Last week the mercury rose to the mid-teens and as such, I observed my first butterflies of the year. With new bird species arriving daily, it’s easy to forget about butterflies emerging on a warm spring day; however, seeing the first one of the year is equally exciting.
Not all butterflies overwinter as adults, in fact, there are only a few species that do in our area. In order to survive the cold winter months overwintering butterflies seek shelter behind tree bark, in woodpiles or other crevices and enter a state of dormancy similar to other animals that hibernate. During the first warm days of spring, these butterflies become active and take flight.
My first sighting this year, as is the case most years, was a Mourning Cloak Butterfly. Seeing this while hiking in the warm sunshine instantly put a smile on my face and my smile widened when the butterfly landed in some nearby leaves allowing me to capture a handful of images. On this day I saw several Mourning Cloaks more so than I’ve ever seen in a single day before.
As I continued on a little further my second species of the day appeared, this time an Eastern Comma. It too landed in the dry leaves after a brief aerial joust with a Mourning Cloak. Seeing the two butterflies spin rapidly in circles was like watching a colourful funnel cloud.
Nearing the end of my hike, I saw my third butterfly species of the day, a Milbert’s Tortoiseshell, spreading its wings in the sunshine.
Finding the first butterflies of the year can be quite easy if conditions are right and you search the best areas. First and foremost temperatures must be warm enough for the butterflies to be active. As mentioned earlier, temperatures in the mid-teens (Celsius) or warmer are required. On sunny days in deciduous forests is where I have the best luck preferably in wet areas near streams or swamps.
As far as photographing butterflies go you can get away with a much slower shutter speed than you can when photographing birds. I follow the reciprocal rule which means my shutter speed is set to at least the reciprocal of my focal length. For me shooting at 400mm this means I use a shutter speed of 1/400 or faster. On sunny days I use a lower ISO as well and typically find myself shooting between ISO 200 and 400 to achieve a shutter speed of 1/400. As in most cases, I shoot at f/8 as not only is my lens sharper at this aperture than it is wide open the added depth helps keep the entire butterfly sharp when I focus on its head.
Remember to use your histogram to check your exposure because in sunny conditions a butterfly’s wings will reflect the light resulting in overexposure and loss of detail. In these situations, I often underexpose my images by 1/3 to 2/3 of a stop to retain as much detail as I can. Lastly, be sure your shadow does not project over the butterfly as this change from light to dark will cause the butterfly to spook and take flight.
Butterfly identification can be quite challenging and something I am still working on. To aid me with this I use the Peterson Field Guide to Eastern Butterflies
With plenty of warm spring days to come there will be ample opportunities to get out and search for these early emerging butterflies. Find a sunny deciduous forest close to water, and keep your eyes peeled for their colourful aerial dance. With a little patience, these butterflies will land displaying their beautiful colours. This experience combined with the warm spring sun is bound to a smile on your face.
Good birding,
Paul
Beautiful..so nice to see them and know spring has arrived
Thank you very much Peggy. If the weather forecast is correct we should see more butterflies later this week.
Thanks for the great pictures as well as the tips on how to take them. I saw a morning cloak a couple of days ago in the Fanshawe Conservation Area. We are so lucky to have these natural spaces in London during this difficult time.
My pleasure John. You are absolutely right, we are so lucky to have these areas. Nature has always helped me through difficult times. Stay safe!
I look forward with envy at your spring discoveries, can you share where to find them? There is so much peace being out in nature with our precious birds, bees and butterflies! Thank you for sharing.
I am happy to hear that Kate. Most deciduous forests near water are great places to look. Here in London, all of the ESAs are great places for locating these species as are the wooded areas of parks along the Thames River. If the forecast this week holds true it should be a great week to see many of these butterflies. I agree with you 100% and cannot think of a more peaceful way to spend my time than out in nature.