2026 SOBaD Count Results
In late June 2026 we ran the South Okanagan Butterfly and Dragonfly Counts in the Vaseux Lake Christmas Bird Count Circle which includes Vaseux Lake Provincial Park, White Lake Grasslands Protected Area, and most of Skaha Lake. Abundance data was collected in the field for all species and we recorded some occurrence data in our iNaturalist project.
Despite the poor weather, 19 participants in 5 parties recorded 518 individuals of 34 butterfly species on Saturday, June 27th and 8 observers in 4 parties recorded 1629 individuals of 15 dragonfly species on Sunday, June 28th. This represents about a third of the known species richness of both of these groups in the sampling area.
We hope to run more of these counts in the coming years and would be glad to welcome any interested participants to our upcoming counts.
Background
The South Okanagan is a biodiversity hotspot where many unique and exciting Canadian insects occur. Some of the most charismatic of these species are butterflies and dragonflies, making them favourite taxa of budding insect enthusiasts and established bug nerds alike. Join us in the South Okanagan in late June 2026 for what we hope will become annual Butterfly and Dragonfly Counts. We will follow similar sampling methods to some of the counts that piqued our entomological interests decades ago – the Algonquin Butterfly and Dragonfly Counts in Ontario and the Dry Island Buffalo Jump Butterfly Count in Alberta.
N.B.
While proposing the original Christmas Bird Counts one hundred and twenty-five years ago, Frank F. Chapman suggested that there would be “exceptional opportunities for winning the laurels of the chase.” We anticipate at least this much long-term success, and, with our counts being entomological in nature, the laurels to be won are no doubt grander.
Arrowhead Blue (Glaucopsyche piasus) photo by Liam Ragan (CC-BY-NC).