Butterflies and other insects in Haliburton

Following my success with the Mottled Duskywing, I checked out a few other neat areas this past week.

I stopped for an hour at Sandy Lake Road, located north of Havelock in Peterborough County. This road traverses a nice variety of habitats including alvars, many types of wetlands, forests and more. Sandy Lake Road is located at the southern edge of the Canadian Shield and many of the "southern shield butterflies" can be found here, including Tawny Crescent, Colombine Duskywing, Two-spotted Skipper, etc. Butterfly diversity is especially high here and it is a place that I have never visited this late in June.

One of the highlights was stumbling across my very first Common Roadside Skipper, nectaring on some Balsam Ragwort. This tiny skipper species is fairly common in this part of Ontario but for some reason I had never scared one up before!

Common Roadside Skipper - Sandy Lake Road, Peterborough County

With a bit of patience I was able to get a few better photos, though it took off for good before I could really steal its soul.

Common Roadside Skipper - Sandy Lake Road, Peterborough County

Indian Skippers have clearly emerged recently since that was the most abundant of the butterfly species present. This species is single-brooded and does not seem to have a long flight period, so it is easily missed.

Indian Skipper - Sandy Lake Road, Peterborough County

Indian Skipper - Sandy Lake Road, Peterborough County

Indian Skipper - Sandy Lake Road, Peterborough County

It was a little late in the year for some of the other Sandy Lake Road specialties, like Henry's, Hoary and Brown Elfin, or Olympia Marble. Chyrxus Arctic should still be flying but they too remained out of sight. No doubt the time of day (late afternoon) had something to do with the modest diversity of butterfly species. I was also just a little too early to bother putting in a solid search for Two-spotted Skipper. Especially with the year that we are having, they too are likely a week or more behind schedule.

Hobomok Skipper - Sandy Lake Road, Peterborough County

Among the many dragonflies zooming around I picked out a number of Elfin Skimmers, which was a new one for me.

Elfin Skimmer - Sandy Lake Road, Peterborough County

Frosted and Hudsonian Whitefaces were easily seen and photographed.  I wish I had a working dragonfly net since there were several darners and others flying around that remained identified.

Frosted Whiteface - Sandy Lake Road, Peterborough County

It pays to be alert while driving in this part of Ontario (or really, anywhere). I caught a glimpse of a large cervid out of the corner of my eye in a roadside marsh. I was a little disappointed, upon backtracking, to see that it was "only" a White-tailed Deer, not a moose as I had hoped.

White-tailed Deer - Sandy Lake Road, Peterborough County

Another excellent reason for being vigilant while on the road is the number of turtles that can be found crossing, especially in early and mid June. This year's nesting season is a bit delayed but all the turtles seemed to move this week. I saw close to a dozen Midland Painted Turtles, four Snapping Turtles and one Blanding's Turtle crossing the road during my travels on Tuesday and Wednesday. If possible, please stop and help them across the road! Road mortality may be the biggest threat facing Ontario's turtles and they need all the help they can get. The removal of a few adult turtles from a population could have serious consequences to the long-term viability of that population.

Midland Painted Turtle - Sandy Lake Road, Peterborough County

Snapping Turtle - City of Kawartha Lakes

Blanding's Turtle - City of Kawartha Lakes

Much of my time this week was spent just outside of the town of Haliburton. Wednesday morning's sunny skies and warm temperatures led to an explosion of insects out and about. Once I finished my breeding bird surveys I grabbed my camera for a walk about.

Hudsonian Whiteface - Haliburton County

Spiketails are a favorite genus of mine. These big, bold black and yellow dragonflies patrol streams and other small wetlands, and will often perch on nearby vegetation for a few minutes. This is a Delta-spotted Spiketail, taking a short break.

Delta-spotted Spiketail - Haliburton County

Several representatives of the genus Phanogomphus are commonly found throughout this part of Ontario. This is a notoriously difficult group and a good look at the reproductive bits are required to identify certain species. This one keys out as Dusky Clubtail.  

Dusky Clubtail - Haliburton County

Chalk-fronted Corporal and Four-spotted Skimmer were two of the most abundant species, not unexpected given the location and time of year. These species also happen to be quite easy to photograph since they will rest on or near the ground frequently.

Chalk-fronted Corporal - Haliburton County

Four-spotted Skimmer - Haliburton County

I've never really taken the time to look at one of these pygmy grasshoppers before. According to the keen minds of iNaturalist, this is Tetrix subulata, a widespread species found across much of Eurasia and North America.

Slender Groundhopper - Haliburton County

White Bog Violet is one of my favorite members of the genus Viola. Fortunately they were abundant in this area.

White Bog Violet - Haliburton County

A nice variety of butterflies were on the wing, especially preferring the sandy road that cut through mixed forest, with a meandering stream and associated cattail and sedge marsh found nearby. It was nice to see that the spring form of Mustard White was still flying.

Question Mark - Haliburton County

Mustard White - Haliburton County

Hobomok Skipper - Haliburton County

And of course, some tiger beetle fun...

Bronzed Tiger Beetle - Haliburton County

I was thrilled to come across this species; a new one for me. This is a Twelve-spotted Tiger Beetle, a relatively uncommon species that prefers sandy areas near wetlands.

Twelve-spotted Tiger Beetle - Haliburton County

Amphibian life is abundant in the mixed forests and wetlands of Haliburton County. As I walked I frequently scared up Northern Leopard Frogs or American Toads. Evidence of the latter species was very obvious at the fringes of a man-made pond, where thousands of American Toad tadpoles lurked around the edges.

Northern Leopard Frog - Haliburton County

Arctic Skipper is one of my favorite species in the group, in no small part due to their awesome pattering. Despite their name Arctic Skippers are quite common in central Ontario, but they do also range quite far north (not quite making it to the Arctic, though!).

Arctic Skipper

Duskywings are another favorite of mine and I have put in a lot of time this spring to see their diversity, and attempt to figure out their identifications. Dreamy Duskywing is one of the easier ones to identify since it lacks white apical spots in the forewing, and exhibits a distinctive silvery flush over much of its forewings.

Dreamy Duskywing - Haliburton County

I photographed a few more "odes" on my way out to my car.

Beaverpond Clubtail - Haliburton County

Aurora Damsel - Haliburton County

Racket-tailed Emerald - Haliburton County

Common Whitetail - Haliburton County

My next post will cover a few hours of exploration at the Carden Alvar, where I had one more particular butterfly I was hoping to encounter.

Mottled Duskywing hunting

This week, my job has taken me on a road trip of southern Ontario (or central Ontario, depending on your perspective). Over the last few days I have put a lot of miles on my car, but explored some unique areas, both on and off the clock! I'll be posting more photos from this trip soon, but at this time I wanted to focus on one particular highlight.

Earlier this week I came across my first Mottled Duskywing in Ontario. This species has undergone drastic declines over much of its range, and in Ontario it has disappeared from a number of historic sites. Nobody knows exactly why this species is so scarce, but it likely has to do with a combination of factors. These include habitat changes (they are very specific in their preferences), habitat loss, Gypsy Moth spraying, poaching, and others.

I managed to do some sleuthing and settled on several possible locations where this species could be found, focusing on areas where its foodplant (two species of New Jersey Tea, genus Ceanothus) prevails. Luckily my hunch was correct since I came across a single Mottled Duskywing near a large patch of New Jersey Tea (Ceanothus americanus).

Mottled Duskywing

True to its nature, this particular Mottled Duskywing was quite flighty and a certain amount of patience was required in order to obtain decent enough photos.

Mottled Duskywing

Mottled Duskywings are one of the easier duskywing species to identify due to the uniqueness of the zigzags and barring on the forewing. It also has a more patterned hindwing than the other duskywing species. Size wise, Mottled Duskywing is rather small, giving off the appearance of a Colombine Duskywing initially.

Mottled Duskywing

I don't want to say to much about the habitat or the area in fear of giving away too much information so I'll stop there! Here are a few other insects that I photographed in the same general area that day.

A worn Eastern Pine Elfin - getting late for these guys.

Eastern Pine Elfin

Meanwhile Hobomok Skippers are now flying in strong numbers. This is one of the most frequently encountered skippers in Ontario and they are easily found along woodland trails, or nectaring on flowers at meadow edges.

Hobomok Skipper

Common Ringlets have also emerged in high numbers recently.

Common Ringlet

These two peculiar moths were new ones for me and I had a lot of fun watching them do their thing! They are Ontario's only representatives of the genus Thyris

Mournful (left) and Spotted Thyris Moths

Spotted Thyris Moth

Mournful Thyris Moth

My knowledge of Hymenoptera is pretty limited. This is one of several types of Sweat Bees I noticed, but I haven't figured out its specific identification yet.

Agapostemon sp.

Canadian Tiger Swallowtails were taking advantage of the sunny conditions. This one was missing chunks of its wings, perhaps resulting from a close encounter with a bird.

Canadian Tiger Swallowtail

This is a Juvenal's Duskywing, as identified by its bold apical spots in the forewing, and overall patterning.

Juvenal's Duskywing

Tiger Beetles were found in good numbers in the area and included four species (Big Sand, Oblique-lined, Bronzed and Six-spotted). These diurnal predators are usually not too hard to find in sunny, sandy areas.

Big Sand Tiger Beetle

Oblique-lined Tiger Beetle

This is an Olethreutine Leafroller Moth species, though I haven't had the time yet to figure out its identification.

Olethreutinae sp.

A Hemipenthes fly that I haven't identified either.

Hemipenthes sp.

Calico Pennants must have emerged recently since they were one of the most common dragons I encountered.

Calico Pennant

Odds and ends from spring migration

Just like that, spring has come and gone. While the occasional Blackpoll or Tennessee Warbler can still be heard singing, and certain flycatcher and cuckoo species are still arriving, and shorebirds are moving through in decent numbers, for the most part migration has slowed to a crawl as we hurtle towards summer. Late April through the month of May was a whirlwind for me and many sightings never made it to the blog. Below are a random collection of photos from the past month or so.

I tried to make it out to Port Weller as often as I could, in between Pelee weekends and work trips. Often my visits were only weekly as it can be hard to find the time to do everything! April 29 was a good day to visit the pier, and I even added two new birds to my all-time Port Weller east list - an Eastern Bluebird, and a Great Egret (long overdue) that flew over. I also had a three corvid day, all seen from near the parking lot at Jones Beach! Common Raven is nesting in the area as they continue to reestablish themselves in Niagara, and of course everyone knows the story of Fish Crows by now.

May 1 provided another Great Egret sighting at Port Weller - three birds this time - plus a flock of thirteen Fish Crows.  Several Rusty Blackbirds were nice to see and hear as well.

Great Egret - Port Weller east pier, Niagara Region

Rusty Blackbird - Port Weller east pier, Niagara Region

Fish Crow - Port Weller east pier, Niagara Region

Turtles are abundant in the Big Pond at Port Weller east and on warm, sunny May mornings virtually every individual likely hauls itself up on one of the many logs around the pond. The vast majority are Midland Painted Turtles, along with several Snapping Turtles and a handful of introduced Red-eared Sliders.

Red-eared Slider and Midland Painted Turtles - Port Weller east pier, Niagara Region

On May 15 I birded Port Weller and Waverley Woods with my dad for the day. While numbers were down a little bit compared to some previous days, the birding was generally really solid. Highlights included Orange-crowned and Blue-winged Warblers at Port Weller, a flock of Black-bellied Plovers at Port Weller (#217 for my Port Weller list), and three Blue-winged Warblers and a Pileated Woodpecker at Waverley Woods.

Northern Parula - Waverly Beach, Fort Erie, Niagara Region

Pileated Woodpecker - Waverly Beach, Fort Erie, Niagara Region

Warbling Vireo - Waverly Beach, Fort Erie, Niagara Region

My favorite migrant trap along the south coast of Niagara is Morgan's Point Conservation Area near Port Colborne. On May 2 the park was full of new migrants, with the highlight being a nice male Hooded Warbler that I heard singing from the parking lot upon my arrival. He was hard to photograph but eventually I managed some record shots. Hooded Warblers are increasing in southern Ontario and breed in several locations in Niagara, but finding one during migration here is always fun.

Hooded Warbler - Morgan's Point Conservation Area, Niagara Region

A singing Gray Catbird from the same day.

Gray Catbird - Morgan's Point Conservation Area, Niagara Region

Local birders Jean and Blayne Farnan located a Golden-winged Warbler on May 9 at Morgan's Point. I was at Point Pelee at the time, but on May 13 and 14 the Golden-winged was easily found during my visits. Laura was with me for the May 14 visit and was happy to add Golden-winged Warbler as a lifer!

Golden-winged Warbler - Morgan's Point Conservation Area, Niagara Region

Golden-winged Warbler - Morgan's Point Conservation Area, Niagara Region

Golden-winged Warbler - Morgan's Point Conservation Area, Niagara Region

And a Killdeer on a nest, from May 13 at Morgan's Point.

Killdeer - Morgan's Point Conservation Area, Niagara Region

Killdeer - Morgan's Point Conservation Area, Niagara Region

May 14 was a beautiful spring day with warm weather, calm air and migrant birds everywhere. I had a quick site visit to complete on the Bruce Peninsula and so I took my time on my way back home. Isaac Lake in particular was quite birdy and I lucked out with some great views of Sora and Virginia Rail, along with a nice variety of migrant songbirds.

Virginia Rail - Isaac Lake, Bruce County

Virginia Rail - Isaac Lake, Bruce County

A check of Red Lake Road near Mar for Brewer's Blackbird was very productive. I enjoyed listening to this male Brewer's Blackbird sing for some time! Brewer's Blackbird is a rare species in most of southern Ontario, but certain areas of the Bruce Peninsula hold a sizable population.

Brewer's Blackbird - Red Lake Road, Mar, Bruce County

Brewer's Blackbird - Red Lake Road, Mar, Bruce County

I'll finish this post with some photos of two Endangered salamander species in the genus Desmognathus which we are fortunate to have in Niagara Region, as they inhabit parts of the Niagara River gorge (the only known populations in Ontario). As these species are classified as Endangered I cannot disclose the exact locations.

Northern Dusky Salamander - Niagara River gorge, Niagara Region

Northern Dusky Salamander - Niagara River gorge, Niagara Region

Allegheny Mountain Dusky Salamander - Niagara River gorge, Niagara Region

Allegheny Mountain Dusky Salamander - Niagara River gorge, Niagara Region