Mitchell's Bay; South Lakeshore Trail:

We chose a sunny day to venture into Chatham-Kent and included Mitchell's Bay in our plans. A highlight was finding 3 Bronze Copper butterflies along the South Lakeshore Trail!

A very tired and worn Bronze Copper.

A few Green Herons entertained us as they hunted for food.

Several moths were actively flying along the trail, providing easy pickings for the many Bluets in the area. Both of the above Bluets have captured a moth.

Great Egret watching intently for his next meal.

 Eat or be Eaten!!!

Recent Predator/Prey Encounters:

A suspended object caught my attention as it dangled from a Swamp Milkweed Plant - an Anchor Stink Bug was having lunch. The larva of the Swamp Milkweed Leaf Beetle was larger than the predatory Stink Bug. The Stink Bug is a "True Bug" meaning it has a sucking mouth part and will suck out the interior juices of the larva. Its proboscis looks like a long beak and works like a straw. Other insects such as bees and butterflies also have a proboscis, but they are able to retract or roll it up. The proboscis of a True Bug is more rigid and cannot be rolled up.  https://askabiologist.asu.edu/explore/true-bugs

There was a blur of activity as a Black-capped Chickadee caught and ate an insect.

A damselfly flailing in the water quickly became a meal for some hungry predators. The movement on the surface of the water attracted some Backswimmers who soon began circling, just like a clip from the movie "Jaws"! (By clicking on the image, the enlarged picture shows more detail of the underwater backswimmers.)

A Robber Fly eating another Fly.

A Harvestman is not a true spider. Although it has 8 legs, its head, thorax and abdomen are fused into one body part. Spiders have 2 body parts. Harvestmen do not have fangs, are not venomous and do not bite. However, fly is on the menu for his next meal!

https://www.insectidentification.org/insect-description.php?identification=Eastern-Harvestman

Video of Eastern Harvestman with his prize.

 A Green Theme:

Green Frog sitting on a lily pad: He was so well camouflaged, that I didn't notice him until he sneezed. Not sure if frogs actually sneeze, but that is my best description of the sound he made!

Green Herons are becoming more tolerant of people as they tend to be later in the summer. I watched one walk back and forth along a floating log hunting for minnows and dragonflies.

I don't know which "Leaf Roller" creature rolled up this leaf, but I admired the "silk stitching" used to maintain the structure of the tube.

Female Eastern Pond Hawk: They are often found hunting in the meadow.

Striped Sweat Bee

A Robber fly that I rescued from a water-filled pail following a recent rain. He was doing the backstroke when I found him!

Brilliant Jumping Spider! Love the green fangs!

A Katydid resting on a Common Teasel goes almost unnoticed as it blends in with the bracts on the flower head.

 Backyard Moth Night

We made a second attempt at finding moths in our yard recently. The moon was just one day shy of being full meaning the brighter sky reduced the number of moths that found our light. Now we know to avoid the full moon! We were also serenaded by the trill of an Eastern Screech Owl in a neighbour's tree!! Pics below are a sample of ones we found both in our yard, and at our friend's farm.

Gem Moth

Lesser Maple Spanworm

Three-parted Epiblema Moth: Many moths can be found in the day. This little guy was very tiny. At first I thought it was Frass (caterpillar poop). I gently brushed the stem to see if it would fall off then noticed it had 6 legs!

Gallinipper: Probably the largest mosquito in North America but is not considered to be a vector for mosquito-borne pathogens. Wing length is 6-6.5 mm.

https://bugguide.net/node/view/32476

The Skiff Moth is a member of the Slug Moth family. During the larva stage, the caterpillar looks more like a slug than the typical, leggy worm-like caterpillar. The brown and tan colours of the the adult help it to hide among leaf litter and tree branches.
https://www.insectidentification.org/insect-description.php?identification=Skiff-Moth

Laurel Sphinx: large enough to fit in an open hand!

Digger Wasps!

Two species of Digger Wasps are visiting the yard!  Although they can be alarming to see, they are not aggressive wasps and will normally only sting if stepped upon.

Great Black Digger Wasps have been sipping nectar from my Virginia Mountain Mint. In the right light, a beautiful iridescent blue colour is visible. They can grow up to 35 mm in length.

https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/48738-Sphex-pensylvanicus

The Great Golden Digger Wasp is also considered to be a gentle wasp. Adults enjoy drinking nectar from my Swamp Milkweed.

We noticed a few new holes in the garden, about 1 cm in diameter. It didn't take long for a Great Golden Digger Wasp to make an appearance. 

A female will dig into loose soil and make many deep tunnels. She will then catch an insect and sting it to paralyze, but not kill it. Once the prey is immobile, she will take it to one of the tunnels. While in flight with her prey, birds like robins or tanagers sometimes steal her meal by chasing her until she drops it. Once inside the tunnel, she will lay an egg on the paralyzed insect, exit the tunnel and cover the hole. She does not actively defend her nest. Once hatched, the wasp larvae will feed on the immobile insect until they are developed enough to leave the tunnel. 

https://www.insectidentification.org/insect-description.php?identification=Great-Golden-Digger-Wasp

A Great Golden Digger Wasp removes dirt particles from her tunnel. She always backed out of the tunnel - no turn around room down there!

 July Birds:

Although we spent a ton of time looking at moths during July, we did have a few encounters with our feathered friends.

Immature Black-billed Cuckoo - notice the yellow eye ring. Adult birds have a red ring around the eye. They are sluggish and secretive birds, often hiding in dense vegetation, perching motionless in the trees. They feast on caterpillars, especially fall web worms and tent caterpillars.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Black-billed_Cuckoo/id

Great Blue Heron up close, hiding in the reeds.

A Great Blue Heron's patience paid off with the capture of breakfast.

Bald Eagle on a pole, south Lambton County

Bald Eagle, ready for lift off.

Upland Sandpipers forage by walking briskly through shortgrass habitats, picking invertebrates and seeds from the ground and vegetation. Males will perch on fence posts during breeding the season.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Upland_Sandpiper/id

Common Gallinules can swim like a duck. They have long toes, making it possible to also walk on soft mud and floating vegetation like rails.

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

Great Horned Owl - A "murder of crows" gave away his hiding spot.

 A Walk at Henderson Conservation Area

Close to the C.A. entrance, a Great Spangled Fritillary caught my attention as it fluttered and landed on a nearby log.

Gray Comma underwing - the comma shape is visible on the hind wing

Gray Comma, upper wing. Gray Commas aren't common in south-western Ontario.

Eastern Amberwing and it's colourful shadow!

Variable Dancer - love the purple!

Wolf Spider Moms can carry their babies on their backs for a few weeks after the spiderlings hatch. (several are on her back!) This behavior can help to protect the spiderlings from predators. Once they are old enough to hunt for food on their own, they leave Mom's protection. After a quick look at me, Mom scurried off under the boardwalk and out of sight.