Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Bushy Aster

Bushy Aster, Aster dumosus
25 September, 2011
Nature's lovely carpet at  West Perth Wetland, Mitchell, ON.

Tall Goldenrod

Tall Goldenrod, Solidago altissima
Goldenrod is often despised as a noxious weed by gardeners, but in its natural habitat it is a majestic part of a bucolic landscape, where plants are not judged by the whim of horticulturalists. This picture was take at West Perth Wetland in Mitchell, ON on 25 September, 2011.

Bull Thistle

Bull Thistle, Cirsium vulgare
This beautiful thistle was all over West Perth Wetland in Mitchell, ON on 25 September. Its seeds furnish a nutritious and highly sought-after food source for the ubiquitous American Goldfinches, Carduelis tristis, that populate the area.

Common Milkweed

Common Milkweed, Asclepias syriaca
These pods are the fruit of Common Milkweed. Each pod splits down one side and releases many overlapping seeds each covered with a tuft of silky hair which floats away in the wind. This picture was taken at Mitchell, ON on 25 September, 2011.

New England Aster

New England Aster, Aster novae-angliae

We always enjoy the beauty of the wildflowers we observe on our birding expeditions and a walk around the West Perth Wetland at Mitchell, ON on 25 September, 2011 provided us with a great deal of sensory delight. The landscape varies depending on the time of the year, and the New England Asters were both prolific and spectacular.

Monday, September 05, 2011

Sandhill Crane







Sandhill Crane, Grus canadensis
4 September 2011
On a cool morning, with fall in the air, we observed two families of Sandhill Cranes in a field near Glen Morris, ON. One family comprised two adults and two young, the second family consisted of two adults with only one juvenile. The birds were actively feeding and the young frequently flexed their wings and leapt into the air. We watched the birds for an extended period of time, exhilarated by our good fortune.

Land Acknowledgement

We acknowledge that the land on which we are situated are the lands traditionally used by the Haudenosaunee, Anishinaabe, and Neutral People. We also acknowledge the enduring presence and deep traditional knowledge, laws, and philosophies of the Indigenous Peoples with whom we share this land today. We are all treaty people with a responsibility to honour all our relations.

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