Butterflies on St. Paddy's Day!

The "Luck of the Irish" was with me today as I found 9 butterflies, spanning 3 species at Henderson Conservation Area near Petrolia! All 3 species overwinter at the adult stage! A great start to the spring butterfly season!

The first Mourning Cloak that I found was easy to see as it rested on the boardwalk. The second one was much better camouflaged in the leaves. Mourning Cloaks overwinter as adults in tree crevices, log piles and other sheltered places.

They can almost disappear when they fold their wings. By tucking in their antennae and becoming completely still, they can sometimes fool predators into thinking they are just a piece of bark. (Canadian Wildlife Federation)

On 2 occasions, I saw a "battle of the butterflies" in the sky. To defend their territory, a male butterfly will have a flight contest with the intruding male. The butterflies will circle each other in flight until one eventually flies away from the area, leaving the winner to take up their spot in the sun! (Earth Rangers)

A very unexpected find was a Compton Tortoiseshell. Unexpected because I had never seen one at this sight before. It is possibly the longest-lived butterfly in Ontario at the adult stage. He looks a little tattered, but not too bad considering he survived the winter!

The Eastern Comma was the most elusive to photograph. I saw 3 individuals, all on high alert for predators. If I got within 15 feet of one, it would fly away.