24 Hours In Ontario's Deep South

Last week, I drove down Highway 401 from where I reside in Hamilton to Ontario's Carolinian Zone in the far south of the province. Despite the extensive deforestation in this region, the small pockets of remaining forest, wetland and grassland contain some of the highest biodiversity in the province. As I mentioned in my previous blog post, I have been starting to delve into the world of Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) and this trip would provide me with an opportunity to search for a handful of species that I had never seen before. I also had high hopes for a night of moth trapping somewhere in the Ojibway Prairie. The total length of my trip was just a bit longer than 24 hours, but I made the most of it and came away with some exciting discoveries. 

Whorled Milkweed (Asclepias verticillata) - Ojibway Prairie Complex, Essex County, Ontairo

My first stop was at the Shetland Conservation Area in southern Lambton County. The picturesque Sydenham River lazily winds through the conservation area, providing excellent habitat for several dragonflies and damselflies that, in Ontario, are restricted to the deep south. One of these is the Royal River Cruiser. This large and impressive dragon patrols the shorelines and is quite striking to see. Fortunately, at least two were cruising around when I arrived. 

Royal River Cruiser (Macromia taeniolata) - Shetland CA, Lambton County, Ontario

I wasn't able to snag any with my net for closer observation so I had to settle with binocular views. Photography was difficult since they never really stopped moving, but I managed a few "record" flight shots. The perfect shot, or even an in-focus shot, will have to wait.

Royal River Cruiser (Macromia taeniolata) - Shetland CA, Lambton County, Ontario

Another target of mine was the Flag-tailed Spinyleg. This species of clubtail has a very wide abdomen tip, its "flag". Like the Royal River Cruiser, it also has a very local distribution in Ontario, being restricted to high quality rivers in the triangle created between London, Sarnia and Chatham. Several Flag-tailed Spinylegs were resting on the rocks at the boat launch on the north side of the river. 

Flag-tailed Spinyleg (Dromogomphus spoliatus) - Shetland CA, Lambton County, Ontario

Flag-tailed Spinyleg (Dromogomphus spoliatus) - Shetland CA, Lambton County, Ontario

I turned my attention to the damselflies perched in the Lizard's Tail (Saururus cernuus​) and other riverside vegetation. Blue-fronted Dancers were the most common species. 

Blue-fronted Dancer (Argia apicalis) - Shetland CA, Lambton County, Ontario

Stream Bluet was another species on my wish list. It did not take me long to find quite a few of them along the shoreline. It isn't a particularly rare or uncommon species; rather, I just haven't spent that much time over the years focusing on damselflies. Like the name implies, Stream Bluets love moving water and can be found in all sorts of riverine habitats. 

Stream Bluets (Enallagma exsulans) - Shetland CA, Lambton County, Ontario

Stream Bluets are similar to many other bluets, but their often turquoise-tinged head and thorax are a good identification clue. 

Stream Bluet (Enallagma exsulans) - Shetland CA, Lambton County, Ontario

There was one additional damselfly that I was on the hunt for, the Blue-ringed Dancer. Up to this point I had already seen four of Ontario's six dancer species, so I was hoping to find the final two to complete the set. The Blue-ringed Dancer has the most restrictive range of the six, being mainly confined to Lambton County. The Sydenham River provides excellent habitat, and this boat launch at Shetland Conservation Area is a well-known spot to search for them. Eventually, I found several mixed in with all of the Stream Bluets. 

Blue-ringed Dancer (Argia sedula) - Shetland CA, Lambton County, Ontario

The most unusual sighting here was not a dragonfly or damselfly. Rather, it was this Eastern Gray Squirrel swimming across the river! I watched it sneak up to the water's edge along the rocks, and minutes later it decided that the south bank was where it wanted to be after all. I can't recall ever observing this behaviour before. 

Eastern Gray Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) - Shetland CA, Lambton County, Ontario

Eastern Gray Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) - Shetland CA, Lambton County, Ontario

In Canada, the Blackstripe Topminnow is restricted to a 60 km stretch of the Sydenham River. It was only first discovered here in 1972. They appeared to be rather common here at Shetland Conservation Area, swimming near the surface along the edge of the river. 

Blackstripe Topminnow (Fundulus notatus) - Shetland CA, Lambton County, Ontario

Below are a few other common odonates that I noted at Shetland - a Black-shouldered Spinyleg and a Fragile Forktail. It was a very productive hour!

Black-shouldered Spinyleg (Dromogomphus spinosus) - Shetland CA, Lambton County, Ontario

Fragile Forktail (Ishnura posita) - Shetland CA, Lambton County, Ontario

I drove a short distance to the south to another access point of the Sydenham River, in the town of Florence. My main target here was the final species of dancer (Argia sp.) found in Ontario, the Blue-tipped Dancer. I found several of them in short order.

Blue-tipped Dancer (Argia tibialis) - Florence, Lambton County, Ontario

The dancer diversity was quite high here; also noted were Dusky Dancer, Blue-fronted Dancer and Powdered Dancer. 

Dusky Dancer (Argia translata) - Florence, Lambton County, Ontario

Powdered Dancer (Argia moesta) - Florence, Lambton County, Ontario

The Arrow Clubtail and Elusive Clubtail are both sometimes found along this stretch of the Sydenham, but I was unsuccessful in my brief visit. I was also hoping to find the Smoky Rubyspot, another range-restricted damselfly, but I struck out with them as well. With the afternoon getting on, I needed to continue with my route. 

Stream Bluet (Enallagma exsulans) - Florence, Lambton County, Ontario

I pulled into the parking lot to the Tecumseh Monument. Unfortunately time was of the essence, so I skipped past all the interpretive signs and rushed down to the shoreline of the Thames River. Smoky Rubyspots are often reported here as well. Along the way, I photographed some leaf mines on the planted Northern Catalpa trees near the parking lot. This seems to be from the fly Amauromyza pleuralis, one I haven't encountered before. 

Amauromyza pleuralis - Thames River, Chatham-Kent, Ontario

My sojourn at the river produced many American Rubyspots, but the Smoky Rubyspots were nowhere to be seen. 

American Rubyspot (Hetaerina americana) - Thames River, Chatham-Kent, Ontario

American Rubyspot (Hetaerina americana) - Thames River, Chatham-Kent, Ontario

Finally, as I was getting ready to backtrack along the river, I spotted one in the riverside vegetation.

Smoky Rubyspot (Hetaerina titia) - Thames River, Chatham-Kent, Ontario

It is a rather elegant species and I was thrilled to capture some nice photos of it. The Smoky Rubyspot is also restricted to Ontario's deep south, especially the Thames and Sydenham Rivers. 

Smoky Rubyspot (Hetaerina titia) - Thames River, Chatham-Kent, Ontario

I left the Thames River behind and sped down to Windsor, Ontario. Despite the dragonfly distractions earlier in the afternoon, the main target species for my trip was the Zabulon Skipper. This butterfly is quite rare in Canada but last year a population seemed to emerge in the Ojibway Prairie and this year there have been quite a few showing up not just in the prairie, but at several other sites in southwestern Ontario. It appears that the species is shifting its range north; time will tell if this is permanent. 

Stiff Cowbane (Oxypolis rigidior) - Ojibway Prairie Complex, Essex County, Ontario

The evening rays weren't stimulating many butterflies to be on the wing; morning is usually best. Though I couldn't find a Zabulon, wandering around in the mega-diverse Ojibway prairie is always a lot of fun. While swatting mosquitoes I spent some time botanizing and familiarizing myself with some of the prairie species. 

Tall Ironweed (Vernonia gigantea) - Ojibway Prairie Complex, Essex County, Ontario

Back in 2010 and 2011 I worked in the prairie, completing surveys for species at risk including the Butler's Gartersnake and Eastern Foxsnake. I wasn't that interested in plants back then, so it was enriching to visit the prairie this time with a different perspective. 

Round-headed Bush Clover (Lespedeza capitata) - Ojibway Prairie Complex, Essex County, Ontario

If someone was trying to find a new species for Canada, Ojibway would be a good place to search. Despite a fair bit of coverage by biologists and naturalists, new species continue to pop up since it is so close to the American border. Luck was on my side this evening and I encountered an interesting leaf mine on the American Groundnut that was blanketing the prairie. After doing some research, I am quite sure that the larvae of a moth called Anarsioses aberrans creates this leaf mine. Not only is this the first record for Ontario, it is also a new species for Canada. The closest records are several hundred kilometres to the southeast. 

Anarsioses aberrans - Ojibway Prairie Complex, Essex County, Ontario

I will plan to return to Ojibway later this summer/autumn and hopefully I will be able to collect some examples of this leaf mine. Maybe I will successfully be able to rear one and confirm the moth that emerges. In these photo, you can actually see the larvae within the leaf mine (in the top half of the mine). 

Anarsioses aberrans - Ojibway Prairie Complex, Essex County, Ontario

As the sun began to set, I ventured over to the Black Oak Savannah to set up my moth lights for the evening. While I waited for darkness to fall, I explored the prairie patch just south of the parking area. Whorled Milkweed was abundant, but I also found a single Green Comet Milkweed (Asclepias viridiflora). This species is unknown from the Ojibway prairie so it was a rather surprising discovery.

Green Comet Milkweed (Asclepias viridiflora) - Ojibway Prairie Complex, Essex County, Ontario

 I am not sure if this species occurs here naturally, or was it included with a seed mix that was used to restore this portion of the prairie? I am not sure. It seems odd that a species of milkweed could go undetected all these years in the Ojibway prairie complex. ​

Green Comet Milkweed (Asclepias viridiflora) - Ojibway Prairie Complex, Essex County, Ontario

As evening turned to night, I set up my two lights and sheets in the Black Oak dominated woodland. While the peak of mothing is behind us, quite a few interesting species can appear in mid-August, while some of the later species are flying as well. I was excited for what the night held in store.

Dyspteris abortivaria - Ojibway Prairie Complex, Essex County, Ontario

It was a bit of a slower night than I was expecting and only around 60 species of moths appeared at my lights. However, I had to remind myself that it was now mid-August and the peak of July mothing was in the rear-view mirror.

Acrocercops astericola - Ojibway Prairie Complex, Essex County, Ontario

I found two species of moths that were new to me - a boring, drab moth in the family Pyralidae called the Dusky Raisin Moth, and a type of twirler moth called Dichomeris glenni. Moth diversity is pretty crazy. Despite having set up my sheet hundreds of times over the last five years, I still usually find one or two new ones every session. 

Dichomeris glenni - Ojibway Prairie Complex, Essex County, Ontario

In addition to moths, a wide variety of midges, caddisflies, beetles, true bugs, flies, leafhoppers and much more also regularly appear at the sheet. One of my favourite groups is the planthoppers. Two species of Anotia planthoppers showed up, and both were new to me. 

Anotia robertsonii - Ojibway Prairie Complex, Essex County, Ontario

Anotia burnetii - Ojibway Prairie Complex, Essex County, Ontario

Anyways, here are some photos of some of the other species from the evening.

Spectacled Crane Fly (Epiphragma solatrix) - Ojibway Prairie Complex, Essex County, Ontario

Xanthotype sp. - Ojibway Prairie Complex, Essex County, Ontario

Oblong-winged Katydid (Amblycorypha oblongiforia) - Ojibway Prairie Complex, Essex County, Ontario

Ailanthus Webworm Moth (Atteva aurea) - Ojibway Prairie Complex, Essex County, Ontario

Two-spotted Tree Cricket (Neoxabea bipunctata) - Ojibway Prairie Complex, Essex County, Ontario

Packard's Wave (Cyclophora packardi) - Ojibway Prairie Complex, Essex County, Ontario

Eastern Giant Swallowtail (Heraclides cresphontes) - Ojibway Prairie Complex, Essex County, Ontario

Reddish Eucosma Moth (Eucosma raracana) - Ojibway Prairie Complex, Essex County, Ontario

Eastern Harvestman (Leiobunum vittatum) - Ojibway Prairie Complex, Essex County, Ontario

Arrow-shaped Orbweaver (Micrathena sagittata) - Ojibway Prairie Complex, Essex County, Ontario

Black-barred Brown (Plagiomimicus pityochromus) - Ojibway Prairie Complex, Essex County, Ontario

American Green Crab Spider (Misumessus oblongus) - Ojibway Prairie Complex, Essex County, Ontario

The following morning, I awoke to clear skies and warm temperatures. Perfect for butterfly hunting. The Zabulon Skipper was the main priority for the day and so I set off. A brief walk around Black Oak Savannah failed to turn any up. At least there were a few plants that I observed for the first time. 

Wild Yam (Dioscorea villosa) - Ojibway Prairie Complex, Essex County, Ontario

Shellbark Hickory (Carya laciniosa) - Ojibway Prairie Complex, Essex County, Ontario

Sometimes when I am exploring Ontario's Carolinian zone, I have a hard time believing I am in Canada. This morning was no different. It was hot and steamy, with massive oaks, hickories and tulip trees rising high into the sky. It all seems a little wild and jungle-like (if one ignores the ever-present sound of traffic - you are almost never more than 1 km from a road anywhere in southern Ontario). Poison ivy grows as vines as thick as your arm, winding high into the canopy. Even the greenbrier (Smilax sp.) is out of control! I love these natural areas, and it is a shame that so much of them are gone. 

Bristly Greenbrier (Smilax tamnoides) - Ojibway Prairie Complex, Essex County, Ontario

I ventured over to the Ojibway Nature Centre next, as the planted prairie flowers around the building had attracted Zabulon Skippers earlier in the summer. The conditions were perfect and many butterflies were around, but no Zabulon. I was beginning to worry, just a little. 

I wandered along the trail system behind the nature centre in an area known as the Tom Joy Woods. While I still was unable to find a Zabulon, at least the botanizing was interesting. I encountered my first Black Tupelo (also known as Black Gum). This southern tree has a very restricted range in the Carolinian zone of southwestern Ontario. 

Black Tupelo (Nyssa sylvatica) - Ojibway Prairie Complex, Essex County, Ontario

Whenever I find an unusual or range-restricted plant, I search it for the present of leaf mines or galls. Often, the insects that create these are limited to one or a few specific host plants. This time I found the leaf mine of a moth called Ectoedemia nyssaefoliella which, as the scientific name implies, is limited to Black Tupelo. This species was only added as a new species for Canada relatively recently. All of the previous records were from Norfolk County; this is the first for the Ojibway Prairie or Essex County, as far as I can tell. Even in a place like Ojibway, which has been studied and explored by naturalists for many decades, there are novel discoveries still to be made.

Ectoedemia nyssaefoliella - Ojibway Prairie Complex, Essex County, Ontario

I reached an opening in the tree canopy where a small prairie patch flourished. I encountered my first "wild" Ohio Spiderworts (quite a few are planted around the Ojibway nature centre) and Eastern Wild Indigo. 

Eastern Wild Indigo (Baptisia tinctoria) - Ojibway Prairie Complex, Essex County, Ontario

The Eastern Wild Indigo is the original foodplant for the Wild Indigo Duskywing and many of these skippers were flying around the clearing. 

Wild Indigo Duskywing (Erynnis baptisiae) - Ojibway Prairie Complex, Essex County, Ontario

The Wild Indigo Duskywing is a rather adaptable species. Its caterpillars can also survive on introduced Purple Crown Vetch which has been planted all over the province, especially along roadsides where it helps to stabilize soil. As a result, Wild Indigo Duskywings have spread and are now an abundant species across southern Ontario. However, it was neat for me to see my first ones using the "proper" host plant. 

Wild Indigo Duskywing (Erynnis baptisiae) - Ojibway Prairie Complex, Essex County, Ontario

As I stood in the clearing admiring the beautiful scene, I caught a flash of orange out of the corner of my eye. It appeared to be a skipper of some sort, chasing another one across the clearing. Could they be Zabulon Skippers? A few minutes later I witnessed another flash of orange. This time, it alighted on a plant and opened its wings to the sun. It was indeed a male Zabulon Skipper. 

Zabulon Skipper (Lon zabulon) - Ojibway Prairie Complex, Essex County, Ontario

There were two males present in the clearing and I spent the next 20 minutes watching them chase each other and nectar on some of the flowers. Despite searching, I could not turn up any females. 

Zabulon Skipper (Lon zabulon) - Ojibway Prairie Complex, Essex County, Ontario

The Zabulon Skipper was ostensibly the reason I made the trip to Windsor and so I was thrilled and a bit relieved to have caught up with some. On the walk back to the nature centre I stumbled across a third Zabulon, also a male, that was nectaring on some Swamp Thistle. 

Zabulon Skipper (Lon zabulon) on Swamp Thistle (Cirsium muticum) - Ojibway Prairie Complex, Essex County, Ontario

Before making the long drive back to Hamilton, I had one final species to search for. The Great Spreadwing just barely ranges across the border into southwestern Ontario. Spring Garden Natural Area is one of the more reliable places to search for them, though there are records from elsewhere in Ojibway as well. I headed over to Spring Garden and was surprised at how quickly I found two of them. 

Great Spreadwing (Archilestes grandis) - Ojibway Prairie Complex, Essex County, Ontario

Most damselflies do not impress very much with their size, but this is the exception. The Great Spreadwing is almost as long as a mosaic darner, dwarfing all the other spreadwing species. 

Great Spreadwing (Archilestes grandis) - Ojibway Prairie Complex, Essex County, Ontario

For those of you who have thought I have completely given up birding, fear not! I made two birding stops on my drive home. First, I stopped at a rural road next to a plowed wheat field in Chatham-Kent as Steve Charbonneau had discovered two Upland Sandpipers there earlier in the morning. This species used to breed throughout a lot of Chatham-Kent, but current land use practices have all but eliminated fallow fields and pastures, limiting the potential breeding habitat for the Upland Sandpiper and other grassland species. These two Upland Sandpipers are migrants making their way back to South America. It took a bit of time, but eventually I found them close to the roadside. 

Upland Sandpipers (Bartramia longicauda) - Drury Line, Chatham-Kent, Ontario

And my final pit stop was at the Aylmer lagoons in Elgin County. Several great birds had been found there in the previous week including a Plegadis ibis sp., a Black Tern, a Willet and a Marbled Godwit. 

Pectoral Sandpiper (Calidris melanotos) - Aylmer Lagoons, Elgin County, Ontario

The Willet and Marbled Godwit were still there during my visit, hanging out along the muddy edge of cell 3 which had been partially lowered. ​

Marbled Godwit (Limosa fedoa) - Aylmer Lagoons, Elgin County, Ontario

The Marbled Godwit in particular was a treat for me, as I don't encounter this species very often in southern Ontario. It was quite confiding for photos. 

Marbled Godwit (Limosa fedoa) - Aylmer Lagoons, Elgin County, Ontario

The WIllet was also fairly confiding. This species is much more regular in spring migration than in the autumn and they don't show up at sewage lagoons very often. 

Willet (Tringa semipalmata) - Aylmer Lagoons, Elgin County, Ontario

It was an extremely successful visit to southwestern Ontario and I am already looking forward to my next visit. Even though the natural areas in this part of the country are a far cry from their former glory, the biodiversity never fails to astound.