The perils of being a Monarch

Monarch butterflies have been getting a lot of publicity in the last few years, and rightfully so. They are undoubtedly the best known butterfly in North America and beyond. They are large, easily identified (except for the Viceroy being an excellent mimic) and are known for their incredible journey to the highlands of Mexico to overwinter.

Unfortunately for Monarchs, they rely almost exclusively on milkweeds for laying their eggs and therefore the survival of subsequent generations. For decades, the agricultural community despised milkweeds, as Common Milkweed is an aggressive invader of fields. There are lots of less common species, none of which are particularly problematic to the farming community but all species were painted with the same brush. Between the use of harsh chemicals and being officially on the Noxious Weed List milkweeds, and therefore Monarchs, did not have a promising future.

Fortunately as more and more people realized the serious decline of Monarchs there was a move afoot to remove milkweed from the Noxious Weed List, and more and more people started planting milkweeds in yards and gardens to provide some assistance to the survival of this magnificent butterfly.

The overall results have been fairly positive, with larger and seemingly more stable populations of Monarchs being observed. But every year is different, for different reasons. The limited overwintering habitat in Mexico is not all that secure from impacts. The weather is one of several factors there. Also the long journey by the survivors as they make their way northward in the spring, is not easy. Those that do survive overwinter begin moving north, laying eggs as they go and then dying, counting on the next generation to make the next leg of the trip north. It may take several generations for the species to get all the way back to the northern limits of their usual range.

In some years it seems there are relatively few that arrive here in southwestern Ontario at the beginning of the season, but gradually their numbers increase. In other years, such as 2018, it seemed there was a decent number present in May, leading one to hope for a good population throughout the summer. But it was not to be, at least in this area. The ones that did arrive in good time had some severe weather to contend with once they got here. Not as in stormy, hurricane type weather or cold, frosty weather. No, it was the shift from a cool damp spring to a very hot and very dry period for several weeks in the early part of the summer.

We regularly saw Monarchs in our yard, both male and female, for the early part of the summer. Eggs were laid.

But there were very few caterpillars that matured to adulthood. It was just too hot and dry for them. In fact many butterfly species experienced lower numbers than usual, which was reflected in the results of the annual butterfly counts in mid to late July. Small species of butterfly in particular were affected, but even the large Monarch was affected.

And then by late July and throughout August, we got more rain than usual. Lawns that were brown returned to luxuriant green. Milkweeds were less stressed and provided a better source for caterpillars. The tough, dry leaves of milkweeds responding to the hot dry weather earlier were not suitable for the caterpillars, so many of them did not develop until the moisture levels improved and there were more and younger, fresh leaves to feed on.

Between the milkweeds in and around our yard as well as those in a pollinator patch in a community garden close by, there are well over 125 milkweed stems. We started seeing more and more caterpillars. They developed and formed their trade mark chrysalis.

On one occasion, Marie noted a chrysalis behind a small cage in the garden. The cage was to protect the vegetables from marauding wildlife, such as cottontails. We didn't expect that a Monarch caterpillar would venture here. The nearest milkweed plant was at least 4 metres (12') away. It had to crawl through a lot of grass and other thick vegetation to get to this spot. But there it was.

 The butterfly eventually emerged, and we were concerned that it could not get out without damaging its fragile wings.

 Even though the 'foot' of the chrysalis was attached to the underside of the leaf, it was also attached to the wire of the cage. I decided to carefully tease the foot of the chrysalis away from the wire, and gently lift it outside the cage.

The Monarch managed to continue with its emergence and fluttered away not knowing how close it might have come to a much less desirable end.

As the season continued, we saw more and more caterpillars. On one occasion I could stand at the edge of the pollinator garden and count a dozen caterpillars of various sizes. But there was something concerning about this. None of them were under the leaf, where they would normally be feeding. Instead all of them were quite visible, including some which were just sitting in full view on the upper side of the leaf.

A closer look showed that some of these caterpillars were dead. Almost full size, but quite dead.

We also noticed that at least a couple of recently emerged adults had deformed wings.

One could fly a bit, the other could hardly even remain upright. Clearly something was not going well as both caterpillars and adults were suffering.

Was it something in the air? Were there pesticides that were affecting them? Were they trapped in a place and couldn't emerge properly?

We are not close to any agricultural field, so pesticide drift surely was not a factor. We had no way of testing air quality. We could only surmise that perhaps some caterpillars decided to place their chrysalis in a tight spot and the adults damaged their wings upon emergence.

But that didn't explain the death of so many caterpillars before ever getting to the chrysalis stage.

Marie took it upon herself to see if Google had any answers. And there were some.

Not surprisingly, there are various things that affect Monarch caterpillars, from fungus to bacteria to flies. Yes, flies, and specifically, Tachinid Flies, also known as parasitic flies.

There are more than 1000 species of Tachinid fly in North America, and at a glance they generally look like the flies we are most familiar with. However they do have some differences. These next few photos are all of Tachinid flies, and probably are all different species. A couple of the key features are that they have somewhat hairy bodies and large, reddish-brown eyes.

As adults, the flies feed on nectar of various flowering plants. But it is their reproductive behaviour that is of concern to Monarchs. The flies glue their eggs on to a caterpillar or, depending on the species of fly, sometimes inject the eggs directly into the body of the caterpillar. When the eggs hatch, they begin to feast on the caterpillar and it is doomed. In some cases the eggs are deposited on the surface of the leaf and it is ingested by the caterpillar. In other cases, the Monarch eggs themselves may have a fly egg attached or injected. Regardless, the result is the same. The caterpillar will not develop to a mature adult.

But before we castigate these flies for what we might consider their nefarious deeds, it is important to look at the bigger picture. The term 'fly' is not nearly as endearing as the term 'monarch'. Even the name of the butterfly is regal and something humans may admire. But these flies are not focusing just on Monarch caterpillars. In fact they are a huge benefit to agricultural and garden crops as they parasitize all sorts of other critters, some of which are very harmful. Think of all the damage that pests such as gypsy moths, squash bugs, cabbage loopers, army worms, Japanese beetles, cutworms, sawflies, codling moths, peach twig borers and tent caterpillars do to fruit and vegetables.

Any and every species of wildlife has natural enemies. It is what keeps things in check....the balance of nature, so to speak. If Monarch butterflies weren't so impacted by human activities, such as loss of habitat and the extensive use of harmful chemicals I suspect the effects of Tachinid flies wouldn't be much of a concern. If things were in a truly healthy state, and Tachinid flies weren't affecting Monarch caterpillars, we may be over run with Monarchs! I don't think anyone would complain if there were a lot more than there are, that is for sure. However Tachinid flies are just doing what they were meant to do, and have a place in the wild.

If you have noticed a similar situation in any milkweed patch/pollinator garden that you are involved with, it might be worthwhile to consider this: an emphasis on helping Monarchs is to plant milkweeds and generally speaking, that is a good thing. But if all you have is a big patch of milkweeds, it makes it easier for the flies to find a lot of Monarch caterpillars and eggs. In a truly natural setting, milkweeds are just one of a multitude of grasses and wildflowers, and are seldom in large patches. Instead they are widely scattered, likely giving any caterpillars on them a better chance at being missed by the flies. So add other pollinator plants to the garden patch, and spread out the milkweeds. You just might help a few more caterpillars survive to become a beautiful adult flitting about your yard.

More Great Kiskadee Adventures

The Great Kiskadee at Rondeau continues. Certainly the cold, windy and sometimes rainy weather seems not to have affected the bird much, although it remained in its overnight roost a bit longer on the worst of those days. But it emerged and eventually became fairly active. The light wasn't always the best for good looks or good photos. So with the prospect of improved weather on Tuesday Sept 11, I returned to the park hoping for a cooperative bird in a satisfactory setting.

The bird seemed to be a little more adventurous in exploring its first known Canadian residence. Was this a Texas bird, which had vowed to leave the country when the current president took office? But I digress.

It did show up in a few places a bit farther away from where it had spent most of its time the previous few days. For a time after it first emerged from its over night roost, it was seen well a bit north of its usual area, and then moved out of sight. For those of us waiting along the Marsh Trail hoping for a repeat of action observed by some the day before, as time went on we got concerned that it had found a better spot to hang out where it wouldn't have to put up with the paparazzi. While waiting (im?)patiently, we were able to observe a smattering of warblers, finches and raptors including Bald Eagle, Osprey, Broad-winged Hawk, etc. A Green Heron skulked quietly at the far side of the slough, picking off frogs and/or tadpoles. We were hoping it didn't clean things out entirely, as the Kiskadee was feeding on such fare in the general area from time to time, and presented good looks to those waiting for it.

But not to worry. At almost exactly 12 noon, someone spied the bird approaching the open spot just south of the S-bend in the trail. There was an immediate convergence of birders and most, if not all, got a clear view at it. However with it being mid-way up a leafless tree and against the bright, but bland sky, it was anything but ideal.

And then it moved a bit farther south towards the dead trees and branches overhanging the slough where it had successfully caught amphibians the day before. It was lower down with a much more suitable background.

Needless to say there was an intense chorus of camera shutters being heard, but it didn't seem to bother the Kiskadee.

 On occasion it could be heard giving its call.

 Views were for the most part, not obscured by branches, at least after a bit of careful repositioning our view point. The bird was noted to peer carefully into the shallow water below, before dropping down and capturing a frog. I did not get a shot of it with a frog in its mouth as I was busy texting someone to let them know the bird was present, but I saw photos that someone else captured.

 On occasion the sun would be a little brighter, creating a bit harsher light conditions. We photographers were hoping the bright cloud cover would remain for a little longer. And it did.

After about 20 minutes of terrific views and collectively hundreds and hundreds of camera clicks later, the Kiskadee moved farther away from the trail. It spent some time behind a cluster of dogwood shrubs, presumably digesting its recent meal. It did pop up briefly again, but from a distance. As the sky cleared and the sun became brighter and brighter, the light was about as harsh as it could get, so even if the bird did return for another frog feast, the photos would not likely have been as good as before. Many of us left, hoping that once we got the photos on the computer they would be the best they could possibly be.

Oh yes, it was a wonderful opportunity to enjoy the camaraderie of several dozen birders with such satisfying results.

A GREAT Day at Rondeau

It was a great day at Rondeau, for a number of reasons: it was cooler and much more comfortable to be out than the hot hazy humid days of late and the rain held off. But for birders, it was the report of a Great Kiskadee, a first occurrence for Ontario and Canada. This flycatcher's normal North American range is in southern Texas and Mexico, and many points a lot farther south. There are various extralimital occurrences, however, including as far north as South Dakota, Kansas and Tennessee. All of the North American records are hundreds of kilometres south of the Canadian border.

The word got out yesterday, September 7, when a local hiker captured a photo of an unusual bird along the Marsh Trail. After being uploaded to iNaturalist, it quickly got circulated amongst the birding community that a Great Kiskadee was present. A few birders arrived in time late yesterday to get a brief look at it before it went to roost for the night. This brings the Rondeau area bird checklist total to a respectable 366 species.

Today the Marsh Trail was almost literally crawling with birders as early as 6:30 a.m. It is likely that over the course of the day, at least 150 or more birders from far and wide ventured down the trail in search of this mega rarity. Fortunately all of the action was within the first 200 or so metres down the trail, making the effort to get to the precise location minimal. Not everyone saw it, unfortunately, as it only showed itself for a few moments at a time, and spent the majority of the time out of sight, but apparently not entirely out of hearing, so I'm told. With the brisk ENE wind and my less than ideal hearing, I didn't hear it clearly enough to be certain of its presence. But I did see it on two occasions, about an hour and a half apart.

For my first view, the light was flat, and against the bland sky it made capturing much detail of the bird extra difficult.

The second view was more distant, but with a better background it showed up a lot more clearly, although branches interfered with the focus so several of my photos had to be deleted.

There were many huge smiles of relief amongst those that saw this bird, of course.

During the extended periods in between the times this bird popped up, there was a good variety of other resident and migrant birds to be seen. Other species which made the birding GREAT were Great Egret.....

.....Greater Yellowlegs probing around in the washed up vegetation along the edge of the trail:

and Great Crested Flycatcher, although I didn't get a photo of the latter species.

There were vireos, grosbeaks and warblers, among others. I got 12 species of warbler in just this short distance, which was a greater diversity of warblers than some days in May!

There were several Palm Warblers.....

...and a cooperative Cape May Warbler.

It was great to see so many birders, some familiar and some not familiar, and the camaraderie was excellent. Several fellow bloggers were present, three of which were photographed together on Dwayne Murphy's phone, taken by Rondeau staff member Pilar Manorome. It can be seen here.

After leaving Rondeau, I decided to check out the Keith McLean Conservation Area to see if the young Snowy Egret was still around. It was, along with one of its GREAT cousins.

Snowy Egret

Just to complete this post with the GREAT theme, there was the occasional Great Blue Heron around as well.

 With all of the rarities that have shown up in Ontario so far in the last few weeks, what will be next???? What could be better than a Canadian first, as well as being fairly bright and colourful?

A Final Farewell

No, I'm not planning on leaving the blogging world. This is about my mother, Helen Fern Woodliffe, who after a full life of 95+ years, passed away last Monday.

These past few weeks and months have been especially chaotic in many ways. It was particularly challenging for my aging mother who met her physical decline with determination as well as frustration. Anyone reading this who has had to deal with aging parents will understand.

This is not intended to be an adequate eulogy, but I want to touch on a few things. She and my dad were incredibly influential in my life in so many ways, of course. Not the least was with respect to my interest, career and hobbies pertaining to nature.

Our family loved to travel and explore. When we travelled we wouldn't look for the things and activities that many families did. We never went to Disney World nor sought out the Canada's Wonderland or other theme park types of things to do. We didn't go on vacation to be entertained. No, we explored natural areas.

This first photo was our family back in the summer of 1953 (that is me in the stroller....I was less than a year old) with my older sister, Susan, and dad, as we explored Waterton Lakes National Park in Alberta. My younger sister, Patricia, came along a couple of years later.

We travelled to the west coast and east coast and places in between on several occasions as I was growing up, always camping in our tent or tent trailer at provincial parks or national forests. The travel bug has remained firmly entrenched with me in my adult years.

In my teenage years, I remember fondly going to places like Rondeau Provincial Park with mom and/or dad when we had caught up on our farm work, with various Peterson field guides in hand and binoculars around our necks, trying to identify everything we could. That interest in the natural world which I got at an early age was part of the reason I could make a career out of exploring and defending natural areas and the myriad species that make them up.

In mom and dad's retirement, they were able to spend even more time travelling, camping and exploring across the continent and beyond. Family members joined them as often as we could, whether it be in Arizona or Algonquin or somewhere else. This next photo is of my family along an Algonquin trail. That is Tim, Marie and Kristin in between my parents in 1994.

Mom was not afraid of a challenge. She was constantly learning. Here she is at age 90, on the Spicebush Trail of Rondeau with my wife Marie, using her iPod to check on some bird songs she was hearing along the trail in mid-May.

Nature was just one of many facets of mom's life. But it was an important one, and for anyone reading this who has benefited from my knowledge of the natural world in any way, be aware that my parents' influence is partly responsible!

Right now I am sure mom is enjoying time with her heavenly Father, as well as my dad, and they are busily rejoicing and exploring the perfect creation there. I look forward to joining them someday.

Birding fun at the Keith McLean Conservation Area

The Keith McLean Conservation Area (KMCA) is often worth checking out. This place has a bit of history for me, since there was a time quite a few years ago that Marie and I lived right across the road from it, when Keith was still living there and farming. Since he passed away a few years ago, it is nice that the property has been turned (at least partially) into a naturalized area for vegetation and wildlife.

With the very high water this spring, along with a partially flooded field, several of us had commented that if this keeps up, it will likely attract something rare as the season goes on. Of course in the spring, it had several Willets and American Avocets stop in for a visit.

The flooded field is perfect for waterfowl and shorebirds right now. With a little bit of searching, one can find up to a dozen species of shorebirds. In the last couple of days, one of the highlights has been a Red Knot, a species we used to see regularly on migration to and from its high arctic breeding grounds. For various reasons, the species has declined significantly and it is now an endangered species. The last time I saw one was several years ago on a sandy island at the south end of Rondeau Bay. So it was nice to hear of one that showed up at the KMCA.

When I got there this afternoon, it had not been seen for several hours. There were four other birders there while I was there, and none of us had seen it. After the others left, I decided to check a slightly different vantage point. The usual viewing spot was right across the small bridge that crossed the creek. While watching birds come and go, it was apparent that some birds found another spot just out of sight from our normal vantage point. I decided to go along the field edge before crossing the bridge, where I could get a look into one of the little alcoves. Sure enough there were some shorebirds there, including the Red Knot! It had undoubtedly been there all along, busily feeding.

It was a long way away, and I could only see it reasonably well with the scope at high power. I took a few shots with my camera gear, hoping I was aiming at the right bird and had it reasonably in focus. This photo, showing a Killdeer on the left and the Red Knot on the right, with various ducks in the foreground, is probably at the equivalent of about 75X.

The other highlight was a Snowy Egret, which Steve Charbonneau found today and put the word out. It was never very close, but seemed to be unconcerned with the few birders viewing it from across the wetland. All of these are highly cropped as well.

 This next photo shows a bit more of the yellowish legs, with black on the front part of the leg.

This next one shows the yellowish feet. In good breeding plumage, the legs are black and the feet are bright yellow.

A shot comparing the much larger Great Egret on the right with the Snowy on the left.

There were other birds of course including this Stilt Sandpiper.

A couple of Belted Kingfishers were foraging in the area. They are always so skittish, so any photo of them is a challenge. This one is hovering just before it plunged into the water below. I think it came up empty.

With post breeding wandering birds, who knows what might turn up next. So far there have been some awesome herons in southwestern Ontario in the past few days, including Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, Little Blue Heron, Reddish Egret and now Snowy Egret. Any guesses as to what might be next?

Back Yard Wildlife

I usually do at least a couple of 'Back Yard Wildlife' posts each year, but this is my first for 2018. That doesn't mean there hasn't been any action....far from it! However the earlier season heat and drought didn't help, nor did the fact that I was away for several weeks. So I've got some catching up to do.

A few weeks ago I noticed a raptor feeding on something. Turns out a Red-tailed Hawk had picked off one of the neighbourhood Eastern Grey Squirrels!

The hawk eventually flew off....apparently it did not appreciate some of the extra attention, especially since some neighbourhood kids were watching it from a bit of distance but closing in on it due to their curiosity. It flew off with part of the carcass and this was all that was left where it had been.

A surprise nesting species was a Mallard, with a nest under a small shrubby tree in the front yard.  It didn't even leave the nest when the mower was within about a metre of it, although it kept an eye on it. It was getting close to hatching, I think, but the eggs were predated by something....a skunk perhaps, although we seldom see or smell skunk in our neighbourhood.

On the smaller scale of wildlife in the yard, it has been quite diverse. There have been a few butterflies, but not many except for Monarchs.

 There has been at least two males in the yard for several weeks, and a few females have been passing through. We have not seen many caterpillars, but it isn't for lack of trying. There have been lots of eggs laid, but perhaps the heat and drought earlier in the season took its toll. The eggs are so tiny, barely one millimetre in diameter.

Red Admiral

 This Question Mark was investigating my tomato plants.

 Clearly one or more Black Swallowtail butterflies had been in the area, although I didn't see them. But we've found at least 5 larvae on different plants. Note in this next photo the old skin which this caterpillar has just crawled out of.

A lot of the plants in our yard and in our pollinator patch nearby are tallgrass prairie types, so they are able to withstand the heat and drought better than others. And the pollinators, which come in all shapes, colours and sizes, have loved it!

Metallic Green Bee (Agapostemon sp)

Ailanthus Webworm

A Braconid type of wasp (Macrocentrus sp)

Cicada Killer (Sphex speciosus)

A Stink Bug (Euschistus variolarius)

 This next one is a Feather-legged Fly. It is named because of the feathery material on its lower hind leg. It is sort of visible in the photo.

Trichopoda sp

 This next one is an ultra tiny fly, being only about 2mm in length. I am not sure what kind it is. It may be a male mosquito, although the size and wings don't look right. I have posted it on BugGuide, but no one there has responded to it yet.

Thread-waisted Wasp (Isodontia sp)

Green Bottle Fly (Lucillia sericata)

Wasp (Monrobia quadridens)

 This next one is huge, with a body length of at least 30 mm. It mimics a wasp in both appearance and behaviour, but it is a fly!

Mydas Fly (Mydas clavatus)

Paper Wasp (Polistes sp)

 This next one is a large wasp, the Great Black Wasp (Sphex pensylvanicus). It isn't as large and bulky as the Mydas Fly, but is about 25-30 mm long.

Swamp Milkweed Leaf Beetle (Labidomera clivicollis)

A Syrphid Fly (Syrphus torvus)

A Tachinid Fly (Dexiini sp)

Two-spotted Longhorn (Melissodes maculatus)

 There are other critters that aren't pollinators but have other roles. This next photo is of an Ambush Bug, lying in wait for a tasty insect to come within reach.

 Next is a day flying moth, the Chickweed Geometer (Haematopis grataria). The adults don't feed, but the larvae do, on Chickweed.

 I'm not sure what this next one is. It is a tiny nymph of some kind, but again, I've posted it on BugGuide without any results yet.

 The Red-banded Leafhoppers are always fun to find. They are so colourful and most easily seen on milkweed leaves, but occur on other plants as well.

There is always a lot to see, especially when you have a healthy pollinator garden!