July Drought, Pollinators and more

Raven is not impressed with being made to pose for photos in the hot sun!

Up until today, our region has received 15.7 mm of rain this month compared to 80 mm last year at this time. Other parts of Ontario have had abundant rain but the storm clouds seem to part and skirt many south-western counties. Corn fields are looking different and I learned that "pineapple corn" appears when the leaves curl inward in response to drought making the corn look more like pineapple plants than corn stalks. We visited a favourite lavender farm close to Lake Erie and while the plants have drip irrigation, they are smaller than usual this year. The ground is parched in between the rows of flowers. 

I sat on a bench between rows of fragrant flowers to wait for pollinators to land close enough for a photo. The farm, which also has an apple orchard, has bee hives so honey bees were not hard to find. In total, I saw only three butterflies including one Monarch that was high in the air. 

Black Swallowtail

Black Swallowtail (backlit) underwing

Painted Lady underwing (Vanessa cardui)

Three members of the Vanessa family of butterflies are found in southern Ontario;- Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta), Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui) and American Lady (Vanessa virginiensis). I have to double-check the ID of these similar butterflies). A Painted Lady showed its unique underwing while feeding on the lavender.

It is alarming to note the decline in the number of butterflies in recent years. I read this month that Monarch Butterflies, the most abundant butterfly in my youth, are now considered endangered due to habitat loss, pesticide and herbicide use, and climate change. I have Milkweed growing in my garden but have yet to see any Monarchs in the yard this season. 

We have not had the degree of heat and drought others around the world have experienced this month. Hopefully we will get more rain this summer as crops mature. I water my perennial plants in the cool of the day to maintain the flowers for butterflies, bees and other pollinators.