iN PHOTOS: Six butterflies to look for this summer in Okanagan, Kamloops

Spring is in full swing with summer just around the corner and residents in the Okanagan and Kamloops are photographing and identifying a variety of butterfly species. Butterflies are found everywhere in the province, including in the deserts and grasslands of the Southern Interior. There are between 15 and 20 thousand butterfly species worldwide and over 200 of those live in BC, according to the UBC department of geography. https://ibis.geog.ubc.ca/biodiversity/efauna/TheButterfliesofBritishColumbia.html The biggest threat to butterflies is habitat loss with many species relying on special habitats that are limited and taken over by human development. Pesticides kill them too and the pesticide of the biggest threat to butterfly populations in the Southern Interior is BTK, an insecticide frequently sprayed over thousands of hectares to manage the invasive and destructive gypsy moth populations. READ MORE: Merritt naturalist shares his wilderness passion while fighting for his life https://infotel.ca/newsitem/merritt-naturalist-shares-his-wilderness-passion-while-fighting-for-his-life/it109268 With unique wing shapes and colourful patterns, it can be fun to identify butterflies, and here are just a few to look for this summer. If you have photos of the natural world to share, send them to news@infonews.ca. mailto:news@infonews.ca To contact a reporter for this story, email Shannon Ainslie mailto:sainslie@infonews.ca  or call 250-819-6089 or email the editor mailto:news@infonews.ca . You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom mailto:tips@infonews.ca  and be entered to win a monthly prize draw. We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above. SUBSCRIBE to our awesome newsletter here https://infotel.ca/newsletter .