Chasing Butterflies!

text and photos : Norma A. Hubbard (August 2012)
Butterflies were part of my childhood. I can remember swarms of yellow butterflies in the mud on our driveway. And what kid hasn’t chased a butterfly? I know I did. I never expected to catch one; it was more of a game – a game that the butterflies seemed to be playing by staying just out of my reach. Today I still chase butterflies, but with my camera. Butterflies still seem very playful as they often stay just out of focus, however if we catch them early mornings before they warm up or when they are too busy drinking nectar from flowers to notice us, we can get some great shots.

There are many beautiful butterflies in our region, including the Canadian Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio Canadensis). This butterfly is well-known due to its large wingspan of 53 to 90 mm and its bright yellow colouring with a black tiger-stripe pattern. These striking butterflies can often be sighted in spring on lilacs. The Canadian Tiger Swallowtail has only one generation in a year. A generation includes four stages: adult (butterfly), ovum (egg), larva (caterpillar), and pupa (chrysalis).

A butterfly that almost everyone can recognize is the Monarch (Danaus plexippus). The Monarch is one of the largest butterflies in Canada with a wingspan of 93 to 105 mm. I use to wonder how a butterfly could make the migration to Mexico and back; now I know it is not one butterfly who does the whole journey, but four butterflies. The life cycle of this butterfly is quite interesting.

Sources differ in their description of the cycle, but in general it seems to go like this: Monarchs have four generations in a year. It seems three of these generations live and die here, and only the final generation, a butterfly, lives the longest and makes the migration to Mexico in the fall. Sadly this beautiful orange and black butterfly is threatened due to lost of habitat all along its migration route. So help our Monarchs and keep a few Milkweed plants on your land. The Monarch only lays eggs on Milkweed since the larvae only eat Milkweed. I checked my Milkweed and found a caterpillar; it was quite amazing to see. It had bright yellow, black and white stripes. A Monarch larva only lasts about two weeks before entering the pupa stage.

Another butterfly to watch for is the White Admiral (Limenitis arthemis arthemis). This blue-black butterfly with bold white stripes across its wings is the official insect of Quebec. While a bit smaller than Monarchs and Swallowtails, the White Admiral (wingspan: 73-79 mm) is no less beautiful and can be seen all over Quebec.

These are only three of the hundreds of butterflies in our area. Unfortunately my photos are printed in black and white, but there are many online sources with excellent photos to help us identify our butterflies. So plant a few flowers, such as Marigold, Coneflower, Verbena, Asters, Butterfly Weed, Black-eyed Susan, or Lilies, use less pesti- cides, and leave some Milkweed to grow and then we will have plenty of butterflies for our children to chase!

Source :  www.butterfliesandmoths.org/