Common Checkered Skipper!

Saturday was the Long Point Butterfly Count for which I'm the organizer/compiler. It was a fantastic day with a high species total, record highs for many species, and several new species for the count. I hope to post a summary later this week once I get some pesky Duskywing photos sorted out. In the mean time, I thought I`d share some photos of what I deem to be the highlight of the count - an immaculate Common Checkered Skipper. This is the first for the count, the first for Norfolk County as far as I know, and probably one of a few records outside what I like to call the "Greater Pelee Area" of extreme southwestern Ontario. Please correct me if they are more widespread than I'm making it sound, or if there have been invasion years.

I'd like to take credit for it since it was my 'group' that found the skipper, but the credit belongs to Ron Allenson of Monarch's Landing who was helping me with my area. He hoped out of the truck to check a rather tiny, insignificant patch of vegetation surrounded by a soybean field (island effect?). I drove down the road, turned around, and found him waving me into the field yelling for me to get my camera. We were both pretty excited - a lifer butterfly for both of us that came totally out of the blue in a totally unexpected location.

Broad-winged Skippers were in record numbers - this is the first one I've seen in my territory.

And just for fun, below are some photos I took this evening of a Ghost Tiger Beetle. They are easily one of my favourite Tiger Beetles. They scurry all over the white sand and you end up seeing their shadow more than their actually body.