Wednesday, April 27, 2016

Spring azure

Celastrina laden
April 26, 2016
This pale blue beauty fluttering along elfin creek.

I read in 'The Butterflies of Canada';
'It hibernates as a pupa , with the adult emerging in early spring. 
The larvae feed on a wide variety of usually white-flowering trees and shrubs.'
And indeed close to where i spotted the butterfly, are high-bush cranberries (Viburnum) and red-osier dogwood (Cornus) and along the lake a little farther are blueberries (Vaccinium).

and April 24, 2017
blue china swamp, same place every time i went there for a few weeks.

Friday, April 8, 2016

Wednesday, April 6, 2016

Old World Swallowtail

Papilio machaon
June 19, 2015 on top of winter mountain

This on does look like the subspecies Papilio machaon oregonius

Western White

probably Western White
Pontia occidentalis
June 19, 2015
right on top of winter mountain we were surrounded by them

Tuesday, April 5, 2016

Jutta Arctic

Oeneis jutta
June 15, 2015
Moose skull lake
June 14, 2017, on the driveway
a male, according to Crispin Guppy

I think this butterfly is biennial , meaning it's cycle is two years, next year i suppose it will be a caterpillar, and in 2019 we hope to see it as a butterfly again.

Saturday, April 2, 2016