NeilyWorld      Birding Ottawa - Butterflies

Note:    Butterflies are remarkably like birds. They fly and many are quite beautiful, and since they often catch the keen birder's eye, it is not surprising that many birders also study butterflies at one time or another. There are useful field guides to butterflies, such as the Peterson Field Guides Eastern Butterflies by Paul A. Opler and Vichai Malikul, 1992. Butterflies through Binoculars, The East by Jeffrey Glassberg attempts to allow the study of butterflies without the collection of same. Much as birders have largely replaced the gun with binocs and cameras; this guide leans toward replacing the net with binocs and cameras for butterfly study. Some species, however, are still difficult to identify except in the hand. Butterflying can be great fun, especially in the heat of the day when most birds are quiet. There are several resources for local butterfly study. High on that list are the Checklist of the Butterflies of the Ottawa District (1996) and The Butterflies of Canada (1998), both by Peter Hall, Ross Layberry & Don Lafontaine. The 3-fold card checklist contains a list of the 87 species occurring locally. It also has a flight chart showing the relative abundance over the April to October time period, in approximately 5 day intervals, for each of the 80 most common species. The splendidly illustrated book covers nearly 300 species found in Canada, and is the first comprehensive guide to the entire nation. Another indispensible tool for local butterfliers is the special butterfly issue of the OFNC's Trail and Landscape, Vol. 16, No. 1, 1982. This issue may still be available at the Flecher Wildlife Garden or through the club itself. On the web check out the Butterflies of Canada site which has great species accounts and specimen photos of Canadian species. Also check out the North American Butterflies and Moths site which has good information and a checklist database, mostly for the USA though. On the page below, rare, local and accidental species are marked R, L and A respectively. (Photos below by Larry Neily, some taken outside the Ottawa area, but of species found here.)