Butterfly tally dips below 10-year average

Though swallowtails like this Eastern Tiger Swallowtail were scarce in the 2026 Long Point Butterfly Count, that may have been a matter of timing. 

Lisa Timpf

Advocate Contributor

Long Point Butterfly Count provides population snapshot, swallowtails scarce

Weather patterns, the timing of when new generations emerge, and other factors can play a role in the results of the annual Long Point Butterfly Count, which means year to year tallies for any specific species can show a lot of variation. This year’s count, held Saturday, July 4, was no exception.

Like last year’s count, the event took place under what count organizer Adam Timpf calls “fairly ideal conditions.”

The weather was warm, though overcast in the morning. Once the sun came out in the afternoon, “there was a noticeable uptick in activity,” Timpf noted.

Unlike last year’s count of 57 species, only 48 species were found. This, Timpf says, is below the 10-year average of 54 and all-time average of 50.5. As well, the total of 1,744 individual butterflies spotted is lower than the 10-year average (2,549) and the all-time average (2,586).

Still, there were some bright spots, says Timpf.

“Monarchs are always of interest, and we had an excellent count of 96.”

This was the highest number since 2018, when 142 were tallied, and is also higher than the all-time average of around 54. 

The 2026 count marked only the second time that Variegated Fritillaries have been found on the count. Four were tallied, lower than the seven found in 2012. 

Participants found a Buckeye butterfly, marking only the fourth time it has been seen on the count. A new high for Crossline Skippers was recorded, with 32 besting the previous high of 30 set in 2019. First recorded in 2020 and every year since, three Mulberry Wing skippers were found, tying the high count for them.

In addition, the newly reintroduced population of Mottled Duskywings was recorded for the first time last year with one being found. This year, three were recorded on the count day.

Timpf says this means the reintroduced population “is doing well, successfully reproducing and expanding beyond some of the release sites.”

On the negative side, swallowtails were particularly scarce with no Black Swallowtails tallied. Only 20 Eastern Tiger Swallowtails were found, the second-lowest number ever. Two Spicebush Swallowtails were sighted, tying the all-time low. 

Still, this year’s swallowtail results aren’t an immediate cause for concern. Sometimes, Timpf notes, the count falls between broods, meaning fewer butterflies are seen at the time of the tally.

“A week after the count, it did seem like there were more swallowtails. Sometimes the count falls between generations, and sometimes it comes at the right time.”

Considering the overall results, he added, “I thought we would have had more species.”

Though he hasn’t seen the results from many other counts, he did talk to someone from the Ottawa count, who also reported low species diversity.

This year marked the 35th year for the Long Point Butterfly Count. Sponsored by the Norfolk Field Naturalists, the count focusses on a 15-mile-diameter circle centered on Long Point Inner Bay. 

Information from the Long Point Butterfly Count has been collected since 1993, the year the North American Butterfly Association (NABA) kicked off the count for the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

Data from around 450 annual counts, each within a 15-mile assigned count circle, flows into the NABA totals. While numbers can vary from year to year, with some species showing boom or bust cycles, it’s the long-term trends that matter.

“Collectively, continent-wide, over time, that’s where you see the picture,” Timpf says. As the NABA website states, keeping tabs on butterflies matters.

“As pollinators they are critical to our shared environment, and as indicator species they give us early warning of environmental peril,” the website says, adding that butterflies have an important role to play as “a key link in the food chain.”

Next year’s Long Point Butterfly Count falls on Saturday, July 3rd, 2027. In the meantime, those looking for more information about steps that can be taken to help butterflies can find information about establishing a butterfly garden at the North American Butterfly Association website https://naba.org/.