The following insects are considered species at risk. If you see any species at risk, please Report your observations to HHLT, or directly to our project biologist, Paul Heaven, Glenside Ecological Services Ltd. Click here to download the Species at Risk Observation Summary Sheet and send it to us (see contact info) or send an email to Paul Heaven, pheaven@glenside-eco.ca
Monarch Butterfly
The Monarch (Danaus plexippus) is categorized as Endangered nationally, and a species of Special Concern provincially.
There are four separate and distinct life stage of the Monarch consisting of egg, caterpillar, chrysalis and adult. The adult Monarch is a large butterfly with predominantly orange wings outlined by a broad black border and two rows of circular white spots. The Monarch caterpillar is striped with alternating white, yellow and black transverse bands, with a pair of black filaments at its head and tail. The Monarch chrysalis is green with a black and metallic gold band, and scattered gold spots.
The eastern Monarch breeds in southern Canada east of the Rockies and migrates to central Mexico to overwinter. In Ontario the Monarch is limited by the range of its main food source, milkweed, which extends throughout southern and central Ontario. Milkweeds (Asclepias spp.) are the sole food source of the Monarch caterpillar and grow in open and periodically disturbed habitats such as roadsides, fields and wetlands. Adult Monarchs feed at milkweed flowers but require other wildflowers for nectar when milkweed is not in bloom. In the County of Haliburton important milkweeds for the Monarch are Common Milkweed and Swamp Milkweed.
Although the primary threat to the Monarch is forest loss and degradation in overwintering areas, the declining abundance of milkweed in Canada is also a significant threat. Milkweed declines have been attributed to the conversion of farmlands to larger and more intensive industrial agriculture use, and the use of herbicide resistant crops.
West Virginia White
The West Virginia White is a species of butterfly categorized as a species of special concern within Ontario.
The West Virginia White is a small (three to four centimetre wingspan) white butterfly with whings that appear translucent. As a caterpillar, it is yellow-green with a green stripe along each side.
It is relatively rare in Ontario, having been seen at only 50 sites in the province, some of which are in Haliburton county! While it’s rarity in Ontario is likely a consequence of it never being very common here, it is threatened by habitat fragmentation. It also threatened by garlic mustard, which is related to it’s host plant toothwort, butterflies can mistake the garlic mustard for toothwort and when the eggs hatch the caterpillar are not able to feed on the garlic mustard as they would toothwort.
If you want to go looking for West Virginia White Butterflies, they are one of the first butterflies to emerge in springtime and a hunt for a picture of them might make a wonderful spring activity. The best place to see them is in forested areas where toothwort is present.
Yellow-banded Bumble Bee
Yellow-banded Bumble Bee is a species of bee categorized as a species of special concern within Ontario. It is a medium-sized bumble bee with a distinct yellow and black abdominal band pattern. It consumes the nectar of a wide variety of plants and it able to live in a broad range of habitat type, though it prefers mixed woodland for its nesting and overwintering habitat. It tends to nest in old rodent burrows and rotting logs.
The yellow banded bumble bee is most at risk in the southern Ontario where massive land use change has caused habitat loss and introduced pathogens affecting managed bee colonies have also affected it. Pesticide use is also a likely contributor to its decline. It is likely to be less at risk in Haliburton County, however, the relative proximity of Haliburton to southern Ontario means that populations here are important to protect and conserve to help the species in the future.