Entomology Meets Mindfulness
With signs of spring all around us, you may be inspired to get outside and see what you can spot in nature. Often, we look for spring wildflowers, migratory birds or croaking frogs, but have you considered a spring bug hunt?
While there may be more insects around in the summer, there are still plenty of butterflies, bees and beetles to catch sight of now.
Entomology, the study of insects, can connect us with a child-like wonder. Embrace curiosity and search for bugs, learning their identity through posting to community science apps like iNaturalist or sharing them with us on Instagram, Facebook and X.
This explorative activity can bring us mindfulness and be a fun, new way to connect with nature this season.
Winter Warriors
First, keep a lookout for big butterflies like the mourning cloak (Nymphalis antiopa), Eastern comma (Polygonia comma) and question mark (Polygonia interrogationis) gracefully flying around the forest or gathering on tree trunks.
These species follow the advice that if you stay ready, you don’t need to get ready. Unlike other butterflies and moths in our area, they spend the winter as adults and are ready to fly as soon as it’s warm enough. No need to wait for spring wildflowers to bloom, as they prefer to feed on tree sap.
These amazing butterflies survive the winter by hiding their delicate wings and bodies under loose bark, in rock crevices, hollow trees or anywhere else they can squeeze into.
These winter butterflies produce antifreeze-like chemicals to stop their bodies from freezing and reduce the water content in their tissues to survive the cold months. This is a process called supercooling, meaning that they move the freezing point for their body to a temperature lower than zero degrees Celsius.
Fuzzy Friends
Stop and smell the flowers, but also look down to the world at your feet. You might catch sight of adorable fuzzy bees going in and out of their ground nest holes.
Many species of bumble bees and solitary bees make their nests in the dirt and sand. You may hear these busy bees before you see them, listen for their distinct buzzing as they move around.
Unequal cellophane bees (Colletes inaequalis) make little piles of sand outside their nesting holes, often building their nests close to each other. Watch out for these collections of little sand volcanoes, you may spot a fuzzy bee face poking out of the entrance holes.
Other early spring bees you might spot are the two-spotted bumble bee (Bombus bimaculatus) and tricoloured bumble bee (Bombus ternarius). These bees all provide the important service of early pollination for trees and shrubs like maples, willows, redbuds and serviceberry.
Rare Beauties
The rarest sightings can make you feel like it’s a sign or fate. Adding this small white butterfly, the West Virginia white (Pieris virginiensis) can prove to be an exciting challenge.
This Species at Risk has not been seen in the Credit River Watershed since the 1990s, although it has been recorded nearby in Halton.
West Virginia white butterflies live in large, rich, hardwood forests. These butterflies have very few markings on their wings, unlike similar species, cabbage white (Pieris rapae) and mustard white (Pieris oleracea) butterflies.
Their life cycle is closely tied to spring ephemerals, woodland wildflowers with short life cycles that bloom before the trees fully leaf out.
Adult butterflies feed on the nectar of these spring forest flowers and their caterpillars eat the leaves, like the two species of toothwort, spring ephemerals in the mustard family.
We have faced challenges of finding this rare species ourselves. We have been in the field, searching for this butterfly for the last few years, with no luck so far.
If you see small white butterflies, or any of these insects, try to get a photo and post them to community science apps, it could be a lucky find. We may get a little jealous if you do spot one, but you’d be helping keep data for organizations in wildlife conservation across Ontario and Canada up to date.
Bug Hunt at our Parks
Take this newfound knowledge of spring insects and plan a day at our parks for a bug hunt of your own. Enjoy the peaceful nature of these tiny creatures and recharge in the tranquility of exploring the outdoors.
By Laura Timms, Program Manager, Natural Heritage Management