98 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 



THE BUTTERFLIES OF GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. 



BY ROBT. H. WOLCOTT. 



Grand Rapids, Michigan, is situated in the western part of the State, 

 thirty miles from Lake Michigan, in N. lat. 42 ° 58', in W. long. 85 ° 40', 

 with an altitude of between 600 and 700 feet. The underlying forma- 

 tion, outcropping in the bed of the river, is the subcarboniferous lime- 

 stone, and the soil is for the most part a sandy or gravelly loam. The 

 surface of the surrounding country is rolling and diversified by numerous 

 small lakes, with tamarack swamps and peat bogs scattered here and 

 there. The timber is mainly hard wood, but now and then an aged, 

 solitary, pine or a group of younger pines in an out-of-the-way nook re- 

 minds us of the fact that we are within the limits of the pine region, 

 while much of the land formerly covered by pine is now occupied by a 

 growth of low oak scrub. The flora is of a mixed character, the locality 

 being just within the pine belt, and the Grand River valley also forming 

 the northern limit of many southern species, such as the papaw, tulip- 

 tree, honey locust, flowering dogwood, tupelo, etc. The mean annual 

 temperature is about 47°, and the average annual rainfall about 36 inches, 

 while the season lasts usually from the middle of April to the fore part of 

 October. The fall of 1890, however, was an unusually late one, and 

 many species were on the wing till the end of October, Colias philo- 

 dice being seen even on the 6th (about a dozen) and on the 20th (one) of 

 November. 



The following list of species is the result of ten years' observation, 

 and covers the immediate vicinity of Grand Rapids within a radius of 

 about ten miles : — 



1. Danais archippus. — Very common. Appearance as follows : The 

 hibernating individuals, from the middle of May to late in June ; of the 

 first brood, the larvae in June, the butterflies from early in July to August 

 15th ; of the second brood, the larvae late in July and early in August, the 

 butterflies from the end of August to the middle of September j of the 

 third brood, the larvae in September, the butterflies in October and, after 

 hibernation, again the next May. It is thus three-brooded, and if we dis- 

 regard the time spent in hibernation, the life of each brood is from two to 

 two and a-half months. It is a very strong flyer, and is often seen hover- 

 ing about the tops of trees at a considerable distance from the ground, 

 especially near sunset, when seeking a hiding place for the night. 



