Trail Talk: A Strange Time of Year to Feature Butterflies

Monarch Butterfly.

November may seem an odd time to feature butterflies, but “Butterflies in My Back Yard” (BIMBY) recently released their 2025 report.  A study on the Monarch migration has also been released.

A microchip weighing 60 milligrams was developed by Cellular Tracking Technologies that enabled 400 Monarchs to be tracked.

According to the report, Monarchs can fly 50 to 100 miles a day, and one record flyer travelled 3,000 miles south from Long Point Ontario, but as it did not go on the most direct route, it covered about 4,000 miles, unlike most Monarchs which don’t fly all the way to Mexico in one year.

The Canadian BIMBY project involved 443 Observers who made over 35,000 observations to iNaturalist and included 234 species of butterflies.

Two British Columbia Observers reported 101 different species, while the highest species count in Ontario was 54 (I photographed 50 different species).

The place for Canadian butterfly enthusiasts is around Princeton B.C.

The furthest north report was of Ross’s Alpine on July 6, a bit northwest of Cambridge Bay, and furthest south was of an Eastern Tiger Swallowtail on Pelee Island on July 3.

The earliest observation was of a Mourning Cloak on Jan 12 in B.C. when it was 7oC, but in Ontario it was not until March 18 that a Mourning Cloak and Eastern Comma were seen.

My last sighting of one was of a Clouded Sulphur on November 4, (in 2024 I saw some on November 18).

I notice that Mourning Cloaks often nectar on periwinkle blossoms in spring, as it is one of the earliest spring flowers, also Clouded Sulphur nectar on spotted knapweed in October as it is still blooming then.

Thus, two alien invasives benefit from some butterflies.   

One of the reasons cabbage whites are so common is that they nectar on many different species of flower, while some other butterflies only nectar on a few flower species.

The most observed species were cabbage whites (2,775 observations), then Monarchs (2,517), Clouded Sulphurs (1,745), Northern Crescents (1,392), Woodland Skippers (929) and European skippers (878).

What I found interesting is that no Monarchs were seen in B.C. though there are historical records of them there.  Woodland Skippers are only seen in western Canada.

There was an eruption of California Tortoiseshells in B.C. as 348 were seen, compared with zero sightings in 2024.  I noticed the opposite effect with red admirals, as I saw 108 in 2024 but only two this year. BIMBY reported 1,136 in 2024, but only 267 this year.

There were 23 species with only one observation, and five with only two.

My least common species were the Tawny Emperor (I saw four of the 14 seen), with the one at Wingham being the most northerly.

Hackberry Emperors had 14 observations, with mine being the most northerly at Hullett, apart from one near Montreal. Both Emperors are only seen near hackberry trees, which are at their Northerly limit in the Maitland River valley.

NOTES:

The Menesetung Bridge across the Maitland River at Goderich is now closed to pedestrians and cyclists. It is expected to be reopened on December 13.

The trail entrance at 80918 Sharpes Creek Line is now closed for expected pit work.

Deer gun hunting December 1-7 when the majority of the Maitland Trail will be closed The Maitland Woods, Millennium and the G2G trails will all stay open as hunting is not allowed on them.

Saturday, November 29 at 11 a.m. - Mindfulness Walk - Meet at the Millennium Trail in Goderich, Nelson Street East entrance.

Designed for those who want the benefits of meditation but prefer to move.

For more information and to confirm your attendance, please contact Tanya at redroofrecovery@gmail.com or text 519-616-3636.

These walks are at 11 a.m. on the last Saturday of every month.

Sunday, December 7 at 1 p.m. - The Bayfield River Trail Association is holding a candy cane hunt on the Varna Trail.

Tuesday Trompers meet at 9 a.m. on Tuesday to hike for about an hour. If you wish to be on this email list, send an email to mta@maitlandtrail.ca

Midweek hikers meet at 9 a.m. and hike for 1.5 to 2 hours on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Contact Patrick Capper at pcapper99@gmail.com

LIFE hikers meet every Friday for a hike of about 1.5 hours, with a choice of pace, striders moving a little faster than the strollers.  The hikes now start at 9 a.m. and can be joined through One Care.