight records: on October 31 at Southampton,
Bruce (MRa) and on Hwy 7, E of the Villiers Line, Peterborough (JB), on November 4 at the Opeongo
Lake Access Point, Algonquin PP, Nipissing (EH, JP, TRS), on November 6 at Bruce Power, near Tiverton,
Bruce (TRa), and on November 8 on Kingston Rd. near Midland Ave., Scarborough, Metro Toronto (BH).
MILBERTS TORTOISESHELL

Aglais milberti

In 2008 - 58 records. The earliest reports were on April 3, one seen atop Blue Mountain, Charleston Lake
PP, Leeds-Grenville (CPR), on April 24, a sighting in Rouge Park, Scarborough, Metro Toronto (LS) and
on May 6, one caught and released on Maple Hills Rd., 4 km W of Haliburton, Haliburton (EP). There was
complete overlap of generations, but there are normally at least three per year. There were only two reports
from Algonquin PP, both at the Whitefish Lake Millsite, Haliburton, on June 16 (RGT) and August 21
(BER), and just three from the north, on May 20 in Chippewa Park, S of the City of Thunder Bay, Thunder
Bay (SB) and on July 10 and July 12 at Alice Ave., Thunder Bay, Thunder Bay (NGE). The latest records
were singles observed on October 3 at Fletcher Wildlife Garden, Ottawa (CH) and on Occtober 9 at Main
St., Bloomfield, Prince Edward (HHe).
AMERICAN LADY

Vanessa virginiensis

In 2008 - 62 records, not a great year for this migrant, although it started very early, with sightings on April
25 at Owl Woods, Amherst Island, Lennox & Addington (BER), on April 27 at Eastpoint Park,
Scarborough, Metro Toronto (BH) and on April 29 at Bruce Power, near Tiverton, Bruce (TRa). There
were four reports from Algonquin PP, the earliest on June 6 at McManus Lake, Nipissing (EH, CB) and
54

Ontario Lepidoptera 2008_______________________________________________________________________

two from the north, one seen on June 20 at Agawa Campground, Lake Superior PP, Algoma (TRa, MRa)
and one photographed at Sherriff Creek Wildlife sanctuary at Elliot Lake, Algoma (BHe). The species never
became numerous; the highest daily counts were seven during the Petroglyphs PP Count, Peterborough
(JB) and six, at High Park, Metro Toronto on September 23 (RJY). The latest reports were also from High
Park, on October 13 (AA) and 14 (RJY).
PAINTED LADY

Vanessa cardui

In 2008 - 42 records, another poor year for this species. The earliest reports were all from along Lake
Ontario, on May 9 at the parking lot, Sandbanks PP, Prince Edward (DBr, YB), on May 10 at Petticoat
Point Rd., Prince Edward (DBr) and on May 15 at Denson, Presquile PP, Northumberland (IS). By June 8
they had reached Elliot Lake, Algoma (JGM) and by June 22 Shale Lake, 18 km NW of Dorion, Thunder
Bay (SB). Most reports were of very low numbers, but AW reported 280 fresh individuals on September 7
in Point Pelee NP, Essex, between White Pine Beach and the Tip, and RJY counted 68 on September 20, in
an alfalfa field at Sturgeon Creek and Bevel Line Rd., SE of Leamington, Essex. They were still emerging
further north, as well: JB reported a fresh individual on September 24 on the railtrail between the Blezard
and Cameron Lines, NE of Villiers, Peterborough. The latest reports were in High Park, Metro Toronto, on
October 9 (RJY), October 13 (AA) and October 14 (RJY), and on October 25 at Bellamy Ravine,
Scarborough, Metro Toronto (LS).
RED ADMIRAL

Vanessa atalanta

In 2008 - 82 records. There were seven April reports, reinforcing the suspicion that this species does
sometimes overwinter. The earliest were from Bruce: on April 20 on Hwy 21, 4 km SW of Port Elgin
(MRa) and on April 21, at Hwy 21 at North Bruce (MRa) and on the NE side of Port Elgin (TRa). On April
22 they were observed at the Toronto Islands, Metro Toronto (AA) and on April 25 at Hazeldean Woods
Park, Kanata, Ottawa (KA). There were no reports from Algonquin PP, and only one from the north, one
seen on June 9 at Little Current, Manitoulin Island, Manitoulin (MRa). Numbers were low everywhere; the
highest count was 17, in High Park, Metro Toronto on September 24 (RJY). The latest reports were on
October 3 from Presquile PP, Northumberland (DBr), on October 9 at High Park, Metro Toronto (RJY)
and on November 4, three fresh individuals photographed, two nectaring on thistle, at Peninsula A on the
Leslie St. Spit, Metro Toronto (RJY).
COMMON BUCKEYE

Junonia coenia

In 2008 - 26 records. There were only four reports of migrants in June: June 10 at Presquile PP,
Northumberland (FL); June 10 and 11 at Sandbanks PP, Prince Edward (JD); and June 11 at the base of the
Leslie St. Spit, Metro Toronto (BH). The earliest of the next generation were essentially in the same places,
on July 24 at Sandbanks PP, Prince Edward (JD), and on July 25 in Metro Toronto: at the Leslie St. Spit
(AG) and at High Park and Lambton Prairie (RJY). The last reports were on September 25 at Beach 1 to 3,
Presquile PP, Northumberland (DBr), on October 3 at the Leslie St. Spit, Metro Toronto, a fresh
individual seen by AG, and on October 13, one seen in High Park, Metro Toronto (AA).
WHITE ADMIRAL

Limenitis arthemis arthemis

In 2008 - 257 records. The first reports were on June 8, one seen on Burns Lane, S of Charleston Lake,
Leeds-Grenville (KH) and, on June 9 in Peterborough: JB saw one on the East Drumlin Trail,
55

Ontario Lepidoptera 2008_______________________________________________________________________

Peterborough, three on Baseline Rd., E of Lang, and another three on David Fife Rd., W of Villiers. There
was no gap in the dates betwen the two generations; the reports were continuous until early September. In
Algonquin PP, Nipissing the first one was seen on June 21 at the Logging Museum, (RWi) and the last was
one noted on August 25 on the Mizzy Lake Trail, (EH, TCa). In the north the season ran from July 2, one
seen at the Mills Block CA, Thunder Bay (SB) to August 20, one seen at Webbwood, Sudbury (TRa, MRa);
probably only one generation there. In the south the latest reports were on September 4 at Teds Lake, 1 km
S of South Wilberforce, Haliburton (EP, TLa), on September 8 and 11 at Con. 10, Larose Forest, PrescottRussell (CH), and on September 17 on the railtrail between the David Fife and Settlers Lines, NE of Keene,
Peterborough (JB).
RED-SPOTTED PURPLE

Limenitis arthemis astyanax

In 2008 - 13 records. The earliest reports are by BVR, on July 1 at Christie Lake CA, Hamilton-Wentworth
and Valens CA, Hamilton-Wentworth, and on July 2 at Crawford Lake CA, Halton. Next, two were
observed on July 10 at High Park, Metro Toronto (RJY). The lack of June records is somewhat puzzling.
RJY counted 31 on August 3 at Pelee Island, Essex (RJY), the only good count. The last two reports were
on August 27, singles reported at Booker Rd., 3 km SE of Mount Carmel, Haldimand (AA) and at
Wainfleet Bog PNR, Haldimand (AA).
VICEROY

Limenitis archippus

In 2008 - 214 records. The flight season began with sightings on June 5 on Blue Mountain Rd., S of Tilley,
Leeds-Grenville (KH) and at the E end of the Dolman Ridge, in the Mer Bleue, Ottawa (DLe) and on June
7 on Rd. 25 in Larose Forest, Prescott-Russell (DLe). On June 12, RAL caught and released a tiny
individual, about the size of a Northern Crescent, 1.4 km E of Clarendon Station, Frontenac. There was no
separation of dates, but fresh individuals noted on August 7 and 22 at two locations on the railtrail, NE of
Keene, Peterborough (JB) must have been of the second generation. There were three reports from
Algonquin PP, and only two from the north, two seen on July 3 at the Everard Rd. Fen, Thunder Bay (NGE,
CEs) and two seen on August 17 at Webbwood, Sudbury (T Ra, MRa). On August 24, RJY photographed
one in High Park, Metro Toronto, where they are rare (Bob Yukich, pers. comm.). The latest reports were
on September 27 in a back yard in Port Elgin, Bruce (TRa, MRa), on October 1 at the Leslie St. Spit, Metro
Toronto (BH) and finally a very worn individual observed on October 12 on Rd. 25, between Con. 6 and
Con. 7, Larose Forest, Prescott-Russell (CH).
HACKBERRY EMPEROR

Asterocampa celtis

In 2008 - 7 records. The first report was of three seen on July 6 at Deroche Lake, Hastings (DBr). On July
19 one was photographed at Forest Mills, Lennox & Addington ( BER) and five worn individuals were
photographed on September 19 at Point Pelee NP, Essex (RJY), the latest record. All the other reports were
from the end of the Bill Holland Trail, on Petrie Island, Ottawa, at exactly the spot where the colony was
discovered in 2006 by Steve Ansell. On July 19, BBo observed five, flying high in the treetops, never lower
than 15-20 feet. On July 22 he saw 6, and photographed one on banana bait. On July 27, RAL saw two, and
on July 28 three more, but only flying through the trees; none were lured to his fermented
banana/molasses/beer bait.

56

Ontario Lepidoptera 2008_______________________________________________________________________

TAWNY EMPEROR

Asterocampa clyton
In 2008 - 1 record, twelve counted by RJY on August 3 on Pelee Island, Essex.

NORTHERN PEARLY-EYE

Enodia anthedon

In 2008 - 95 records. The first reports were sight records on June 25 and 26 at ADRI, Fallowfield Rd.,
Ottawa (KA), on June 26 on the railtrail between David Fife and Base Lines, NE of Keene, Peterborough
(JB) and on June 29 at Heber Down CA, Durham (RJY). On July 4, PH recorded about 30 on the Howie
Rd. extension, Ottawa, and 27 were counted on July 19 during the Petroglyphs Butterfly Count,
Peterborough (JB), the highest numbers. There were two reports from Algonquin PP, but both were very
late, on August 18 on the East Side hydrocut, Nipissing (EH) and on August 23 at the Lake Travers Radio
Observatory, Nipissing (LE, TS, SMa). In the north, NGE reported two on July 6 at William Bog, Thunder
Bay (NGE), and SB had four reports from Thunder Bay, two of them very late: one caught and released at
the Thunder Cape Bird Observatory in Sleeping Giant PP on August 20, and another on August 24 at the
Pennock Creek Hiking Trail, the latest of all.
EYED BROWN

Satyrodes eurydice

In 2008 - 102 records. The earliest reports were on June 19 at Charleston Lake PP, Leeds-Grenville (BER,
KH), on June 20, 12 observed at Sixteen Mile Creek at Hwy 407, Halton (BVR) and on June 23, one seen
at the Hilton Falls Complex, 2.5 km NE of Campbellville, Halton (BVR). There were no reports from the
north and only three from Algonquin PP, Nipissing the first on June 26 (LFo) and the last on August 3, one
on the East Beach of Lake of Two Rivers (LE). The latest records were on August 4, two seen on County
Rd. 46, N of Twin Lakes, Peterborough (JB), and two very late ones, which probably represent a second
generation: one seen on September 8 on Con. 10, Larose Forest, Prescott-Russell (CH), and one
photographed on September 20 at the Amherstview Sewage Lagoons, Lennox & Addington (BER).
APPALACHIAN BROWN

Satyrodes appalachia

In 2008 - 21 records. The first reports were on June 30, two seen on the Cedar Grove Trail, Marlborough
Forest, Ottawa (CH), on July 1, six seen on Rte. 200, W of Bertrand Rd., Larose Forest, Prescott-Russell
(CH), and on July 2, one seen at Dwyer Hill Rd. and March Rd., Ottawa (PH). The largest number reported
was 20, counted by DA on July 12 on Con. 12 in the Burnt Lands, Lanark. There were three reports in
August: on August 1 one was seen at Dunes Beach, Sandbanks PP, Prince Edward (JD) and another was
caught and released at Mossy Lake, Charleston Lake PP, Leeds-Grenville (TAG, CPR), and on August 14
one was caught and released at the N end of Perron Rd., Larose Forest, Prescott-Russell (RAL). There was
one very late (second generation?) record, two observed on September 3 in a Green Ash swamp at Wye
Marsh Wildlife Centre, Simcoe (JK).
LITTLE WOOD SATYR

Megisto cymela

In 2008 - 160 records. The season began on June 2 with three individuals sighted at Eglinton Flats, Metro
Toronto (RJY), and another seen on Coon Lake Rd., Peterborough (JB). On June 4, EP saw one in
Haliburton, Haliburton, behind J. D. Hodgeson Elem. School, and on June 5, DLe reported three at the E
end of the Dolman Ridge, in the Mer Bleue, Ottawa. On June 15 at least 60 were reported on Robertson
Rd., 2 km WSW of Bells Corners, Ottawa (DA) and on June 20 RJY counted 107 at Eglinton Flats, Metro
57

Ontario Lepidoptera 2008_______________________________________________________________________

Toronto. The latest records were singles seen on July 21 at Bruce Power near Tiverton, Bruce (TRa), on
July 22 at Mount Nemo Escarpment Woods, Halton (BVR), and on July 27 on Timm Dr., 2 km W of Bells
Corners, Ottawa (KA, DA).
COMMON RINGLET

Coenonympha tullia

In 2008 - 272 records. The first reports were on May 24 at Little Cataraqui Creek CA, Frontenac (MCS),
on May 25 at West Point, Sandbanks PP, Prince Edward (JD), and on May 28 on Moodie Dr., 1 km S of
Bells Corners, Ottawa (LJ) and at Heber Down CA, Durham (RJY, BH). The first generation flew until
July 19, when they were observed at the Burnt Lands, off Golden Line Rd., Ottawa (DA) and during the
Petroglyphs Butterfly Count, Peterborough, where, significantly, only one was seen (JB et al.). There was
only one northern report, of 20+ counted on July 12 on Hwy 11 between Beardsmore and Geraldton,
Thunder Bay (NGE). The second generation was first reported on August 2, one seen at the main entrance
to Mountsberg CA, Hamilton-Wentworth (BVR) and on August 3, one reported from Lynwood Park, Bells
Corners, Ottawa (LJ). As usual, the first generation had a larger population than the second; JD saw
hundreds on June 7 on Elmbrook Rd., 3 km NE of Elmbrook, Prince Edward. But there were some good
counts later as well; DA counted 47 on August 16 at the Burnt Lands, off Golden Line Rd., Ottawa, and LJ
saw 50 on September 1 on Moodie Dr., 5 km S of Bells Corners, Ottawa. The season ended with singles
seen on September 19 and 20, on Carp Rd., 5 km SE of Fitzroy Harbour, Ottawa (RAL), on September 20
at the Burnt Lands Nature Reserve, Ottawa (KA, DA), on September 22 at Bellamy Ravine, Scarborough,
Metro Toronto (LS, BH) and on September 23 on Baseline Rd., SE of Lang, Peterborough (JB).
COMMON WOOD-NYMPH

Cercyonis pegala

In 2008 - 150 records. The earliest reports, strangely, were from Northern Ontario, singles seen on June 8 at
Webbwood, Sudbury and on June 9 at Espanola, Sudbury (MRa). Also on June 9, one was observed flying
across Hwy 21 at North Bruce, Bruce (TRa). On June 27 RJY reported one at Eglinton Flats, Metro
Toronto, and on June 30 DBr saw four at Demorestville CA, Prince Edward. There were no reports from
Algonquin PP and only a few from the north, most of them late season, the latest being singles seen on
August 29 in Everard Rd. Fen, on the Black Bay Peninsula, Thunder Bay (SB) and on August 31 at Alice
Ave., Thunder Bay, Thunder Bay (NGE). In the south the flight season ended with one seen on August 30
on Con. 11 in the Burnt Lands, Lanark (KA, DA), one binoculared on August 31 on the N side of Devils
Lake, SW of Minden, Haliburton (EP), and one observed flying on September 1 at Perth Nature Reserve,
Lanark (DLe). The highest count in a day was more than 100, reported on July 10 by RJY at Blair Rd.,
Cambridge, Waterloo.
TAIGA ALPINE

Erebia mancinus

In 2008 - 1 record, one seen on June 25 on Reckett Rd. in the Sedgman Lake PNR, Thunder Bay (NGE).
RED-DISKED ALPINE

Erebia discoidalis

In 2008 - 1 record, one seen on June 7 on Alice Ave., Thunder Bay, Thunder Bay (NGE).

58

Ontario Lepidoptera 2008_______________________________________________________________________

MACOUNS ARCTIC

Oeneis macounii

In 2008 - 10 records, mostly from Algonquin Park, Nipissing. Three were seen and one caught, on June 7,
on a fire road N of the Lake Travers Rd. at km 67.4 (RAL, DLG, CB). At a Jack Pine cut at Lake Travers,
EH saw three on June 8 and five on June 9, and at a Jack Pine cut at Poplar Rapids he saw 10 on June 10.
On June 21 a few were seen on the fire road at km 67.4 on the Lake Travers Rd., and a few more on another
fire road at km 69.3 (DBo). On June 21, two were seen at Pictured Lake, Thunder Bay, hilltopping on a
bare rocky dome with Jack Pines (SB). On June 23, SB saw seven at MacKenzie Station, Thunder Bay, and
caught five for a researcher. On June 29 three were seen on the Wolf Tree Trail, N of Raith, Thunder Bay
(NGE, JW), and on July 4 NGE watched the last one of the year at Alice Ave., Thunder Bay, Thunder Bay
as it landed on the wall of his house!!
CHRYXUS ARCTIC

Oeneis chryxus

In 2008 - 12 records. On May 15 EP reported one on Mountain St., near Parish Line, 2.5 km S of
Haliburton, Haliburton, and on May 17 RAL saw four on a granite barren on the Carp Ridge, NW of Carp,
Ottawa. PH saw three at the same place on May 23. Also on May 23, four were seen at the old airfield in
Algonquin PP, Nipissing (CB, EH). Sandy Lake Rd., Twin Lakes, Peterborough was a real hot spot; 22
were seen on May 23 (JB, TB), 43 on May 24 (RJY), eight on June 2 (JB) and one in June 7 (JB). On May
24 one was seen at Con. 12 on the Burnt Lands, Lanark (RAL, PH, BBr, CL, JG) and one was caught and
released at Ritchie Falls, Lochlin, Haliburton (EP). RJY reported one on May 25 on Alvar Rd., on the
Carden Plain, Kawartha Lakes. The last record of the year was on June 11 at the old airfield in Algonquin
PP, Nipissing (BHo).
JUTTA ARCTIC

Oeneis jutta

In 2008 - 4 records, all from Thunder Bay: one caught and released on June 25 on a bog mat at Jourdain
Lake, S of Muskeg Lake (SB), and three sight records from NGE, on June 18 at a bog 5 km N of Raith, on
June 25 at Reckett Rd. in Sedgeman Lake PNR, and on July 6 at William Bog, in the City of Thunder Bay.
MONARCH

Danaus plexippus

In 2008 - 616 records. The first report was very early: on April 27 one was observed through binoculars, at
Port Glasgow, Elgin by DMa and four others; this data was received from Don Davis of Monarch Watch.
The next reports are on more normal dates: May 8 at Point Pelee NP, Essex (JB); May 10 and 15 at West
Elgin, Elgin (AJH); and May 15 at Toronto, Metro Toronto (BH). In Algonquin PP, the earliest report
was of one seen at McManus Lake, Nipissing on June 5 (CB, EH). In the north, the season started on June 4
with one seen at Manitoulin Island, Manitoulin (BRi) with another seen on June 6 at Englehart,
Timiskaming (SRi) and a third on June 7 at Alice Ave., Thunder Bay, Thunder Bay (NGE). Monarchs were
everywhere in lower numbers than usual, and this was not helped by the large number of cloudy and rainy
days in May and June. But the numbers picked up somewhat in late summer. At Oakville Harbour, Halton,
DD captured, tagged and released 65 Monarchs on August 25 and another 156 on September 4. He also
tagged 65 on September 2 on the Lake Ontario shore near Barnes Rd, E of Colbourne, Northumberland,
and 93 on September 23 at Cranberry Marsh, Whitby, Durham. On September 12 LAM caught and released
at Long Point Tip, Norfolk a Monarch which had been tagged on September 4 by Lisa Johnson at Ann
Arbour, Michigan. In eight days it had flown 300 km, in a direction slightly north of east. On September 15
DaB reported a roost of about 100 at Hawk Cliff, Port Stanley, Elgin, and on September 17 DBr reported at
59

Ontario Lepidoptera 2008_______________________________________________________________________

least 100 and good movement through Presquile PP, Northumberland and RJY counted 214 at South
Humber Park, Metro Toronto. On September 19 and 20 DaB reported thousands migrating past Hawk Cliff,
Port Stanley, Elgin. On August 28 SB saw two on the E shore of the Nipigon River, opposite Nipigon
Marina, Thunder Bay, and on September 24 SMa saw one in the parking lot of the Visitor Centre,
Algonquin PP, Nipissing, the last Algonquin record. There were no more reports of large numbers, but
sightings continued throughout October into November, with four November records, all singles: on
November 7 at Calf Pasture, Presquile PP, Northumberland (KAn), on November 8 at Cranberry Marsh,
Whitby, Durham (GC), and at the Leslie St. Spit, Metro Toronto on November 4 (RJY) and November 17
(AG): amazingly, these last two individuals were reported as fresh.

60

Ontario Lepidoptera 2008_______________________________________________________________________

CHECKLIST OF ONTARIO BUTTERFLIES AND SKIPPERS


by Colin D. Jones

Superfamily: HESPERIOIDEA Latreille


Family: HESPERIIDAE Latreille
Subfamily: Pyrginae Burmeister

SKIPPERS
PYRGINE SKIPPERS

___ Epargyreus clarus (Cramer)


a) clarus
___ Urbanus proteus (Linnaeus)
___ Achalarus lyciades (Geyer)
___ Thorybes bathyllus (J.E. Smith)
___ Thorybes pylades (Scudder)
a) pylades
___ Staphylus hayhurstii (W.H. Edwards)
___ Erynnis icelus (Scudder & Burgess)
___ Erynnis brizo (Boisduval & Leconte)
a) brizo
___ Erynnis juvenalis (Fabricius)
a) juvenalis
___ Erynnis horatius (Scudder & Burgess)
___ Erynnis martialis (Scudder)
___ Erynnis zarucco (Lucas)
___ Erynnis funeralis (Scudder & Burgess)
___ Erynnis lucilius (Scudder & Burgess)
___ Erynnis baptisiae (Forbes)
___ Erynnis persius (Scudder)
a) persius
b) borealis (Cary)
___ Pyrgus centaureae (Rambur)
a) freija (Warren)
___ Pyrgus communis (Grote)
___ Pholisora catullus (Fabricius)

SILVER-SPOTTED SKIPPER
LONG-TAILED SKIPPER
HOARY EDGE
SOUTHERN CLOUDYWING
NORTHERN CLOUDYWING
HAYHURST'S SCALLOPWING
DREAMY DUSKYWING
SLEEPY DUSKYWING
JUVENAL'S DUSKYWING
HORACE'S DUSKYWING
MOTTLED DUSKYWING
ZARUCCO DUSKYWING
FUNEREAL DUSKYWING
COLUMBINE DUSKYWING
WILD INDIGO DUSKYWING
PERSIUS DUSKYWING

GRIZZLED SKIPPER
COMMON CHECKERED SKIPPER
COMMON SOOTYWING

Subfamily Heteropterinae Aurivillius

INTERMEDIATE SKIPPERS

___ Carterocephalus palaemon (Pallas)


a) mandan (W.H. Edwards)

ARCTIC SKIPPER

Subfamily Hesperiinae Latreille

BRANDED SKIPPERS

___ Lerema accius (J.E. Smith)


___ Ancyloxypha numitor (Fabricius)
___ Oarisma garita (Reakirt)
___ Thymelicus lineola (Ochsenheimer)
___ Hylephila phyleus (Drury)
a) phyleus
___ Hesperia comma (Linnaeus)
a) manitoba (Scudder)
b) borealis Lindsey
c) laurentina (Lyman)
___ Hesperia leonardus Harris
a) leonardus
___ Hesperia sassacus Harris
___ Polites peckius (W. Kirby)
___ Polites themistocles (Latreille)
___ Polites origenes (Fabricius)
a) origenes
___Polites mystic (W.H. Edwards)

CLOUDED SKIPPER
LEAST SKIPPER
GARITA SKIPPERLING
EUROPEAN SKIPPER
FIERY SKIPPER
COMMON BRANDED SKIPPER

LEONARD'S SKIPPER
INDIAN SKIPPER
PECK'S SKIPPER
TAWNY-EDGED SKIPPER
CROSSLINE SKIPPER
LONG DASH SKIPPER

61

Ontario Lepidoptera 2008_______________________________________________________________________

___ Polites vibex (Geyer)


a) vibex
___ Wallengrenia egeremet (Scudder)
___ Pompeius verna (W.H. Edwards)
___ Atalopedes campestris (Boisduval)
___ Anatrytone logan (W.H. Edwards)
a) logan
___ Poanes massasoit (Scudder)
a) massasoit
___ Poanes hobomok (Harris)
= form pocahontas (Scudder)
___ Poanes zabulon (Boisduval and Leconte)
___ Poanes viator (W.H. Edwards)
a) viator
___ Euphyes dion (W.H. Edwards)
a) dion
___ Euphyes dukesi (Lindsey)
___ Euphyes conspicua (W.H. Edwards)
a) conspicua
___ Euphyes bimacula (Grote & Robinson)
a) bimacula
___ Euphyes vestris (Boisduval)
a) metacomet (Harris)
___ Atrytonopsis hianna (Scudder)
a) hianna
___ Amblyscirtes hegon (Scudder)
___ Amblyscirtes vialis (W.H. Edwards)
___ Calpodes ethlius (Stoll)
___ Panoquina ocola (W.H. Edwards)

WHIRLABOUT
NORTHERN BROKEN-DASH
LITTLE GLASSYWING
SACHEM
DELAWARE SKIPPER
MULBERRY WING
HOBOMOK SKIPPER
ZABULON SKIPPER
BROAD-WINGED SKIPPER
DION SKIPPER
DUKES' SKIPPER
BLACK DASH
TWO-SPOTTED SKIPPER
DUN SKIPPER
DUSTED SKIPPER
PEPPER AND SALT SKIPPER
COMMON ROADSIDE SKIPPER
BRAZILIAN SKIPPER
OCOLA SKIPPER

Superfamily PAPILIONOIDEA Latreille


Family PAPILIONIDAE Latreille
Subfamily Papilioninae Latreille
___ Battus philenor (Linnaeus)
a) philenor
___ Eurytides marcellus (Cramer)
___ Papilio polyxenes Fabricius
a) asterias Stoll
___ Papilio machaon Linnaeus
a) hudsonianus A.H. Clark
___ Papilio cresphontes Cramer
___ Papilio glaucus Linnaeus
a) glaucus
___ Papilio canadensis Rothschild & Jordan
___ Papilio troilus Linnaeus
a) troilus

SWALLOWTAILS
PIPEVINE SWALLOWTAIL
ZEBRA SWALLOWTAIL
BLACK SWALLOWTAIL
OLD WORLD SWALLOWTAIL
GIANT SWALLOWTAIL
EASTERN TIGER SWALLOWTAIL
CANADIAN TIGER SWALLOWTAIL
SPICEBUSH SWALLOWTAIL

Family PIERIDAE Duponchel


Subfamily Pierinae Duponchel

WHITES AND MARBLES

___ Pontia protodice (Boisduval & Leconte)


___ Pontia occidentalis (Reakirt)
a) occidentalis
___ Pieris oleracea Harris
a) oleracea
___ Pieris virginiensis W.H. Edwards
___ Pieris rapae (Linnaeus)
___ Ascia monuste (Linnaeus)
___ Euchloe ausonides Lucas
a) ausonides
___ Euchloe olympia (W.H. Edwards)

CHECKERED WHITE
WESTERN WHITE
MUSTARD WHITE
WEST VIRGINIA WHITE
CABBAGE WHITE
GREAT SOUTHERN WHITE
LARGE MARBLE
OLYMPIA MARBLE

62

Ontario Lepidoptera 2008_______________________________________________________________________

Subfamily Coliadinae Swainson

SULPHURS

___ Colias philodice Godart


a) philodice
___ Colias eurytheme Boisduval
___ Colias gigantea Strecker
a) gigantea
___ Colias pelidne Boisduval & Leconte
a) pelidne
___ Colias interior Scudder
___ Colias palaeno (Linnaeus)
a) chippewa (W.H. Edwards)
___ Zerene cesonia (Stoll)
___ Phoebis sennae (Linnaeus)
a) eubule (Linnaeus)
___ Phoebis philea (Linnaeus)
___ Eurema mexicanum (Boisduval)
___ Pyrisitia lisa (Boisduval & Leconte)
___ Abaeis nicippe (Cramer)
___ Nathalis iole (Boisduval)

CLOUDED SULPHUR

ORANGE-BARRED SULPHUR
MEXICAN YELLOW
LITTLE YELLOW
SLEEPY ORANGE
DAINTY SULPHUR

Family LYCAENIDAE Leach


Subfamily Miletinae Corbet

HARVESTERS

___ Feniseca tarquinius (Fabricius)

THE HARVESTER

Subfamily Lycaeninae Leach

COPPERS

___ Lycaena phlaeas (Linnaeus)


a) americana Harris
___ Lycaena dione (Scudder)
___ Lycaena hyllus (Cramer)
___ Lycaena epixanthe (Boisduval & Leconte)
a) michiganensis Rawson
___ Lycaena dorcas W. Kirby
a) dorcas
___ Lycaena helloides (Boisduval)

AMERICAN COPPER

ORANGE SULPHUR
GIANT SULPHUR
PELIDNE SULPHUR
PINK-EDGED SULPHUR
PALAENO SULPHUR
SOUTHERN DOGFACE
CLOUDLESS SULPHUR

GREY COPPER
BRONZE COPPER
BOG COPPER
DORCAS COPPER
PURPLISH COPPER

Subfamily Theclinae Swainson

HAIRSTREAKS

___ Satyrium acadica (W.H. Edwards)


a) acadica
___ Satyrium titus (Fabricius)
a) titus
___ Satyrium edwardsii (Grote & Robinson)
___ Satyrium calanus (Hbner)
a) falacer (Godart)
___ Satyrium caryaevorus (McDunnough)
___ Satyrium liparops (Leconte)
a) strigosum (Harris)
b) fletcheri (Michener & dos Passos)
___ Satyrium favonius (J.E. Smith)
a) ontario (W.H. Edwards)
___ Callophrys gryneus (Hbner)
a) gryneus
___ Callophrys augustinus (Westwood)
a) augustinus
___ Callophrys polios (Cook & Watson)
a) polios
___ Callophrys irus (Godart)
a) irus
___ Callophrys henrici (Grote & Robinson)
a) henrici

ACADIAN HAIRSTREAK
CORAL HAIRSTREAK
EDWARDS HAIRSTREAK
BANDED HAIRSTREAK
HICKORY HAIRSTREAK
STRIPED HAIRSTREAK

SOUTHERN HAIRSTREAK
JUNIPER HAIRSTREAK
BROWN ELFIN
HOARY ELFIN
FROSTED ELFIN
HENRYS ELFIN

63

Ontario Lepidoptera 2008_______________________________________________________________________

___ Callophrys lanoraieensis (Sheppard)


___ Callophrys niphon (Hbner)
a) clarki (T.N. Freeman)
___ Callophrys eryphon (Boisduval)
b) eryphon
___ Parrhasius m-album (Boisduval & Leconte)
___ Strymon melinus Hbner
a) melinus
b) franki Field
___ Erora laeta (W.H. Edwards)

BOG ELFIN
EASTERN PINE ELFIN

EARLY HAIRSTREAK

Subfamily Polyommatinae Swainson

BLUES

___ Leptotes marina (Reakirt)


___ Cupido comyntas (Godart)
a) comyntas
___ Cupido amyntula (Boisduval)
a) albrighti Clench
___ Celastrina ladon (Cramer)
a) lucia (W. Kirby)
___ Celastrina neglecta (W.H. Edwards)
a) neglecta
___ Celastrina serotina Pavulaan and Wright
___ Glaucopsyche lygdamus (Doubleday)
a) couperi Grote
___ Plebejus idas (Linnaeus)
a) scudderi (W.H. Edwards)
___ Plebejus melissa (W.H. Edwards)
a) samuelis Nabokov
___ Plebejus saepiolus (Boisduval)
a) amica (W.H. Edwards)
___ Plebejus glandon (de Prunner)
d) franklinii (Curtis)

MARINE BLUE
EASTERN TAILED BLUE

WESTERN PINE ELFIN


WHITE-M HAIRSTREAK
GREY HAIRSTREAK

WESTERN TAILED BLUE


SPRING AZURE
SUMMER AZURE
CHERRY GALL AZURE
SILVERY BLUE
NORTHERN BLUE
MELISSA (KARNER) BLUE
GREENISH BLUE
ARCTIC BLUE

Family NYMPHALIDAE Swainson


Subfamily Libyteinae Boisduval

SNOUTS

___ Libytheana carienta (Cramer)


a) bachmanii (Kirtland)

AMERICAN SNOUT

Subfamily Argynninae Blanchard

FRITILLARIES

___ Euptoieta claudia (Cramer)


___ Speyeria cybele (Fabricius)
a) cybele
b) krautwurmi (Holland)
___ Speyeria aphrodite (Fabricius)
a) aphrodite
b) alcestis (W.H. Edwards)
___ Speyeria idalia (Drury)
___ Speyeria atlantis (W.H. Edwards)
a) atlantis (W.H. Edwards)
b) canadensis (dos Passos)
___ Boloria eunomia (Esper)
a) triclaris (Hbner)
b) dawsoni (Barnes & McDunnough)
___ Boloria selene [Denis & Schiffermuller]
a) atrocostalis (Huard)

VARIEGATED FRITILLARY
GREAT SPANGLED FRITILLARY

APHRODITE FRITILLARY

REGAL FRITILLARY
ATLANTIS FRITILLARY

BOG FRITILLARY

SILVER-BORDERED FRITILLARY

64

Ontario Lepidoptera 2008_______________________________________________________________________

___ Boloria bellona (Fabricius)


a) bellona
b) toddi (Holland)
___ Boloria frigga (Thunberg)
a) saga (Staudinger)
___ Boloria freija (Thunberg)
a) freija
___ Boloria chariclea (Schneider)
a) arctica (Zetterstedt)
b) grandis (Barnes & McDunnough)

MEADOW FRITILLARY

SAGA FRITILLARY
FREIJA FRITILLARY
ARCTIC FRITILLARY

Subfamily Melitaeinae Grote

CHECKERSPOTS AND CRESCENTS

___ Chlosyne gorgone (Hbner)


a) carlota (Reakirt)
___ Chlosyne nycteis (Doubleday)
a) nycteis
___ Chlosyne harrisii (Scudder)
a) harrisii
___ Phyciodes tharos (Drury)
a) tharos
___ Phyciodes cocyta (Cramer)
___ Phyciodes batesii (Reakirt)
a) batesii
___ Euphydryas phaeton (Drury)
a) phaeton

GORGONE CHECKERSPOT
SILVERY CHECKERSPOT
HARRISS CHECKERSPOT
PEARL CRESCENT
NORTHERN CRESCENT
TAWNY CRESCENT
BALTIMORE CHECKERSPOT

Subfamily Nymphalinae Swainson

ANGLEWINGS, TORTOISESHELLS, THISTLE


BUTTERFLIES AND PEACOCKS

___ Polygonia interrogationis (Fabricius)


= form umbrosa (Lintner)
___ Polygonia comma (Harris)
___ Polygonia satyrus (W.H. Edwards)
___ Polygonia faunus (W.H. Edwards)
a) faunus
___ Polygonia gracilis (Grote & Robinson)
a) gracilis
___ Polygonia progne (Cramer)
___ Nymphalis vaualbum ([Denis & Schiffermuller])
a) j-album (Boisduval & Leconte)
___ Nymphalis antiopa (Linnaeus)
___ Aglais milberti (Godart)
a) milberti
___ Vanessa virginiensis (Drury)
___ Vanessa cardui (Linnaeus)
___ Vanessa atalanta (Linnaeus)
a) rubria (Fruhstorfer)
___ Junonia coenia (Hbner)
a) coenia

QUESTION MARK
EASTERN COMMA
SATYR COMMA
GREEN COMMA
HOARY COMMA
GREY COMMA
COMPTON TORTOISESHELL
MOURNING CLOAK
MILBERTS TORTOISESHELL
AMERICAN LADY
PAINTED LADY
RED ADMIRAL
COMMON BUCKEYE

Subfamily Limenitidinae Behr

ADMIRALS

___ Limenitis arthemis (Drury)


a) arthemis (Drury)
b) astyanax (Fabricius)
___ Limenitis archippus (Cramer)
a) archippus

WHITE ADMIRAL
RED-SPOTTED PURPLE
VICEROY

65

Ontario Lepidoptera 2008_______________________________________________________________________

Subfamily Apaturinae Boisduval

EMPERORS

___ Asterocampa celtis (Boisduval & Leconte)


a) celtis
___ Asterocampa clyton (Boisduval & Leconte)
a) clyton

HACKBERRY EMPEROR
TAWNY EMPEROR

Subfamily Satyrinae Boisduval

SATYRS AND WOOD-NYMPHS

___ Enodia anthedon A.H. Clark


___ Satyrodes eurydice (Linnaeus)
a) eurydice
___ Satyrodes appalachia (R.L. Chermock)
a) leeuwi (Gatrelle & Arbogast)
___ Megisto cymela (Cramer)
a) cymela
___ Coenonympha tullia (Mller)
a) inornata W.H. Edwards
___ Cercyonis pegala (Fabricius)
a) nephele (W. Kirby)
___ Erebia mancinus Doubleday
___ Erebia discoidalis (W. Kirby)
a) discoidalis
___ Oeneis macounii (W.H. Edwards)
___ Oeneis chryxus (Doubleday & Hewitson)
a) strigulosa McDunnough
b) calais (Scudder)
___ Oeneis jutta (Hbner)
b) ascerta Masters & Sorensen
d) harperi F.H. Chermock
___ Oeneis melissa (Fabricius)
a) semplei Holland
___ Oeneis polixenes (Fabricius)
a) beringianus Kurentzov

NORTHERN PEARLY-EYE
EYED BROWN
APPALACHIAN BROWN
LITTLE WOOD-SATYR
COMMON RINGLET
COMMON WOOD-NYMPH
TAIGA ALPINE
RED-DISKED ALPINE
MACOUNS ARCTIC
CHRYXUS ARCTIC

JUTTA ARCTIC

MELISSA ARCTIC
POLIXENES ARCTIC

Subfamily Danainae Duponchel

MILKWEED BUTTTERFLIES

___ Danaus plexippus (Linnaeus)


a) plexippus

MONARCH

66

Ontario Lepidoptera 2008_______________________________________________________________________

PUBLICATIONS AVAILABLE FROM THE TEA


Books: reproductions of out-of-print books
The Odonata of Canada & Alaska (3 volumes) by E.M. Walker
$185 Can ($170 for TEA members who pick it up); In USA: $160 US surface; $170 US airmail
The Cicindelidae of Canada (tiger beetles) by J.B. Wallis (1961) with colour plates
$28 Can ($23 for TEA members who pick it up); In USA: $33 US surface: $36 US airmail
The North American Dragonflies of the Genus Aeshna by E.M. Walker (1921) with colour plates
$115 Can ($105 for TEA members who pick it up); In USA: $125 US surface; $128 US airmail
The North American Dragonflies of the Genus Somatochlora by E.M.Walker (1925)
$60 Can ($50 for TEA members who pick it up); In USA: $70 US surface: $73 US airmail

Books: Other publishers


Damselflies and Dragonflies (Odonata) of Ontario: Resource Guide and Annotated List
By P.M. Catling and V.R. Brownell 2000. Annotated list of 168 species of odonata in Ontario including conservation
status, flight period, habitat, distribution and identification. $40 Can; In USA: $40 US.

Books: T.E.A. publications


The Ontario Butterfly Atlas by A.M. Holmes, R.R. Tasker, Q.F.Hess, A.J.Hanks (1991)
ISBN: 0921631111 $25 Can ($20 for TEA members who pick it up); In USA: $25 US
Ontario Insects T.E.A. Newsjournal
Back Issues: $5 Can each; In USA: $5 US; Subscription: $25 Can; In USA: $25 US
Annual Ontario Lepidoptera Summaries (for 1987, 88, 93, 95 to present)
$10 Can each; In USA: $10 US surface; $15 US airmail (yearly issues free with T.E.A. membership)
Ontario Odonata (annual)
This publication includes the years Odonata observations and several articles and notes on the Odonata of Ontario.
Past issues have included articles on behaviour, distribution, regional checklists, conservation and illustrated keys.
Volume 1 (1999) 16 articles plus summary. 153 pages. $25 Can; In USA/overseas: $25 US
Volume 3 (2001) 18 articles plus summary. 208 pages. $25 Can; In USA/overseas: $25 US
Volume 5 (2003) 6 articles plus summary. 145 pages. $20 Can; In USA/overseas: $25 US
Volume 6 (2004) 6 articles plus summary. 202 pages. $25 Can; In USA/overseas: $25 US
Volume 7 (2005) 6 articles plus summary. 226 pages. $25 Can; In USA/overseas: $28 US
Checklist of the Butterflies of the Toronto Region: 140 years of history (Third edition, 2007)
Includes flight seasons. Compiled by Barry Harrison. $2.00 Can; In USA/overseas: $2.50 US

For complete details and to order contact:


Alan Hanks, 34 Seaton Drive, Aurora Ontario L4G 2K1; (905) 727-6993, alan.hanks@sympatico.ca
Please make cheques or money orders payable to the Toronto Entomologists Association

67

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