For the past several years, Colin Jones has been organizing a bioblitz that takes place on Canada Day. The first was created in 2017 as a celebration of Canada's biodiversity and it has become an annual event.
What exactly is a bioblitz? It is an attempt by a group of people to collectively identify as many species as possible in a particular geographic area for a particular period of time. Usually they are set up as a 24 hour event and take place in a small area. Organized bioblitzes occur annually in numerous locales throughout Ontario (and across the world). This particular bioblitz was organized as a "project" through the website iNaturalist; any sighting of any species submitted for July 1 from anywhere in Canada would be added to the project, linked to here.
I decided to give it a shot this year and see how many species I could document and upload to iNaturalist. Obviously if trying to find a high total number of species in just one day, a particular strategy is needed. Personally, I focused on plants and insects. The diversity of both of these groups is just so high that you are wasting valuable time if you are trying to photograph "big game" like vertebrates. I planned on setting up my moth sheet late on June 30 and staying until the wee hours of the morning. After a well-deserved rest, I would do a bit of botany during the day and set up the sheet again for more mothing the next night.
My chosen location for the first night was FWR Dickson Wilderness Area located about 13 minutes from home in North Dumfries Township. My friends Todd and Kathryn joined for the evening and we had a blast!
The "best" moth of the night was this one, identified as Lobesia bicinctana. It is an uncommon species with most of its few records from northeast North America. I can't find any other photos of this species from Ontario, and this is only the second record on iNaturalist for Canada.
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| Lobesia bicinctana - FWR Dickson Wilderness Area, Waterloo Region |
Some of the first insects to appear on the sheet each evening are caddisflies. Most of them are small, rather nondescript and almost impossible to identify (for me, at least). But some of the Giant Casemaker Caddisflies (Phryganeidae) can be figured out relatively easily. These organisms spend most of their lives in the substrate of streams and other waterbodies, only living for a short time as the adult form.
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| Limnephilus ornatus - FWR Dickson Wilderness Area, Waterloo Region |
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| Banksiola crotchi - FWR Dickson Wilderness Area, Waterloo Region |
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| Macrostemum zebratum - FWR Dickson Wilderness Area, Waterloo Region |
Mayflies are another group that live for only a short time as the winged adult form.
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| Callibaetus ferrugineus (tentative ID) - FWR Dickson Wilderness Area, Waterloo Region |
One of my favourite families of moths is the Notodontidae, commonly called Prominents. Many species are adorned with crazy shapes and colours and a few interesting ones dropped in for the evening.
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| Black-rimmed Prominent (Pheosia rimosa) - FWR Dickson Wilderness Area, Waterloo Region |
Unicorn Prominents look a git gaudy when on the sheet, but when placed on a tree trunk they are practically invisible.
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| Unicorn Prominent (Schizura unicornis) - FWR Dickson Wilderness Area, Waterloo Region |
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| Mottled Prominent (Macrurocampa marthesia) - FWR Dickson Wilderness Area, Waterloo Region |
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| Elegant Prominent (Pheosidia elegans) - FWR Dickson Wilderness Area, Waterloo Region |
While none of the big fancy silkmoths decided to show this evening, there was an abundance of other flashy moths such as these pictured next.
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| Spiny Oak-slug Moth (Euclea delphinii) - FWR Dickson Wilderness Area, Waterloo Region |
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| Green Leuconycta (Leuconycta diphteroides) - FWR Dickson Wilderness Area, Waterloo Region |
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| Joyful Virbia (Virbia laeta) - FWR Dickson Wilderness Area, Waterloo Region |
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| Yellow-necked Caterpillar Moth (Datana ministra) - FWR Dickson Wilderness Area, Waterloo Region |
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| Rose Hooktip (Oreta rosea) - FWR Dickson Wilderness Area, Waterloo Region |
While the bigger moths are great and all, it is the small "micromoths" that will really blow your mind. Having a macro lens allows a glimpse into this fascinating world. The patterns and colours of some of these species are just mindblowing!
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| Argyresthia oreasella - FWR Dickson Wilderness Area, Waterloo Region |
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| Pubitelphusa latifasciella - FWR Dickson Wilderness Area, Waterloo Region |
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| Epicallima argenticinctella - FWR Dickson Wilderness Area, Waterloo Region |
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| Mompha eloisella - FWR Dickson Wilderness Area, Waterloo Region |
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| Gracillaria syringella - FWR Dickson Wilderness Area, Waterloo Region |
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| Petrophila bifascialis - FWR Dickson Wilderness Area, Waterloo Region |
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| Coleophora trifolii - FWR Dickson Wilderness Area, Waterloo Region |
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| Four-lined Leafroller (Argyrotaenia quadrifasciana) - FWR Dickson Wilderness Area, Waterloo Region |
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| Decantha boreasella - FWR Dickson Wilderness Area, Waterloo Region |
Sphinx Moths (Sphingidae) were represented by three species, all of which seem to be pretty common in my (limited) experience - Twin-spotted, Small-eyed, and Northern Pine.
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| Small-eyed Sphinx (Paonias myops) and Splendid Dagger (Acronicta superans) - FWR Dickson Wilderness Area, Waterloo Region |
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| Northern Pine Sphinx (Lapara bombycoides) - FWR Dickson Wilderness Area, Waterloo Region |
Some moths hold their wings in unusual positions when at rest, most likely to assist with camouflage among their leafy or woody environments. The wings are actually normally shaped when flying. I caught this Brown Scoopwing before it furled its wings, an unusual look at this normally distinctive type of moth.
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| Brown Scoopwing (Calledapteryx dryopterata) - FWR Dickson Wilderness Area, Waterloo Region |
A few more of the strange-shaped moths!
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| Dimorphic Tosale (Tosale oviplagalis) - FWR Dickson Wilderness Area, Waterloo Region |
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| Plain Plume Moth (Hellinsia homodactylus) - FWR Dickson Wilderness Area, Waterloo Region |
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| Grape Plume Moth (Geina periscelidactylus) - FWR Dickson Wilderness Area, Waterloo Region |
This Spotted Apatelodes Moth really looks superficially like a Sphinx Moth but it is in fact in the family Apatelodidae. I was super stoked to see this one as it is a somewhat uncommon species that is found in the Carolinian Zone and a new one for me.
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| Spotted Apatelodes Moth (Apatelodes torrefacta) - FWR Dickson Wilderness Area, Waterloo Region |
Since this was a bioblitz after all (and not just a mothblitz) I made sure to try to photograph everything else on the sheet, especially anything that stood out due to its unique pattern. I believe this awesome dude is a Four-spotted Fungus Beetle (Ischyrus quadripunctatus).
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| Ischyrus quadripunctatus - FWR Dickson Wilderness Area, Waterloo Region |
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| Eastern Phantom Crane Fly (Bittacomorpha clavipes) - FWR Dickson Wilderness Area, Waterloo Region |
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| Peltodytes edentulus - FWR Dickson Wilderness Area, Waterloo Region |
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| Chrysops vittatus - FWR Dickson Wilderness Area, Waterloo Region |
Some organisms, like this cool hopper (genus Scaphoideus) I was unable to get down to species.
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Scaphoideus sp. - FWR Dickson Wilderness Area, North Dumfries, Waterloo Region
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Below are a few more random organisms that found themselves on or near the sheet at some point during the night.
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Common Lytrosis Moth (Lytrosis unitaria) - FWR Dickson Wilderness Area, Waterloo Region
 | Four-lined Plant Bug (Poecilocapsus lineatus) - FWR Dickson Wilderness Area, Waterloo Region
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| Olethreutes quadrifidium - FWR Dickson Wilderness Area, Waterloo Region |
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Saddled Leafhopper (Colladonus clitellarius) - FWR Dickson Wilderness Area, Waterloo Region
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| Cydia pomonella - FWR Dickson Wilderness Area, Waterloo Region |
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Banasa calva - FWR Dickson Wilderness Area, Waterloo Region
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| Glyptocera consobrinella - FWR Dickson Wilderness Area, Waterloo Region |
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| Erioptera venusta - FWR Dickson Wilderness Area, Waterloo Region |
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| Chrysopa oculata - FWR Dickson Wilderness Area, Waterloo Region |
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| Beggar Moth (Eubaphe mendica) - FWR Dickson Wilderness Area, Waterloo Region |
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| Baltimore Snout (Hypena baltimoralis) - FWR Dickson Wilderness Area, Waterloo Region |
Finally at around 2 AM I called it a night and packed up the sheet. When it was all said and done I had photographed over 150 species, including around 130 moth species - not a bad start!
I ended up relaxing at home for a good chunk of Canada Day, taking advantage of the hot and sunny conditions to spend time around the pool (life is tough). Finally around 5 PM I drove back to Dickson. This time I was hoping to add a bunch of plant species, as well as whatever other incidental things I could find. The temperature was still high but at least the sun was at a lower angle upon my arrival.
Dioctria hyalipennis - FWR Dickson Wilderness Area, Waterloo Region
Since time was of the essence I focused on the low hanging fruit - those plant species that are common and widespread and impossible to miss.
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| Dame's Rocket (Hesperis matronalis) - FWR Dickson Wilderness Area, Waterloo Region |
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| Red Maple (Acer rubrum) - FWR Dickson Wilderness Area, Waterloo Region |
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| Alsike Clover (Trifolium hybridum) - FWR Dickson Wilderness Area, Waterloo Region |
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| Bigtooth Aspen (Populus grandidentata) - FWR Dickson Wilderness Area, Waterloo Region |
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| Bladder Campion (Silene vulgaris) - FWR Dickson Wilderness Area, Waterloo Region |
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Tamarack (Larix laricina) - FWR Dickson Wilderness Area, Waterloo Region |
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I added several butterflies here including Northern Crecent, Appalachian Brown, Silver-spotted Skipper and Northern Pearly-Eye as well as four species of dragonflies in the late afternoon shadows.
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| Silver-spotted Skipper (Epargyreus clarus) - FWR Dickson Wilderness Area, Waterloo Region |
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| Northern Pearly-Eye (Lethe anthedon) - FWR Dickson Wilderness Area, Waterloo Region |
My vertebrate tally for the bioblitz was pretty weak since my attention was focused elsewhere. I only documented two mammal species - some howling coyotes after dark, and this Eastern Chipmunk.
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| Eastern Chipmunk - FWR Dickson Wilderness Area, Waterloo Region |
I documented about 20 bird species out of the 50 or so that I saw or heard - with most, I recorded them but I also photographed a few. The "best" bird that I came across was probably a begging juvenile Long-eared Owl heard late at night, while I also heard a few cuckoos which is quite expected given the exceptional numbers of them around this summer. A vocalizing Barred Owl missed the cutoff by literally sixty seconds after midnight!
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| Gray Catbird - FWR Dickson Wilderness Area, Waterloo Region |
I drove to nearby Sudden Tract at around 8 PM, giving me about an hour or so for more naturalizing fun before it was time to set up the moth sheet. I boosted my plant list during that time. I also made sure to record some more birds such as Scarlet Tanager, Wood Thrush, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, etc. But the main event was the mothing (of course).
As much fun as it was at Dickson the previous evening, this night at Sudden Tract blew it out of the water. The diversity was just insane and lots of really unique species showed up at the sheet. That included quite a few new ones for me (20+). It is pretty crazy that I am still adding this many new ones each time out. Moth diversity, I'm telling ya....
First up are some of my favourites from the evening.
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Bog Glyph (Deltote bellicula) - Sudden Tract, Waterloo Region
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Telamona sp. - Sudden Tract, Waterloo Region
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| Buck's Plum Moth (Geina buscki) - Sudden Tract, Waterloo Region |
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| Pink-shaded Fern Moth (Callopistria mollissima) - Sudden Tract, Waterloo Region |
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| White Eulithis Moth (Eulithis explanata) - Sudden Tract, Waterloo Region |
This rarely reported species is called Sparganothis flavibasana and there are very few good photos of it online. At least two individuals were on the sheet!
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| Sparganothis flavibasana - Sudden Tract, Waterloo Region |
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| Oak Beauty (Phaeoura quernaria) - Sudden Tract, Waterloo Region |
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| Harris's Three-Spot (Harrisimemna trisignata) - Sudden Tract, Waterloo Region |
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| Blurry-patched Nola Moth (Nola cilicoides) - Sudden Tract, Waterloo Region |
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| Straight-lined Looper (Pseudeva purpurigera) - Sudden Tract, Waterloo Region |
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| Orange-tufted Oneida Moth (Oneida lunulalis) - Sudden Tract, Waterloo Region |
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| Saw-Wing (Euchlaena serrata) - Sudden Tract, Waterloo Region |
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| Canadian Owlet (Calyptra canadensis) - Sudden Tract, Waterloo Region |
It was a particularly good night for slug moths, of which five species were noted.
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| Yellow-shouldered Slug Moth (Lithacodes fasciola) - Sudden Tract, Waterloo Region |
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| Yellow-collared Slug Moth (Apoda y-inversum) - Sudden Tract, Waterloo Region |
Two Polyphemus Moths appeared, one looking a lot fresher than the other.
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| Polyphemus Moth (Antheraea polyphemus) - Sudden Tract, Waterloo Region |
Around 11 PM I went for a walk to the nearby boardwalk that passes through an alder swamp and cattail marsh. I was hoping to add a bunch of plants and other things to my list before the day was over. It was certainly a success and in the 30 minutes I left the sheet I probably added another 20 species.
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| Bristly Greenbrier (Smilax tamnoides) - Sudden Tract, Waterloo Region |
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| Alder Sawfly (Eriocampa ovata) - Sudden Tract, Waterloo Region |
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| Winterberry Holly (Ilex verticillata) - Sudden Tract, Waterloo Region |
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| Appalachian Brown (Lethe appalachia) - Sudden Tract, Waterloo Region |
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| Tall Meadow-Rue (Thalictrum pubescens) - Sudden Tract, Waterloo Region |
The short foray to the boardwalk and back produced a few frog species.
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| Gray Treefrog - Sudden Tract, Waterloo Region |
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| Wood Frog - Sudden Tract, Waterloo Region |
As the minutes ticked down I scoured the sheet and surrounding vegetation, adding a few new ones. Then the clock struck midnight and it was over!
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| Olethreutes merrickana - Sudden Tract, Waterloo Region |
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| Sharp-lined Yellow (Sicya macularia) - Sudden Tract, Waterloo Region |
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| Dircaea liturata - Sudden Tract, Waterloo Region |
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| Linden Prominent (Ellida caniplaga) - Sudden Tract, Waterloo Region |
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| Fruit-tree Leafroller (Archips argyrospila) - Sudden Tract, Waterloo Region |
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| Dichrorampha bittana - Sudden Tract, Waterloo Region |
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| Yellow-necked Caterpillar Moth (Datana ministra) - Sudden Tract, Waterloo Region |
Because the mothing was so good I hung around for another two hours. This was a worthwhile choice since new species kept appearing. By far my favourite was my first ever Giant Leopard Moth!
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Giant Leopard Moth (Hypercompe scribonia) - Sudden Tract, Waterloo RegionAdd caption
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| Giant Leopard Moth (Hypercompe scribonia) - Sudden Tract, Waterloo Region |
And with that I called it a night. The bioblitz was a huge success and I am already looking forward to next year's. As of the time of this writing over 3800 species had been recorded collectively by over 2100 observers in Canada on July 1. A very good tally! Of those, I personally tallied between 320 and 330 species (I still need to upload some bird recordings), a number which I am pleased with considering I spent only 11 out of the 24 hours in the field. I wonder what is the upper limit that someone could document in a single day in Ontario. 500? 600? Higher even?
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