Observation of the week: June 15 - 21

This week’s Observation of the Week is this Little Wood Satyr from user @robeh. I especially like the second picture in her observation, where the sun is shining through the butterfly’s wings and you can see all the fuzzy hairs on its head.

While some butterflies can be difficult to get photos of, Robin (aka @robeh) says that “It was actually one of the easiest butterflies to observe and photograph and ultimately identify because it sat so still for such a (relatively) long time.” In addition, “It was the first, and I think so far only, tan/brown coloured butterfly that I have seen … Every other tan coloured insect that I pursued turned out to be a moth, so this is a nice change”.

Robin got some good luck with her Little Wood Satyr. These butterflies are known for their slow and bouncy flight, and their tendency to fly away into the trees quickly if you want to get close to them! They do occasionally stop to rest on leaves, which is how they are usually photographed. Little Wood Satyrs are seldomly observed on flowers – the adults rarely feed on nectar, and instead prefer tree sap, rotting fruit, and even aphid honeydew.

Little Wood Satyrs are one species in a group of butterflies in Ontario with prominent eyespots on their wings. These eyespots are thought to deter predators by making the butterfly look like a larger animal. It may be these big ‘eyes’, preference for wooded areas, and tendency to bounce around and drink sap that gives Little Wood Satyrs and other Satyr species their name – after the mythical beasts of Greek folklore.

Robin has been busy Butterfly Blitzing and says that the Little Wood Satyr “seems like about a hundred butterflies ago!”. I wish you all a week of a hundred butterflies!

Posted on June 22, 2020 03:26 PM by lltimms lltimms

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