Observation of the week – June 5-11, 2022
Hello Butterfly Blitzers! Our project is now at close to 200 observations of 32 species. It’s getting tougher to choose just one observation to highlight each week – keep up the great work!
This week’s OOTW is an introduced species, the this European Common Blue, observed by Laurie (aka @betcrooks). This species was first observed in the Credit River Watershed last year, also by Laurie!
Laurie has been an avid participant of the butterfly blitz since 2019. Her butterfly observations often include interesting details on butterfly behaviour and the plants they interact with. She also runs her own blog, where she shares her findings.
Laurie says: “I like to watch butterflies, and everything alive, on slow-paced walks along a bike trail through an overgrown meadow and woodlot near my home. I have a telephoto lens to take butterfly photos from the trail (Ick, ticks!). I take many shots of flying butterflies and often accidentally get a clear photo for an id.”
Laurie has learned plenty through her experiences in identifying butterflies. She describes her adventures of learning how to identify blues:
“When I first started identifying butterflies, I tried to get the perfect photo of the top of the wings. I soon discovered, though, that it is the undersides of the wings that help identify the small blue butterflies in Mississauga. The trail near my home was home to three different types: Silvery Blues, Azures and Eastern-tailed Blues. As of last year, a fourth blue type has arrived: European Common Blues.
The European Common Blue was first discovered in Canada in the Montreal area in 2007. The species has been increasing in population size and spreading to new locations, including into Ontario, over the past few years. However, a study from the University of Ottawa found that the dispersal of European Common Blues may be limited by the how far the adult butterflies can fly. Females fly an average of 60-100 m, while some males can make it up to 400 m. This might be good news, as some predicted that they would quickly spread throughout the range of their host plant, Bird’s-foot Trefoil – another introduced species.
Laurie is also interested in keeping track of how European Common Blues are spreading. About this butterfly, she noted: “This is a female European Common Blue. Its front and hind wings on one side have a rectangular hole in the margin. I am sorry to see wing damage, but I use it to identify the individual when I meet it again. I can then estimate how long an individual lives and whether it stays in a small territory or moves long distances. I've already seen this exact butterfly three days later only a few metres away from where we first met.”
“I'm curious whether the females routinely fly long distances, "dotting" eggs as they travel, or whether they prefer to stay in a small area and each generation gradually moves out widening their colony's range. […] This one female supports the gradual widening approach is at work. But if later this summer European Common Blues start appearing in back yards and roadsides for a day or two then disappearing, I will have another clue to ponder.”
iNaturalist observations can help researchers and curious butterfliers to understand more about the European Common Blue and many other species. Keep making butterfly observations and you too can help build our knowledge. As Laurie says, “There is always so much to learn and wonder about while watching these small colourful insects.”
Thanks for reading and happy butterflying!
Written by @lltimms, Senior Specialist in Natural Heritage, CVC and @kristenvalencia, Program Assistant in Community Outreach, CVC
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