Observation(s) of the Week: July 24th - 30th, 2022

A few updates before we get into our 11th OOTW:

  1. We’re having a Butterfly Blitz Photo Contest (all ages): Contest runs August 8th to September 8th, 2022. See details here.
  2. Don’t forget to register for the Butterfly Blitz hike at Rattray Marsh.
  3. Our project is up to 63 species and 1,100+ observations . Thank you for the time and effort you’ve put towards observing butterflies in the watershed!

A butterfly species has officially overtaken the Cabbage White as the most observed species in the Butterfly Blitz project. So, we thought it was time to feature one of the most recognizable species in Canada., the Monarch!

For this week’s OOTW, we have chosen two of Peeter’s (@peeterinclarkson) observations as we couldn’t decide on just one.
Monarch butterfly in mid-flight and Monarch and bumblebee species facing off on purple coneflower.

When asked about his beautiful butterfly photography, Peeter commented, “Last year, thanks to the Butterfly Blitz, I began my effort to recognize and photograph more butterfly species. I use a telephoto lens to optimize my chances of capturing an image without disturbing the butterfly. These two images were taken at Jack Darling Park which has a wonderful selection of native plants.”

We’re seeing so many Monarchs this time of year because they’re preparing to make their migration south. The Monarch migration is fascinating, and we’ve only touched on this journey in earlier OOTW journals from 2019, 2020, and 2021. One aspect of this journey that has always turned my curiosity, is how they find their way. Experts believe that monarchs likely use a variety of environmental queues to find their way. They rely on the sun's positioning and the earth's magnetic pull to find their overwintering location. With the help of air currents and thermals, they can fly as far as 3,000 miles to reach their destination! Read more here and here .

Next time you see a Monarch in late summer, be sure to wish them well on their journey south.
Thanks for reading and happy butterflying!

Written by @kristenvalencia, Program Assistant in Community Outreach, CVC.

Posted on 05 de agosto de 2022, 03:45 PM by kristenvalencia kristenvalencia

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