Life By The Water:

A Great Blue Heron stalked a Goldfish for breakfast. He was able to find and follow the meal under the dense floating duckweed.

A Great Egret does some grooming after filling its belly.

4 Great Egrets and a Great Blue Heron appeared to tolerate one another for a brief period of time. I often watch territorial squabbles between individuals for the best fishing spots.

3 Immature Black-crowned Night Herons resting in a birch tree. Top left of the pic is a Great Egret, well camouflaged against the bright sky and hidden behind the leaves. A portion of his yellow beak is visible if you enlarge the photo.

A Painted Turtle and Eastern Amberwing share the same log.

Even butterflies will sometimes land near water. Above, a Silver-spotted Skipper drinks minerals from the mud at the edge of Lake Chipican.

 Marthaville Habitat Management Area:

I recently enjoyed a leisurely walk at the Habitat Management Area on Marthaville Road between Churchill and LaSalle. The site boasts a rehabilitated gravel pit and includes Wetlands, Forest and Tall Grass Prairie habitats.

 

Female Autumn Meadowhawk on a Sumac leaf.

This species was abundant!

Grey Coneflower, one of several native species planted on the property.

Well maintained Trail along 3 km loop.

White-marked Tussock Moth

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail on Blazing Star.

I was surprised to see only one Great Blue Heron (distantly) during my visit. I'm sure there were other heron species hiding in the wetlands. They have lots of fish to eat!

 Canatara, Early August:

While walking around Lake Chipican, the Great Egret rarely fails to make an appearance at this time of year!

Silver-spotted Skipper on Pickerel Weed.

Mallard Mom supervising the Lily Pads.

I noticed movement in the Lily Pads and finally spied one of the little ducklings who popped out briefly from under cover. Looks like a good place to play!

Great spot for a Great Blue Heron to rest once his belly is full of fish!

Young Black-crowned Night Herons have started showing up for meals. There is a smorgasbord of fish and aquatic invertebrates in the lake for the many heron species and other fish eaters!

Fluttery Things !

The native plants in our flower gardens are attracting a number of species, including this Giant Swallowtail sipping nectar from a Purple Cone Flower.

Giant Swallowtails are easier to identify when the dark upper wing is visible.

There must have been a new batch of Monarchs emerging from the chrysalis on August 2, as it was the most abundant species I found that day. Although only 3 are visible in the photo, this Butterfly Bush was feeding12 Monarchs at the same time.

A pair of Monarchs enjoyed some Teasel nectar in the Canatara Meadow.

I didn't realize my good fortune until I looked at this photo on my computer.  I had captured a female Monarch in the process of laying an egg on a milkweed leaf. Look closely at the tip of her abdomen and you can see a tiny white egg being deposited!

Learning moth names can be a bit overwhelming thanks to the massive numbers of moths. Luckily the name of this White-spotted Brown Moth describes its features! 

 Spider Alert!

I know spiders aren't everyone's favourite creatures and I must admit, I don't care to have the big ones crawling on me, but I am fascinated by them when found in their natural settings!

The pointed ridges on the abdomen of the female Spined Micrathena presumably hurt the mouths of predators, making them an unappealing meal. She is hanging upside down by her legs in the centre of the web. I have been finding these small (maximum length 1 c.m.) spiders on almost a daily basis lately.

As an Orbweaver Spider, the Spined Micrathena web is built in a circle or spiral shape. Orbweavers tend to rebuild their webs every day. The black, brown and white colouration may act as camouflage since this species lives in dense forests where specks of light may be all that reaches the forest floor.  

https://www.insectidentification.org/insect-description.php?identification=Spined-Micrathena-Spider

Spider webs on Teasel.

Spider with a fly prize!

I found two different Fishing spiders this week on some lily pads, each protecting a very large egg sac. (I'm having difficulty getting a positive identification but think they may both be Six-spotted Fishing Spiders. The one above was much lighter in colour than in the lower photo.) Female fishing spiders produce egg sacs filled with their offspring. The eggs are wrapped in silk and carried between her fangs until she finds a good place for them to hatch. She will build a web and attach her egg sac to it, standing guard until the spiderlings emerge.

Six-spotted fishing spider

Fishing Spiders get their name from their hunting behavior. They are adept at ambushing insects and other invertebrates on land, but they can also submerge their bodies under the surface of calm water and hunt for small fish and tadpoles. The bristly hairs on the body trap air bubbles that are used to breathe while underwater. They have been known to stay submerged for more than 30 minutes at a time. They are also able to eat insects skimming or treading on the water's surface.

https://www.insectidentification.org/insect-description.php?identification=Fishing-Spider

I hope I am lucky enough to see some of the tiny spiderlings one day!

Spicebush Swallowtails: 

The Spicebush Swallowtail is a member of a mimicry group made up of 5 species in Ontario but is the only member that has rounded tails. (The ROM Field Guide to butterflies of Ontario, Peter W. Hall et al) 

Spicebush Swallowtail caterpillar: 

I recently had the opportunity to watch a friend release a Spicebush Swallowtail butterfly that she had raised through the egg, caterpillar and adult stage. She has a wonderful garden full of native plants that attracts this species....and MANY others! 

The chrysalis has formed!

Protected from predators in a mesh netted tent. There are 2 parasitoid wasps whos young will devour the larva if the adult wasp lays her eggs on the caterpillar.

First Flight!

She soon flew up and away, probably to find a mate! Pretty cool that she shared this experience with me!!

 Hullett Provincial Wildlife Area:

We visited Hullett Marsh on Saturday. We've driven around the 5,000 acre perimeter in the past but haven't spent much time on the trails. It is located east of Clinton on the South Maitland River. It is a no-fee, multi-use, multi-season facility, but hunting is permitted throughout the year so bright clothing is recommended. Visitors should check the website prior to visiting to get detailed information on hunting. 

http://www.hullettmarsh.com/index.html

Trails are well marked. The colour system is easy to follow and the trails intersect allowing you to choose the length of hike that suits you. However, the field trails are not cut as can be seen in the left photo above.

Hummingbird Clearwing Moth on Knapweed.

Green Frog on a log.

White-faced Meadowhawk

We didn't encounter as many dragonfly and butterfly species as hoped. The mosquitoes were very happy to see us so we didn't stop often for photos. Can you see the Great Blue Heron in the centre of the photo? I took the picture because I thought I saw a Heron, then decided it was a stick and kept going because of the mosquitoes. I realized when I saw the photo on my computer, that it was in fact a heron! Camouflage at its finest!

Different views above as we walked the trails. Found a nesting box designated for Screech Owls. I hope they had a successful nesting season!