The Heart of Lambton County!

Found in central Lambton County, the Marthaville Habitat Management Area is owned by the County of Lambton and managed by the St. Clair Region Conservation Authority. This gravel pit rehabilitation site includes a 3km trail around wetlands, forest and tall grass prairie.

https://www.scrca.on.ca/portfolio/marthaville-habitat-management-area/

Phragmites australis was so abundant on the property that views of the water in past years were severely obstructed. It is an aggressive plant that spreads quicky and out-competes native species for water and nutrients. It releases toxins from its roots into the soil to hinder the growth of, and kill surrounding plants. Work has been done in the past few years to reduce and remove this invasive plant.  The cut stems in the photo are all from the phragmites plant.

https://www.ontario.ca/page/phragmites-fact-sheet

Our first insect encounter included 3 Tiger Moths, and 2 of them were mating! They were easy to see against the green background of the grasses.

Emerald Spreadwing - a new species for me!

Slender Spreadwing

Dot-tailed Whiteface

Eastern Forktail

A Green Frog was lurking in the reeds, hoping to use his long tongue to catch one of the flying dragonflies!

Orchard Oriole

An Osprey was being chased by a "daring" Red-winged Blackbird.

Yellow Lady's Slippers

One of the largest Garter Snakes I have ever seen. It was likely close to 1 metre in length!

Milkweed Stem Weevil - The milky liquid from inside the plant stem is oozing out after being punctured by the weevil's long, nose-like proboscis.

Petrolia Trails

These well-marked and maintained trails can be accessed from Petrolia Line in the flats at the east end of town.

We didn't actually find the Haunted Tree. I wonder if it has fallen over?

Turkey Vulture, missing a few feathers

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

We watched a Field Sparrow fly to the ground and emerge with a green caterpillar.

It then flew into the only tree in the meadow and prepared to feed another Field Sparrow.

Raising young is hard work. A female Savannah Sparrow must gather 10 times her weight in food to feed herself and her young during the 8 days they are in the nest!

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