Suncor Trail/Wawanosh

A half dozen Monarchs migrated southward as I walked the Suncor and Wawanosh Wetlands trail loop.

The Monarch Mimic: A Viceroy rested on some Queen Anne's Lace, (also called Wild Carrot).

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I likely rolled my eyes when I first attempted to photograph the adult Clouded Sulphur because it flew away just as I was about to snap the photo. However, it didn't fly far, and when I lined it up with my lens, I noticed that it had landed beside a Yellow Bear Caterpillar! Once it becomes an adult, the caterpillar will be known as a Virginian Tiger Moth!

The tiny specks "suspended" between the 2 twigs are insects that were caught in a spider web. I watched many warblers, including a Yellow-rumped Warbler approach this and other webs to grab a snack or two.

Something disturbed a Great Egret at the far end of the channel. It was headed west in this photo as it flew past me.

And then it turned and headed back in the direction from which it came!

A Hickory Tussock Moth caterpillar was easy to spot on a Sumac leaf that was changing into its fall colours.

Common Painted-Lady

A natural vegetation tunnel along a Wawanosh trail.

Following wet weather, this section of the trail is often under water or is extremely muddy. It was nice to see improvements have been made to the south trail at Wawanosh Wetlands since I last visited! 

Pockets of Eastern Boxelder Bugs congregated on a Manitoba Maple.

Most of the Canada Geese visible from the trail were camped out on surrounding farm land. This pair decided they would rather be in the water!

 Point Pelee Dragons... etc.

Despite the windy day, we (and many insects), were able to find shelter at the North West beach parking area. Two Black Saddlebags took turns hunting for food, then resting.

Twelve-spotted Skimmer, male

Darner sp: I want to call it a Lance-tipped Darner but there isn't enough detail in the only photo that I was able to get to make a positive identification.

Male, Eastern Pondhawk

Female, Eastern Pondhawk

Fiery Skipper!

Tucked into the foliage was a Gray-cheeked Thrush!

When zooming in, I was able to count 8 different insects on the aster.

Even the gulls were on the sheltered side of the tip. Most of the birds were Ring-billed Gulls.

The water was calm at the North West Beach

An Eastern Phoebe was also hiding in the protection of the trees.

Before leaving Point Pelee National Park, we stopped at the Visitors Centre. There may have been over 40 Green Frogs resting on the Lily pads, oblivious to the nearby winds.

 Point Pelee: Marsh Boardwalk!

Despite the forecast, we walked the Marsh Boardwalk trail on Saturday morning and managed to dodge most of the rain!

A Red-winged Blackbird wasn't bothered by us as he hopped along the top of the railing. I haven't seen one at home in a few weeks.

Some squabbling filled the air as two Great Blue Herons both wanted the same space. One bird finally left, leaving this one to his little pile of marsh vegetation.

A large flock of Double-crested Cormorants flew overhead.

A distant male Wood Duck foraged for food in the marsh. We saw at least 4 individuals. 

The person with whom I was walking suggested the red cable was the handiwork of muskrats attempting to set up their own internet service!

Five Wild Turkeys greeted us at the parking lot upon our return to the car.

Looking across the marsh towards the Boardwalk. 

 Windy Day at Point Pelee!!

We headed down to Leamington to join the Friday evening presentation at the Ontario Field Ornithologists Conference. Our original plan did not include going to Point Pelee on Friday, but the forecast for Saturday rains inspired us to adjust our plan.

We enjoy the walk from the Visitor Centre to the tip but time was limited so we were happy to see that the tram was operating. Hurricane Helene was making news in the southern US and it sure felt like we were feeling the leading effects of the storm. The tip as we know it was completely submerged, or perhaps even washed away.

Gulls, including Bonapartes, Herring, Ring-billed and Great Black-backed, made some distant appearances as they soared along the tip. However, watching a group of 7 Sanderlings which were soon joined by 21 more provided lots of entertainment! They ran along they beach looking for food while trying to avoid the waves.

6 of 7 Sanderlings huddled in a sheltered area.

21 new Sanderling arrivals!

A few Sanderlings walked within 2 metres of where we were standing.

Video: Sanderlings at the tip of Point Pelee!

Stable Flies were abundant at the tip. My jeans, although they seemed to attract the flies, did protect me from their bites. They were a great nuisance for people with bare legs.

 Lagoon Life!

Not exactly a tropical paradise, but the Strathroy Lagoons host lots of different life forms at this time of year. Insects are larger and easier to see in the fall since they have been eating and growing all summer. The lagoons are an important rest stop for migrating waterfowl.

Finding the Larva of a Snowberry Clearwing, was one of the highlights of my walk. Although I have seen many at the adult stage, this was my first larva. Usually blue/green on the top and yellow/green along the side, the caterpillar that I found was the much less common 'brown' form.

Adult Snowberry Clearwing, (found in mid-July)

One of the first caterpillars that I noticed was shiny in the morning light. The Asteroid Moth caterpillar was nibbling on New England Aster.

Dogwood Sawfly

The larva in the above 2 photos are both Dogwood Sawflies. They don't look the same because they are at different instar stages. Sawflies resemble smooth, hairless caterpillars with six pairs of prolegs. Moth and butterfly caterpillars (almost) never have more than 5 pairs of prolegs.

PROLEGS: SPOTLIGHT ON CATERPILLAR ANATOMY (thecaterpillarlab.org)

Isabella Tiger Moth caterpillar

Virginian Tiger Moth

Familiar Bluet was the most common dragonfly species that I saw.

Red speckled Dun, a small species of Mayflies, were abundant, often landing on my clothing or backpack.

Honey bees were active on the knapweed.

Some waterfowl, including these Wood Ducks were on the water. Any shorebirds I noticed were too far away for photos or identification. I also saw several Pied-billed Grebes and Mallards, a Green Heron and some Cedar Waxwings. All in all, a nice morning for walk!