Follow our adventures living in the woods and meeting wild ones. This year we’re alternating between poisonous plants and continuing to write about pollinators and their host plants.
Dear Wood Folk, Red admirals (vanessa atalanta) are known for being social butterflies. These painted lady relatives are one of the friendliest and most common butterfly species in the world. Their main host plants belong to the nettle family (urticaceae). Nettles are also global, though some nettles may not seem as friendly as their butterfly … [Read more…]
Dear Wood Folk, The northern azure (celastrina lucia) is also known as the “northern spring azure” and “lucia azure”. Three recognized morphs plus numerous hybrids exist. And they’re all difficult to distinguish. However, it is the most common azure in most of Ontario, and the only species found to the north. Before I heard this, … [Read more…]
Dear Wood Folk, In cottage country Ontario, the eyed brown (lethe eurydice) flutters around from the end of spring into September. They’re usually found in wetland areas like fens and cattail marshes. They breed once in the summer and the new generation overwinters here in their larval stage. These caterpillars feed on sedges. “Sedges have … [Read more…]
Dear Wood Folk, Strolling through the grasses here in the summertime you’ll likely see these small butterflies: The hobomok skipper (Lon hobomok) is the most common skipper in the Haliburton Highlands. And the majority of our skippers look something like a hobomok, being similarly orangey and paper airplane winged. Skippers are mostly recognizable due to … [Read more…]
Dear Wood Folk, Have you seen a strange little hummingbird? Unlike most other moths, hummingbird moths (genus Hemaris) fly and feed during the daytime, mimicking their namesake or an extra large bee. In Britain, they are called bee hawk-moths. They’re not just hummingbird-like in their hours and nectar choices, but also in appearance, fast wingbeats and … [Read more…]
Dear Wood Folk, I went back and forth a little on whether to cover our first two spring butterflies, because they aren’t exactly star pollinators. Instead of flower nectar, these two primarily eat sap, the nectar of trees. It can be quite the surprise to see butterflies fluttering around so early, when nary a flower … [Read more…]