Gentle, delicate giant puppets appear mysteriously at events, gatherings, and celebrations to bring colour and hope to the proceedings, respresenting transformation and metamorphosis.
Designed by Xstine Cook and created by a number of talented artists including painters Kat Hansen and Medina Dennie, as well as riggers Maezy Dennie and Iva Pajevic.
See if you can identify them!
Want the butterflies at your event?
Olympia Marble (AKA Euchloe olympia)
- lay single egg on flower bud
- Habitat: prefers open areas, including foothills, meadows, open woodland
- Range: southern Canada, central Montana and Colorado, south to Texas, and east through Great Lakes states
- Colours/markings: topside of wing are white with dark spots of black, underside of wings are white with goldish/green marbling
- Behaviour: has one generation per year (univoltine), flies from mid April-mid June
Mourning Cloak (AKA Nymphalis antiopa)
- Larvae name: Spiny Elm Caterpillar
- Range: distributed around the northern hemisphere, found throughout North America
- Habitat: can be found in all habitats
- Behaviour: to defend themselves, they often join with other butterflies and fly at their attackers
- Colour/markings: large, wingspan of up to 4”; topside of wings are dark maroon, sometimes brown, with pale yellow edges and bright blue spots – underside has grey lines with pale yellow edges
Northern Pearly Eye (AKA Enodia anthedon)
- Range: found throughout most US and in Canada from Nova Scotia to east-central Alberta
- Flies mid-June to early August
- Habitat: damp deciduous woods, mixed or grassy woodlands
- Colours/markings: topside brown with dark eye spots, underside is brown with eye spots
- Behaviours: one brood in north from June-August, two broods in south from May-Sep
Regal Fritillary (AKA Speyeria idalia)
- Habitat/range: found in tallgrass and mixed grass prairies in the US and Canada
- Colours/markings: topside is orange with black spots and a black edge; underside is brown with large silver spots
- Behaviours: Feeds in violets, flies from June to September; females lay 1000-2000 eggs
Red-Spotted Purple (AKA Limenitis arthemis)
- Range: spread through North America in shady areas
- Habitat: deciduous woodlands, shady areas
- Colours/markings: topside blue-green with red/orange spots and a black band an inch from the edge; underside is brownish with orange spots and blue/black band around edges
- Behaviour: very territorial; females undergo labor for several weeks, laying only a few eggs per day; very active
Dod’s Old World Swallowtail (AKA Papilio machaon dodi)
- Range: found in all provinces and territories
- Habitat: open and shaded areas
- Behaviour: participates in mud puddling- or drinking in minerals from damp ground
Blue Copper (AKA Lycaena heteronea)
- Range: found in North America, specifically BC and AB
- Habitat: high elevations, bushy areas, mountain meadows, and open forests
- Colours/markings: Males have blue on the topside, females brown; both undersides that are white with black spots
- Behaviour: males extremely territorial only to other male blue coppers, ignores other butterflies- has a visual sensor that only activates when other blue copper males are near
Little Copper/Small Copper (AKA Lycaena phlaeas)
- Range: common across Europe, Asia, North America and North Africa to Ethiopia
- Habitat: wide range of habitats from woodland clearings to churchyards and waste ground in cities
- Colour/markings: topside (forewings) are bright orange with black edge; (hindwings) black with orange stripe at the bottom; underside are similar but paler
- Behaviour: active and territorial, will attack other butterflies, insects, and will react to a bird’s shadow passing by
Greenish Blue (AKA Plebejus saepiolus)
- Range – Alberta
- Habitat – near clover
- Sightings – May to August