HarvesterHarvester
Size - 25 to 30 mm.
On the wing - First brood May until June and the second brood from July 'til August.
Range - Scattered from Manitoba to Nova Scotia.
Host plants - None. This butterfly's larva are carnivorous.....they feed on Wooly aphids.
Favourite habitat - Where you find alders. Wet, woody and swampy areas.
Special notes - The Harvester is unique among Canadian butterflies in that it is the only butterfly, while in it's larval stage, that feeds on other insects. In the case of the Harvester that diet consists exclusively of the Woolly aphids found on alders. As adults Harvesters will often feed on aphid honeydew which serves the same purpose as nectaring.
