Recent Summer Finds!

A Giant Swallowtail stopped for a drink along a very busy flight path. It looks like it is leading a parade!

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail

Chicken of the Woods: This wide-spread fungus gets its name from the texture of its flesh, which is said to resemble cooked chicken.

https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-explorer/fungi/chicken-woods

Dog Vomit Slime Mould - Love the name!

Feather-legged Scoliid Wasps are ground-nesting wasps that eat white grub larvae of June Beetles and Japanese Beetles. The grubs are found in the soil. The wasp will dig into the soil, paralyze the beetle larva and attach her egg to it. When the egg hatches, a food source is readily available to the larva. Unlike social wasps, they don't form colonies or aggressively defend nests. They are harmless to humans but incredibly valuable to the ecosystem.

https://canningcrafts.com/blogs/news/wasps-the-unsung-heroes-of-the-garden

Great Blue Heron viewing the surroundings.

Northeastern Hammertail adults are active from May through September. They are typically found in Grasslands, Sandy and Dry areas. They often land on moving objects, including cattle and humans but apparently don’t bite unless mishandled.

http://minnesotaseasons.com/Insects/northeastern_hammertail.html

Monarch in a cultivated Canatara garden.

Insect Mating Season is here!

The non-native Cabbage White Butterfly was accidentally released in Quebec in 1850, probably from imported cabbages, and spread rapidly across eastern North America. It is the most abundant butterfly species that I find locally.

https://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-guide/cabbage-white

A large weevil known by its Latin name: Lixus Macer

Silver-spotted Skipper adults nectar on a wide variety of flowers. They show a clear preference for blue, pink and purple flowers and rarely visit yellow flowers.

https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/silver-spotted-skipper-epargyreus-clarus/

Stripe-legged Robber Fly

 Canatara Wildlife!

The nervous chattering of birds made me pause long enough to notice an American Mink running along the shoreline of an island in Lake Chipican.

First time I recall ever seeing a Red Squirrel in Sarnia.

A Great Blue Heron picked up and dropped a stick several times. Perhaps it was using the stick as a tool to stir up the muddy bottom and catch its next meal. Green Herons are known to use tools for “fishing” and maybe it learned from one of its cousins??

This large Grapevine Beetle caught my attention when it flew erratically towards me down a trail. Luckily it landed nearby so I could identify it. I've seen them before, but never in flight!

Hummingbird Clearwing and a Bumblebee on the left.

Common Checkered Skipper on Canada Thistle

Common Buckeye on Canada Thistle

Four-toothed Mason Wasp, on Canada Thistle

Leconte's Haploa Moth, hiding in the shadows.

Giant Swallowtail on Swamp Milkweed.

I watched the final stages of a Praying Mantis shedding its skin! After the exoskeleton dropped, I was able to put it on a leaf for a photo.

Praying Mantis Exoskeleton

 Clear Creek Butterfly Count!

The Clear Creek Butterfly Count was held July 27th. It was a beautiful, but hot day. The first critters we found were a family of Bobolinks. They were perched on bushes and goldenrod in a meadow. Eventually all five flew away.

A few butterflies were found in the Bobolink meadow, but a Hackberry Emperor was on the gravel shoulder of the road. We later learned it was the first time this species had been spotted on the Clear Creek Count!

Newport Woods, Thames Talbot Trust property. This property is always good for finding several species. We counted 19 Monarchs, but I neglected to take photos of any of them.

Common Ringlet - the first I’ve seen in a few months. Probably a second generation for this summer.

Giant Swallowtail, enjoying Teasel nectar.

Tawny Emperor

Grey Comma; another first for the Clear Creek count!

Spicebush Swallowtail on clover along the side of the road.

Northern Broken-dash - one of only 2 skipper species that we found.

Summer Azure, blending in with gravel on the road!

Hummingbird Clearwing Moth

Carrot Seed Moth, on Queen Anne's Lace, which is also known as Wild Carrot. If you rub the leaves, they smell like carrots!

Blue Dasher, performing a hand stand! On hot days, this position helps reduce the surface area where sunshine will touch the dragonfly.

Ebony Jewelwing

Halloween Pennant

Red Milkweed Beetle, on Common Milkweed

In total, we found 21 species of butterflies! The highlight of our day was finding an American Snout, which was a lifer species for some of our group members. American Snouts have very long mouth parts which make it look like they have a huge nose. The species is the only Snout found in North America. Various Hackberry trees are the host plant for the species.

https://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-guide/american-snout

 Miscellaneous  Wings!

Birds tend to be harder to find in the summer when they can hide behind tree leaves. Although I spend a lot of my time searching for insects, I do find the occasional bird. 😉 The local Coopers Hawk nest successfully hatched 4 young hawks this year. They are all out on the prowl. They sometimes call back and forth to one another, which makes it easier to locate them!

American Goldfinch use thistle fluff in the construction of their nests.

An Eastern Kingbird hovered over the water as he waited to find "just the right bug" for his next snack!

Ruby-throated Hummingbird babies! The little cuties are getting bigger and I can now see more than just their beaks. The beaks are short but will lengthen as the babies grow. (It would be rather dangerous for Mom, and her young, to be in that nest if her babies had adult length beaks!) (Note: They fledged on or before July 25th.)

Indigo Bunting, male, soaking up the sunshine as he looks for food.

Female Common Yellowthroat warbler.

I was being watched as this Red-winged Blackbird cleaned his feathers!

Pied-billed Grebe: The mottled colouring on the throat indicates the bird hatched this year.

Blinded Sphinx caterpillar, almost 3 inches long! It crawled across the path in front of me! Once it reaches the adult stage, its wingspan will reach up to 50mm.

Four-spotted Forester Moth! I have seen this species several times but have never seen it in the sunshine before. Usually it is in the shade, hiding on the underside of a leaf.

Mottled Tortoise Beetle: They are about the size of a Lady Beetle and it shone like gold in the morning sun!

Nessus Sphinx Moth - a day flying moth.

Peck's Skipper, sitting in its food dish!