Tag: wildlife
-
Lens-Artists Challenge #420 — Wabi-sabi: The Impermanent and the Perfectly Imperfect
Happy Hallowe’en! When we wander the quiet paths, wetlands, and creek sides, we are too often focussed on those “picture-perfect” moments—the pristine flower, the unblemished wing, the flawless reflection. But nature rarely operates in a sterile gallery. This week’s Lens-Artists challenge asks us to lean into the beauty of the imperfect and the impermanent. But,…
-
Bismarck’s Busyness
The crisp October air has brought a wonderful burst of energy to the lower level deck. Lately, I have been sitting quietly, completely captivated by the tireless industry of our local squirrels as they prepare for the long winter ahead. One particular fellow—whom I’ve fondly named Bismarck—visited recently with a prized butternut in tow, completely…
-
Sunday Stills: The Bug Lady’s Scary, Creepy Crawlies
The calendar tells us that Hallowe’en is creeping near, and today’s Sunday Stills prompt invites us to look at what is “scary” in the animal kingdom. Now, some folks might shudder, pass by quickly, or even shake a little at the mere mention of multi-legged critters. I seem to have earned the affectionate title of…
-
Making the Most of My Third Space*
Dedicated to the hands that tend our haven: Mary, Dan, Aase, Mark, and Susie. Third Space originally referred to locations away from both home and work — a cosy, neighbourhood venue where people could meet to mingle and chat. In the thirty-six years since the coining of that phrase, the definition and interpretation of what…
-
Sunday Stills Monthly Color Challenge: Colors of Lava and Black — The Boardwalk Dagger
Doing my level best to fit in with Terri’s chosen theme, this gorgeous caterpillar’s urticating setae have a distinctly orangish/tawny tone, depending upon how the sunlight hits them. Both the thoracic and abdominal segments along its trunk are a pure ebony tone. This is a lovely time of year to explore the boardwalk trail at…
-
The Gentle Imposter
Often mistaken for a bee or a wasp, the Transverse Banded is actually a harmless (no stinger), common species of hoverfly. It is native to Ontario and, for self-preservation, is adept in Batesian Mimicry*. It “wears” bright black and yellow stripes to trick predators into thinking it’s a stinging bee or wasp, but it is…
-
Cleopatra
Unintentionally continuing with the green pollinator theme… This eye-catching insect is the Common Green Bottle Fly (Lucilia sericata), a blowfly. What looks like a brilliant red “crash helmet” is actually her pair of massive, wrap-around compound eyes, which cover nearly the entire upper surface of her head! On this bright, sunny afternoon, her eyes gleamed…
-
The Sunshine Party
Today, minded by Cam this time, I wandered down the laneway to see what was happening in our community pollinator garden. I saw one, very busy, Bicolor Striped Sweat Bee, and a handful of Northern Paper Wasps — all of them dashing from flower to flower, drinking madly, preparing for the winter. It was like…
-
Wings of Cream and Rust
The butterflies were playing in our pollinator garden yesterday and a pair of Cabbage Whites fluttered all around my head. Twice. It made for a truly magical moment. Fun Fact: In folklore, the appearance of a white butterfly inside a home or flying directly around someone (me!) was often considered a sign of good luck,…
-
A Curious, Candid Stare
This afternoon I was out playing with my camera in the laneway garden, trying to move my body up and down to get interesting angles on my shots. This is part of this week’s photo challenge which I’ve yet to complete. Today, ‘though, whilst experimenting — a very sweet interlude. At the base of a…
-
Precious Gem
Green seems to bee the colour of the week in our pollinator garden. Today’s beauty is the Pure Green Sweat Bee which is another native bee. Earlier this week I wrote about the Bicolored Striped Sweat Bees that live in apartments. Today I’m writing about a bee that enjoys the bucolic log cabin lifestyle. True…
-
The Zinnia Climber
This afternoon at the pollinator garden in our laneway, I enjoyed a lovely interlude with a Grasshopper. She definitely showed out for me! Differential Grasshoppers (fancifully “Herringbone” Grasshoppers) are pretty easy to identify, both by the chevron or herringbone patterns on their upper hind thighs or femurs. Also, below their “knee”, they appear to be…
-
My Orange Surprise
Fun Fact: The Painted Lady is famously known as the “Cosmopolitan Butterfly” because it is found on almost every continent. They love visiting sunny gardens to sip the nectar of asters and zinnias, just like this one… My Orange Surprise I stepped into the lane today, on a quiet little quest,To find a striped and…
-
The Emerald Sentinel
Yesterday morning I “met” a new bee species: The Bicolored Striped Sweat Bee. She is spectacularly beautiful, she is native, and I shot 300+ images of her. “Bicolored” because her head and thorax are a brilliant shade of emerald green, whilst her abdomen is stark black and white stripes. Female because males have bright yellow…
-
Red Stalks and Feathered Flocks
The Gray Dogwood is a native, deciduous shrub, indigenous to the woodlands, riverbanks, and natural thickets of Southern Ontario. It is a “super bush” — ranking amongst the highest-performing native shrubs for supporting both breeding and migratory birds. Over 40 local bird species feast on those high-fat white berries to fuel up for their autumn…
-
The Panicled Diner
Panicled Asters are an herbaceous, perennial, native wildflower here in Ontario. They produce small, white, Daisy-like flowers in the autumn and provide important late-season nectar for local pollinators. Yesterday, during a very short visit to our pollinator garden, I counted six species enjoying the feast: The Panicled Diner The diner is open, the sign is…
-
The Courtyard Surprise
Whilst we’ve got absolute masses of Peck’s Skippers here in south-western Ontario, The Silver-spotted is much harder to find and, to our surprise, we had one sunning herself atop our courtyard wall for most of the afternoon. Made my day! The Courtyard Surprise Perched high upon the courtyard stone,A rare and painted gem has flown.With…
-
The Fairest Weed
Locally known as Blueweed, Viper’s Bugloss is an herbaceous, non-native, monocarpic* biennial in the Borage (Aster) family. Viper’s Bugloss is also known as Blueweed and Thistle Blueweed. Fun Fact: The ancients believed (falsely) that Bugloss was a hiding place for snakes. As a result, in mythology the plant is said to be possessed of serpent-like…
-
Ode to a Mosquito
We had an interesting but unpleasant experience today. It was mid-afternoon, we were sitting outside enjoying the forest behind us, it was not damp, neither was it sunset time, yet we were suddenly bombarded by Asian Tiger Mosquitoes. And they were biting. Ode to a Mosquito A striped little monster from Hell,Decided that mid-day went…
-
Pecking Order
Pecking Order [Or the beach drama of the Killdeer, the Seagull, and the Turkey Vulture.] I witnessed a power struggle between a Turkey Vulture, a Seagull, and a Killdeer—three very differently sized species—all vying for some meat off a dead fish that had washed ashore. This took place on the wee beach at the Port…
-
The Bee’s Teacup
Cup Plant is an herbaceous, native, hardy perennial in the Daisy family. These beauties adorn the meadow beneath the Caldwell First Nations’ Boardwalk from August to September. Fun Fact: Cup Plant is fancifully known as the Indigenous “Chewing Gum”. The Anishinaabe peoples (including the Chippewa/Ojibwe, of which the Caldwell First Nation is a part) historically…
-
Carolinian Cutie
Gosh, did we ever have a lovely visitor this evening! We knew immediately that this wee guy was a fledgling by his teeny-tiny peeps — that were constant: Mum, Mum, Mum, I need food! His mum and dad are sure to be close-by keeping an eye on their kiddo and foraging for insects for him. …
-
Sunday Stills: The Odonates Redux* — Gargantuan Green
A vibrant knight in sparkling vest,He chose my bricks to pause and rest.A three-inch giant, fierce and blue,A flash of wild that journeyed through. ‘Though all my photography buddies have many pictures of Green Darners, the species has been my white whale. Until this afternoon. Until five hours (5!!!) after I posted my insects for…
-
Sunday Stills: The Odonates of Essex County
For Sunday Stills, Terri writes, this week I challenge you to share images of insects. Ohmigosh! I was beaming from ear to ear when I read that line. This is, at last, a prompt/challenge for which my photography catalogue is very well-equipped. Terri started us off with Hart’s “Dog and Butterfly” — I ask you,…
-
Sage is the Bee
Sage is the Bee A chubby bee hums in the sun,To find the sweetest purple prize.She lands upon a velvet leaf,And hugs the sage in glad surprise. She tickles every fragrant bloom,While dancing “The Bumblebee Jive”Then whispers to her purple friend,Before she flies home to her hive. ‘Til next time, y’all…