Butterflies

Common Butterflies in London

For those newly interested in butterflies, or merely curious, see this illustrated list of butterflies. It is suitable for viewing on a mobile phone.

Scroll down or click on the links below for:

Mission Monarch
2023 butterfly counts in Southwestern Ontario
Other organizations interested in butterflies and moths
Online resources for identifying butterflies and moths
Official checklist “Butterflies of Middlesex County” The Yahoo group reference is obsolete. Report your observations in iNaturalist instead.
Butterfly section of Nature London’s Annual Report that summarizes the 2022 counts.

Mission Monarch

The International Monarch Monitoring Blitz is an annual event devoted to research for the preservation of the monarch. Monarch lovers, throughout North America, are called to join their efforts during this week. The goal? Capture the state of monarchs’ breeding habitats in Canada.

The 2023 blitz runs from July 28 to August 6. See the Mission Monarch website.

2023 Butterfly Counts in Southwestern Ontario

The following counts are associated with Nature London. Membership is not required to attend.

Other Organizations

Toronto Entomologists’ Association https://www.ontarioinsects.org/
North American Butterfly Association https://www.naba.org/
eButterfly https://www.e-butterfly.org/

Online Resources

Check the websites of the organizations
Use iNaturalist to help with species identification of your photos

Where and When

Look in almost any park or public garden with flowers, which means mostly in the summer. You may start to notice that some plants are popular with many species, while some species seem to specialize. You will be rewarded when you visit the same area one or two weeks later. There is even a butterfly seen only briefly and only at Sifton Bog!

Toolkit

If you plan to wade through deep grass, beware of ticks. At a minimum, tuck your pants into to your socks.

Much of the time, you can get a good photo of a butterfly when it is feeding on a blossom with a mobile phone. Of course, you can get more and better photos with fancier camera gear.

What About Moths?