From Gary in Edmonton, Alberta.
Today’s butterfly was a surprise for me in more ways than one. I ventured out to the little bog just south of Sherwood Park in hopes of finding a Giant Sulphur. No sulphurs, but on the edge of the bog a population of fresh Boloria freija aka Freija fritillarys! The second surprise was when I got home and took a closer look and found they are in fact not Freija fritillaries, but Purple fritillaries, Boloria chariclea. Who knew!
A number of the chariclea were nectaring at purple Fall asters just outside the bog, along with hordes of European Skippers and oodles of Northern Pearl Crescents. I slogged through the bog…which is boggier than usual this wet summer…in hopes of finding a Giant sulphur but saw almost nothing therein..except for a another chariclea. I have slogged this bog on numerous occasions in the past…the footing on the hummocks is always atrocious and today, for the first time, I managed to miss-step and do a 180 into the soggy soggy boggy. Shocking, and yet refreshing….
A fine day all around and rewarded once again for going bugging and bogging…