Where Are the Checkerspots Hiding?
Report for 2020
This May-June’s flight season revealed many endangered Taylor’s checkerspot butterflies in wet fields and recovering clearcuts on north Denman. Andrew Fyson surveyed butterflies on Park lands. Erika and Jenny were fortunate to look for checkerspots on eighteen wonderful private lands. Checkerspots were found on five landowner properties. link to report: https://wildlifepreservation.ca/
This spring’s weather was great for flying, nectaring, breeding and egg-laying checkerspots and this hopefully will lead to a more abundant butterfly population next year.
Meanwhile, now in September, larval checkerspots are hunkered down for the winter, probably near open fields….But WHERE? This over-wintering habitat site is still unknown. Thus, the sleeping larvae are potentially vulnerable to our fall and winter activities. Hopefully, future research will reveal where they sleep and what habitat features they need in their sleeping quarters. Meanwhile, walking softly on the earth and leaving natural areas alone for all the other island critters, plants and interconnected cycles helps us steward nature for future generations.
