We meet at the Ballpark in Gillies Bay at 10:00am.
Last week we hiked uphill from the Davie Bay road, along Thompson Road and then up again through the forest to our lunch spot on the bluff above Balanced Rock Lake. It was a lovely day and on the way back downhill along the logging roads there were quite a few butterflies to be seen darting from flower to flower in search of nectar. My photo taken that afternoon is of a clean looking male Pine White feeding on the tiny rosette flowers of a roadside daisy. The females are quite similar to the males, but they lack the neat network of fine black lines on the underside of the rear wings. This species is most abundant in August and is widespread in the Pacific Northwest. The eggs are laid on the needles of pines and firs and are unusual in not hatching until the following spring. The caterpillars feed on the soft young needles and the third stage of the lifecycle is a short one with the adults emerging while there are still plenty of flowers around.
JD.
A male Pine White butterfly feeding on a roadside daisy flower.
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