Ontario Butterflies

Summer Azure

This year (2013) I went to Canada in May which is the beginning of the butterfly season. I was finally equipped with a decent camera so I did not need to be on top of my subject in order to get a decent shot. I therefore had the wherewithal to start a good collection of butterfly photos. A larger photo size can be found at my flickr site http://www.flickr.com/photos/remedy451/ .
I have discovered two great sites where butterflies can be seen. In Tottenham Ontario close to my in laws home there is a conservation area and running alongside is a disused CP railway line that has been converted into part of a the Canada Way footpath. The path has become a secluded magnet for all kinds of wildlife including butterflies. Also in Guelph Ontario there is a park in the south that has all kinds of habitat, bog, open meadow, deciduous and pine forest which

Bog Fritillary

attracts several different species. We spent several hours in both locations and were rewarded with some lovely sites. The bog at Guelph was especially rewarding as the bog fritillaries danced around in good numbers. The butterfly was somewhat smaller than I had anticipated but the vivid colours made this a spectacular display. The final butterfly I found this year was quite difficult to identify since I could not identify it with a related species in my native Britain. So I really didn't where to start except simply view every photo on Google ever taken of an Ontario butterfly! But luck was on my side and I recognised something similar. It was a Pine Elfin, specifically the Western Pine Elfin, related to the blue family and a

Western Pine Elfin

territory that stretches right across Canada despite its name. There was a certain triumph in the identification and certainly its location on open grassland near a pinewood fitted the bill for habitat.
More butterflies will be added from my file later.