Dragonflies by the Sydenham!

A visit to a boat launch along the Sydenham River on August 13th provided some great views of dragonflies. We were a little enthusiastic with our arrival time, but once the sun was shining on the shoreline vegetation, a female American Rubyspot posed for a photo.

Although there were constant fly-bys, the occasional dragonfly could be found resting in the sunshine. This Black-shouldered Spinyleg was a new species for me. Long spines on the legs assist in capturing prey.

I was impressed with the colours and shape of the Flag-tailed Spinyleg! At least 3 could be seen cruising along the shoreline. The species is critically imperiled in Canada.

One of our target species was a Royal River Cruiser. It's bright green eyes were stunning in the sunlight! The species is listed as critically imperiled in Canada.

Blake stopped by on his morning meanderings and assisted with the identification of this Blue-ringed Dancer, as well as some other species.

Another exciting find was a Spiny Softshell Turtle that swam towards shore, looking for a basking area. The shell was approximately 6 inches in diameter. This is the closest I have been to a wild Softshell!

We stayed back from shore and the turtle eventually found a nice spot to rest in the sun. I enjoyed seeing the markings on the shell, which often aren't visible when looking at turtles in the distance. This species is also listed as critically imperiled.

 The Birds and the Bees!

The generations continue!

Goldenrod Leaf Beetle

Gold-marked Thread-waisted Wasp

Greenhouse Millipedes

Japanese Beetles

Least Skippers

Yellow-collared Scape Moths

Ambush Bugs

 Urquhart Butterfly Garden

Located in Dundas, Ontario, the garden is named after pioneering entomologists, Dr. Frederick and Norah Urquhart, who after 40 years of patient research solved the mystery of the migrating monarchs. Both native and non-native plants in the garden meet the needs of many species of butterflies and their caterpillars. It is maintained without the use of pesticides.

https://urquhartbutterfly.com/about/

Although Monarch caterpillars rely on the milkweed plant, adults may nectar anywhere, and in this case on some matching zinnia flowers.

Viceroy, a Monarch mimic - notice the horizontal line crossing the vertical stripes. The horizontal line is missing on Monarchs. Viceroy also tend to be smaller than Monarchs.

Cabbage White

Red Admiral

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail

Life isn't easy for butterflies as predators are lurking around every corner. A Yellow Garden Spider waits patiently for its next meal.

The Confusing Furrow Bee caught my attention in the flower of a Golden Marguerite. Upon closer inspection, I noticed an extremely well camouflaged Crab Spider lying in wait had grabbed the unsuspecting bee. (Clicking on the photo will enlarge it.)

 Moth Night in Canatara!

A cotton sheet, piece of rope, portable work light and a couple of lawn chairs were carried to the edge of Tarzanland in Canatara Park during the BioBlitz. We wanted to see what moths and other critters would be attracted to the Moth Station. Below is a selection of our finds viewed between 9:00 and 11:45 pm!

One of the first visitors was a Woody Underwing who kindly opened its wings to expose the coloured hind wings!

Gray-edged Snout

Black Duckweed Moth

Brother Moth

Small Engrailed Moth

Northern Flatid Planthoppper

Ursula Wainscot

Cicada on a clothespin!

An Orb Weaver

Black Vine Weevil - not everything liked the sheet!

American Ermine Moth

 BioBlitz Weekend!

The Nature Conservancy of Canada promoted its 4th Annual Big Backyard BioBlitz weekend (August 1-5) and asked eager nature enthusiasts to document the nature around them. In my household, we jumped in feet first and photographed as many forms of life as we could, almost all in Canatara Park. These observations can help scientists understand local biodiversity, track long-term changes and protect species at risk. The following photos show some of the highlights!

Groundhog

Look closely at the right eye of the Groundhog. The white mark is a Groundhog Tick. They are commonly found on groundhogs and other small mammals.

Midland Painted Turtle 

Northeastern Hammertail  (insect)

Praying Mantis - even invasive species were recorded.

Shaggy Blazing Star

Six-spotted Fishing Spider - notice the small brown blobs to the left of the adult - Dozens of Spiderlings!

Virginia Tiger Moth

Harnessed Tiger Moth

Eastern Kingbird

Blood Red Russula

Beautiful Wood-nymph, caterpillar

 Bumblebee Watch #2

We visited Pinery Provincial Park on August 1st to participate in another Bumblebee Survey. "Bumblebee pickings" were slim as we only found 1 individual at our 2 monitoring locations. The bumblebees probably didn't like the heat and humidity any more than we did. After catching the bumblebees in a vile, the vile was placed in a cooler pack and 20-30 minutes later, when they had slowed (cooled) down, the bumblebees were photographed one at a time from different angles. The Two-spotted Bumblebee, above, is still warming up after the photo shoot.

This photo shows the same Two-spotted Bumblebee just before it flew away. The legs had stretched out as the body warmed.

In our search for Bumblebees, we noticed lots of different "winged things" including a Blunt Knapweed Flower Weevil.

Knapweed also provided a resting spot for a Dun Skipper.

Eastern Forktail; immature

Red-spotted Purple licking up juice from the garbage lid.

Eastern Pondhawk, looking back at me.

Definite Tussock Moth

Caught, trying to photograph a caterpillar.