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Robot Butterfly observing a Monarch butterfly captured in mid-flight!

Robot Butterfly admiring the flight patterns and intricate details of a real Monarch butterfly!

Churchill Park, Kingston, ON - August 2026

Robot Butterfly Meets a Butterfly!

Stepping about a flower garden area in a local park brings a truly magical experience with many butterflies fluttering around and performing elaborate pirouettes, spiraling far into the sky!

Three butterflies in a row, mid flight, behind Robot Butterfly

In a row, following the leader

Robot Butterfly with a shadow cast on its chassis by the wings of a butterfly

Have you ever seen a butterfly's fleeting shadow?

The butterflies zoom around rapidly, the only lure to remain still for a brief moment is to sip nectar from the flowers. With the combination of an abundance of patience and these innately curious creatures, it worked out to finally snap the photos!

Robot Butterfly surrounded by butterflies amongst purple flowers

Kaleidoscope of butterflies gathering

I’m looking for readers’ input to choose which photos would be most enjoyed as postcards. If you would like to participate, check it out and cast your vote!

Vote for postcard photos

The fine print: Patreon account sign up needed, but voting is free & open to everyone

Agricultural Tech Outdoors

The big box mentioned in the previous newsletter has made its way into the fresh air! Many thanks to the team of scientists for their agricultural expertise.

Three scientists in a farmer's field measuring with a scientific device

Scientists at work testing the agriculture scientific device in a field of cereal stalks - Guelph, ON

Monarch Magic!

The noticeable increase in Monarch butterflies this summer is thanks to a 64% increase in Monarch butterfly population compared to just one year ago, according to an estimation by WWF Mexico.

The report credits the conservation efforts and forest management in the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve, especially since there was degradation in the years prior.

As one butterfly tags a butterfly perched on a flower, another butterfly is arriving mid-flight to join in

Three Monarch brothers playing a game of tag

Kaleidoscope of butterflies pausing to sip nectar from flowers

How many butterflies can you count in this photo?

This number is based on the amount of forest occupied by the butterflies. Half of the colonies were in the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve, and the other half outside of it!

Monarch butterflies are designated as vulnerable status on the IUCN red list (as of 2023).

The Monarchs here throughout the summer could be the parents or grandparents to the ones that will be migrating. The “super” Monarchs will emerge / have emerged in mid to late August.

The window for migration opens starting from late August to mid October, when these Monarchs will commence their >3000 km journey south. The journey typically starts when there is a cold front with north winds.

Infographic showing the regional percentage of overwintering butterfly populations

Image source: NorrisLab at University of Guelph

Map with trails of the Monarch butterfly migration

Image source: Project Monarch - Map courtesy of Cape May Point Arts and Science Centre

The butterflies that overwinter originate from 6 different regions.

This map shows the tracking of the Monarch butterflies starting from Long Point, Ontario to their overwintering grounds in Mexico. The butterflies can be followed in real time on their App.

It sounds like this initiative is happening again this year! Check out this article in the New York Times for background information.

Cool News

Trees with Rights

Right on, tree! Photo: Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press

Inspired by art, this is the first municipality in Canada to sign the Universal Declaration of the Rights of the Tree.

Invertebrate of the Year

The leaf sheep - Photo: Marli Wakeling/Alamy

A big crown for this tiny creature! Invertebrate of the year goes to the leaf sheep!

From the Lab

Moving gif of the sparkles on Robot Butterfly's wing

Sparkles on the Robot Butterfly wings in the Tett gallery

Erin’s ‘Outdoors with Robots’ presentation given at Hackaday Europe is available to watch here. Additionally, previous presentations have been added to the Presentations page
Minim Tripod was designed to elevate Robot Butterfly in a lightweight and stable way. It also iterates on one of Atmosphinder’s key parts. Available to download here, and read more about the design process here.
During the Tett Residency exhibit, these wings captured the light in a captivating way! Check out the sparkles in slow motion video

Outro

If any readers happen to know the names of the flowers and plants in the butterfly photos, it would be great to hear what they are!

At last, the goal of capturing a photo of Robot Butterfly and a Monarch butterfly together has been reached! Woohoo! It is even more magical than I could have imagined!! Be sure to cast your vote here.

Also, if you want to read the previous editions of the Field Robot Chronicles, here is the newsletter archive.

Enjoy the long shadows of summer before the sun sets,

-Erin RobotZwrrl

Two butterflies adjacent to each other, vertically — one perched, the other in the air

A flying leap

PS: Believe it or not, upon finally capturing this edition’s headline photo, a ladybug landed on my hand while holding the camera! What great luck!

Hiya Robot! You are receiving this because *unrolls a long papyrus scroll and checks notes*:

This newsletter dispatches approximately once per month (unless one of our robots does something particularly epic) and includes highlights from our community events at Robot In The Park, updates on our tech development at Robot Missions, and art by RobotZwrrl. View the newsletter archive here.

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