Wild, Wild, Wetlands!

Our day began with a drive to Peers Wetland, just north of Wallaceburg. I've always enjoyed this Conservation Area but hadn't visited in quite some time.

Upon exiting the car, we could hear the musical sound of Purple Martins, congregated around a large nesting box.

We took our time as we walked around the approximately 1 km trail loop. In the photo is one of several Green Herons found hiding in the reeds.

Hickory Tussock Moth caterpillars were abundant on the oak leaves. Hickory, Walnut, Pecan and American Hornbeam are preferred hosts but they can feed on most hardwood deciduous trees. These caterpillars will use their hairs for defense. The hairs are barbed, easily detach, and can become embedded in the skin, eyes, or mucous membranes of potential predators. When they spin their cocoons, the caterpillars incorporate the hairs into the silk so that the cocoons are also protected. 

https://extension.psu.edu/hickory-tussock-moth-caterpillar

 Leaf damage from Hickory Tussock Moth caterpillars.

Poison Ivy Leaf-miner Moth: Leaf miners get their name because they eat plant material between the upper and bottom layers of a leaf. Look at the bottom of the grey tube-like area on the leaf in both photos. A small, beige larva was actively moving. The shape of the body is in a different position in the 2 photos. 

We saw several Wood Duck families, one of which likely used this box at the beginning of the nesting season.

The Compass Plant gets its name from the tendency of its large, deeply lobed basal leaves to orient themselves in a north-south plane, with their faces pointing east and west to regulate sun exposure - Nature's Own Compass!

https://plantnative.org/native-plants/compass-plant-silphium-laciniatum.htm

Female Monarch Butterfly laying eggs on Common Milkweed.

Family of Mute Swans, taking a rest.

 Trail upgrades have greatly improved the walking experience!

An interpretive sign promotes the benefits of wetlands.

A drive to Reid C.A. provided looks at some different wetland species.

Notice the tiny red/orange mite, close to the head on the Summer Azure. Parasitic mites on butterflies are external parasites that may attach to the wings, neck, eyes, legs, or abdomen and can weaken already stressed insects. A lightly affected butterfly may still fly and feed, but heavier infestations can reduce activity, damage scales, interfere with movement, and lower survival.

https://spectrumcare.pet/insects/butterfly/conditions/parasitic-mite-infestation-on-butterflies

Dukes' Skipper - an endangered Species.

Giant Swallowtail, warming up in the sunshine.

Some rapid movement at the edge of the path caught my eye. Upon closer examination, I realized that a Garter Snake had just caught an American Toad.

This blurry photo shows how quickly the Garter Snake was thrashing around to keep the Toad from escaping. I was amazed at how high it could lift its body off the ground.

Going, going, gone! It didn't take long for the Toad to slide down a large length of the snake's body. The thickened lump on the snake is visible in the photo.

The tiny American Tree Frogs were slightly bigger than when we saw them 10 days earlier.

 Birds of Summer!

Although much of my time in the summer is spent looking for invertebrates, birds are found on a daily basis. Once green leaves open up on trees and bird parents are busy feeding their young, finding birds in the summer can become a challenge.

Earlier this month, a Caspian Tern was flying above the St. Clair River.

Cliff Swallows often swarm around bridges and overpasses in summer. Clusters of their intricate mud nests cling to vertical walls. When a Cliff Swallow is home, you can often see its bright forehead glowing from the entrance. If you look carefully at the dark nest entrance in the centre of the photo, the glowing forehead of a Cliff Swallow is peaking out of the chamber.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Cliff_Swallow/overview

American Goldfinch nest later in the summer than most birds. The blooming cycle of thistles seems to be a factor because the fluffy seed heads are important nesting materials. The plant also produces seeds which are eaten by the adults, then regurgitated for the young to eat, back at the nest.

https://www.wild-bird-watching.com/American-Goldfinch.html

Canada Thistle seed fluff - perfect for Goldfinches!

A House Wren, belting out its song from the roof of a nesting box.

Although the Killdeer appears to be adult sized, the fuzzy/fluffy feathers indicate that it hatched this year.

Northern Cardinal

American Robin carrying something for the kids to eat, back at the nest!

Red-winged Blackbird females are carrying food to feed their hungry young.

A Sedge Wren surprisingly popped up for us to see during a walk at the Dow Wetlands. Sedge Wrens live in wet fields and shallow marshes and have a reputation for being shy birds. They spend much of their time out of sight as they hunt for insects and spiders near the ground.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Sedge_Wren/overview

Great Crested Flycatchers tend to hunt high in the tree canopy. When they swoop to catch flying insects, they sometimes crash into the foliage. They are the only Eastern flycatchers that nest in cavities and will sometimes make use of nest boxes.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Great_Crested_Flycatcher/overview

Great Blue Heron, waiting patiently for food to approach; either dragonflies in the air, or aquatic critters in the water.

 A Blue Frog and a Black Witch!!

A blue, Green Frog! We all learned in primary school that mixing blue and yellow makes green. A genetic mutation can disrupt the production of yellow pigments in the frog's skin. If the yellow pigment is missing or significantly reduced, the underlying blue pigments become visible, resulting in a blue frog! In some cases, a frog's diet can also influence its colour. Frogs obtain certain pigments from the foods they eat. If a frog lacks a crucial dietary component required for yellow pigment synthesis, the frog may become blue!

https://iere.org/why-would-a-green-frog-be-blue/#google_vignette

The Black Witch is a migratory moth, commonly found in the tropics of the Americas. They are primarily found in the southern U.S., Mexico, and Hawaii. In the summer season, they sometimes fly as far north as Canada! Adults do not feed. They live from a few days to a couple of weeks, using the energy stored during the larval stage for sustenance. The Black Witch Moth is culturally significant in different parts of the world. In many cultures it is associated with folklore surrounding death and bad omens. While in other cultures, it's seen as a symbol of good luck or fortune! I felt very lucky to have had the opportunity to see it!

https://www.whatsthatbug.com/black-witch-moth-all/

There are lots of colourful names in our local species:

Black Swallowtail on Purple Cone Flower

Orange Sulphur (deep yellow, depending upon the light)

Bi-coloured Striped Sweat Bee

Red Admiral: Red Admirals can be found in North and South America, Europe and Asia. The range of this butterfly is very broad because of their host plant. Larva will eat any of the 50 species from the nettle family, which grow in all of the listed regions. Red Admirals living in more northern latitudes will migrate to the southern states in the fall to avoid a loss of food resources in the winter. This migration is not as famous as the journey of the Monarch, but is a response of local populations seeking food sources through out the year. Climate change patterns are expected to impact insect species that follow plant populations in bloom.

https://www.fs.usda.gov/wildflowers/pollinators/pollinator-of-the-month/red-admiral-butterfly.shtml

Blue Dasher

Common Yellowthroat - female

Common Yellowthroat - male

Scarlet Tanager - High in a tree

Orange Mint Moth - The caterpillars feed on the leaves of mint plants.

Visible colours on both the Great Blue Heron and Red-winged Blackbird can help to identify each species. In the photo, the Blackbird was harassing the Heron because he felt the Heron was too close to his nest.

Silvery blue colour shines on a Silvery Blue Butterfly!

 Sarnia Bay & Point Lands!

A grey-coloured Crow had been reported at Centennial Park so we headed to the area in hopes of finding it. There are no crow species of that colour in our area. We assume it is an American Crow with a genetic colour morph. We didn't find the crow, but we didn't find ANY crows, which made us laugh. When we aren't looking for crows, they are usually very abundant!

Although we didn't have luck with the grey crow, we took the opportunity to explore the area. From the top of a manmade hill, we could look south down the St. Clair River. It's possible that I haven't stood on top of this hill since the kids were young and we took them tobogganing. 

It was quite windy in the morning with the approach of afternoon thunderstorms, but we found a few butterflies clinging to plants at the top of the toboggan hill! Common Checkered Skippers were one of the species.

A Clouded Sulphur also clung to a dandelion.

In our quest for the grey crow, we wanted to cover as much ground as possible so toured the perimeter, passing the grain elevators where we found several Swallows. Some Barn Swallows landed within photographic range, but the Cliff Swallows were a little too far away.

A Ring-billed Gull surveyed the surroundings from high on the roof of a nearby building.

Canada Geese were watching sail boats head up river into lower Lake Huron for the start of the annual Bayview Mackinaw Boat Race. It is the world's longest, continuously run, Freshwater Yacht Race. Skippers may choose to race north on Lake Huron from Port Huron along the 235 mile Michigan shore line OR travel the 290-mile Southampton Course before finishing at Mackinac Island.

https://mackinawcity.com/event/port-huron-to-mackinac-boat-race/

Looking north, up the St. Clair River as sail boats head towards the Bluewater Bridges and into Lake Huron for the start of the race. Approximately 200 boats enter the race each year.

As we continued our perimeter tour, we spied a flying Black-crowned Night Heron! It seemed to be searching for a place to rest. It was my first siting of the species in 2026, and was not expected at this location!

A small pond provides the necessities of life for a number of wetland species including these Halloween Pennants in a mating wheel!

Nesting boxes provide nesting spots for Tree Swallows. I only managed to photograph the tip of its tail as it dove head first into the box with food for the babies.

Question Mark butterfly

Finding a Common Sootywing was an unexpected surprise in a gravelly area near one of the parking lots.

A Spotted Sandpiper steadily walked along the sand looking for food. It is checking out a fly on the sand in the above photo.

The fly was caught by the Spotted Sandpiper making a nice snack! This bird marked the end of our walking tour but we will continue to be on the lookout for the grey Crow!