20 August, 2023
We were delighted to have a Deceptive Snout (Hypena deceptalis) pay us a visit.
26 August, 2023
A couple of years ago we planted a Cup Plant (Silphium perfoliatum) and it has done spectacularly well. This Common Eastern Bumble Bee (Bombus impatiens) found it very much to its liking.
We are excited about both the bee and the plant.
22 August, 2023
Mike Schout Wetland Preserve, New Hamburg, ON
Mulleins (genus Verbascum) are invasive, yet spectacular.
The platforms erected to encourage Ospreys (Pandion haliaetus) to build their nests remain unoccupied and Common Starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) found a convenient perch.
They will not be nearly so bold when the Ospreys take up residence there.
We saw several Northern Flickers (Colaptes auratus), adults, and young of the year.
They were joined by a Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura).....
..... and a Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata), and an Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus).
And they all seemed to get along!
The gall of the eponymously named Golden Rod Gall Fly (Eurosta solidaginis) is a common sight on three species of goldenrod located throughout southern Ontario, namely Canada Goldenrod (Solidago canadensis), Late Goldenrod (S. altissima) and Tall Goldenrod (S. gigantea).
The fly inserts its eggs near the developing bud of the plant. After hatching, the larvae cause the plant to form a hardened, bulbous chamber known as a gall. The larvae are able to tolerate freezing temperatures and emerge as an adult in the spring, if not consumed by Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) or Downy Woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens) while still in the gall.
In harsh winters the larvae of Goldenrod Gall Fly form a significant part of the diet of these two species.
As you are all aware, I appreciate Miriam's tenacity in getting most of the pictures that grace this blog, and the following shot with a Common Drone Fly (Eristalis tenax) on the flower, and a Western Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) coming in to land is really quite exceptional.
The bee is already laden with pollen, but perhaps there is room for a little more!
This handsome individual is a species of Short-horned Grasshopper (family Acrididae).
A nest box awaits the visit of a Wood Duck (Aix sponsa) next spring.
We'll have to keep a watchful eye on it throughout the winter to see whether an Eastern Screech Owl (Megascops asio) decides to roost in it.
The wetland looked splendid, as only wetlands can.
Water-Plantains (genus Alisma) are firmly established.
Water Beetles (genus Dineutus) provided great amusement for us as they scurried around like commuters on a busy highway.
A Midland Painted Turtle (Chrysemis picta marginata) has seen it all before.
We did not see many odenates, with Eastern Forktail (Ischnura verticalis) being the most common (and the one most likely to settle for a photograph).
A noisy flock of Canada Geese (Branta canadensis) is always an event to stir the senses.
I was quite taken aback to see masses of Bullheads (genus Ameirus) forming in the water, in ways that were reminiscent of the bait balls of oceanic fish driven together by sharks or dolphins.
They would break up and reform in a tantalizing underwater ballet - and we had a front row seat to the performance.
It was mesmerizing to say the least.
We left the wetland knowing that we had uncovered merely the smallest fragment of its wonders, but we'll be back for more. Again and again.
I hope you'll explore the treasures of a wetland near you. You'll be thrilled with what will unfold before your eyes. Treasures you never even dreamed of await you.
...David, these are fabulous. I have a cup plant and New York State now considers it invasive.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great series of photos David.
ReplyDeleteThe Northern Flickers are really beautiful to see.
The Bullheads are very special, I have never seen this before.
Greetings Irma
Hari OM
ReplyDeleteThe shoal was a fascinating find - a little movie would have been the only thing that would have made this post better! YAM xx
I agree! The fishes moved with the same kind of synchronization that flocks of shorebirds or starlings do.
DeleteI absolutely didn't know bullheads would gather like that! Wow!
ReplyDeleteNor did I until I witnessed the event, Rita.
DeleteI had not heard of a Deceptive Snout. Funny name!
ReplyDeleteMust have been named after a politician.
DeleteHello David,
ReplyDeleteI have never seen the cup plant before. I think many yellow flowers are very hardy. I guess it could survive here too. I have white Verbascum here, and it spreads many places in the garden. Beautiful turtle! They don't live here at all.
Hugs and kisses, Marit
With Cup Plants you have to be very carefully. Given a chance it spreads like crazy and can take over. Hugs and kisses - David
DeleteWow, I had no idea bullheads could form shoals like that. I think a very similar species of bullhead if not that one is invasive here in certain rivers in Spain.
ReplyDeleteAlso I wouldn't have known that Eristalis tenax lived in N America! I am learning so much thanks to your blog. Best wishes.
Hello David :=)
ReplyDeleteI agree with everything said above. Northern Flickers are beautiful birds, and the Bullheads was a fabulous find, and something I have never seen before, also the spectacular sharp image of the Common Drone fly on the flower, and the Western Honey bee in flight heading towards the flower is outstanding. A lovely post, and I enjoyed the image of the enticing wetland.
All the best
Hugs and xxxxxx
Great to see you commenting again, Sonjia. I am assuming your wrist injury has healed well.
DeleteI am willing to bet that very few people know about the larvae in the golden rod bulge. I have not seen a bullhead swam like that for years, it brought back images of them at my dad's place in Wisconsin.
ReplyDeleteI do like the mullein but I've not had any luck growing it here. a friend in Canada sent me some seeds from her yard but they didn't do anything and I bought a plant at a nursery here but it died before it flowered. I've never heard of a cup plant.
ReplyDeleteBullheads are fascinating! That blue jay is very beautiful. I still haven't seen one over here.
ReplyDeleteLovely pics and narrative. I like the Midland Painted Turtle, it looks like he's taking a stroll through his area checking it out.
ReplyDeleteEn sus ramas desnudas,se divisan muy bien los pájaros. Todo es belleza y armonía , en las imágenes que muestras.
ReplyDeleteUn abrazo.
Hi David
ReplyDeleteThis wetland looks quite large, it's perfect for nature.
It's not common for us French to see a nest box right in the middle of the water 😁.
To be continued.
Big kisses to you both.
As always huge thanks to you both for sharing some of the wonders you delight in.
ReplyDeleteMiriam did indeed get a great shot of that honeybee coming in to land.I'll give it !!!!! 5 eclaimations points. :) And I hope there's a lot of pollen left for it on that flower. And that is certainly a whole lot of bullheads. We have catfish here but not usually in a black mass under the water. I wonder if it was warmer or cooler there, or something why they were so grouped up. Have a great start to the new week. hugs-Erika
ReplyDeleteHay muchísima vida en el humedal, yo estoy feliz de lo que nos has mostrado. Abrazos para los dos.
ReplyDeleteA lovely walk, great photography and great description.
ReplyDeleteHi there! good evening, David! you take us on a fascinating tour of nature . From bees and plants that thrive together to birds and aquatic creatures, it truly is a world full of beauty and wonder.
ReplyDeleteAs always, i enjoy an inspiring read that invites to explore and appreciate the treasures of the wetlands and biodiversity that surround us.
It`s a beautiful post; hoping you start the week well, i'm sending a big hug
always late on a sunday night! :) 🍂🍁✨🍁🍂
Enjoy before winter arrives!!........Abrazotes, Marcela
ReplyDeleteWonderful pictures. I do love that painted turtle.
ReplyDeleteLovely to see the photos. You call them Bullants, I only know them as Catfish and have seen heaps of them in Northern Australia, they used to gather together in mass so we could feed them some bread, so very big too.
ReplyDeleteDeceptive Snout is a funny name for a moth!
ReplyDeleteLovely pics, David. I espeically like the Midland Painted Turtle.
Hi David.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful flowers. Birds and Insects shows you.
Greetings from Patricia
oops, i somehow missed this yesterday, i am usually your first commenter. the bees are spectacular and the gall is something I have never seen or heard of. pretty interesting and as a lot of nature is, amazing facts.
ReplyDeleteGreat nature post, the wetland preserve looks wonderful. Beautiful birds, plants and the Bullheads are new to me. Great collection of photos. Take care, have a wonderful week!
ReplyDeleteThe wetlands are spectacular. Always a pleasure to see pics of Canada Geese flying, something I never see in Hawaii.
ReplyDeleteBut you have the beautiful little Hawaiian Goose, the Nene.
DeleteThe turtle is enjoying the sun.
ReplyDeleteI love wetlands. Those close to me and those far away. We rarely have wooden paths among them. You have to fend for yourself or just stay away if you don't want to get your feet wet.
ReplyDeleteA nice walk and interesting observations. There's always something to find in the wetlands.
Come on over, Ludmila, and we’ll explore together.
DeleteAnother interesting series..I did not know that Wood Ducks used nesting boxes..Interesting.
ReplyDeleteCanada Geese are very common here..especially on the golf courses where they are less than appreciated.
I have seen and heard of gall but never knew its purpose..or I've forgotten..
Miriam is quite the photographer..I don't have much to photograph now..Actually, they all find their way to my blog which was the reason I started to write one in the first place..
Thanks for your always enjoyable posts...
I think those Canada Geese show great benevolence in providing free fertilizer.
DeleteYour photos are beautiful and your id labels on them are very educational. I always feel as if I should study your posts in much more detail.
ReplyDeletebest, mae at maefood.blogspot.com
You've shared such lovely photographs, I think my favourite is the Midland Painted Turtle.
ReplyDeleteAll the best Jan
Turtles seem to appeal to everyone!
DeleteI'm delighted that latinophones designate the bumble bee as impatiens, seems to characterise its hurried yet purposeful journeys from one blossom to the next. However, a coda seems necessary. Though I haven't encountered this issue before with latin, I am well aware of faux amis in French - a phrase that must surely have been initially directed towards monoglots on both sides of the Atlantic (though less so in Canada). Come to think of it, the pot plant, known colloquially as Busy Lizzie, is also called Impatiens and here the link is more evident, its leaves constantly tremble, perhaps because the plant resents the pot it sees as a confining jail.
ReplyDeleteInteresting that you mention monoglots. In Canada, I have to say, a little defensively perhaps, that many of us speak more than one language, and enjoy doing it. But I am reminded of a birding trip to Colombia a few years ago where one of our group was an American academic, a thoroughly agreeable chap, who spoke a fine Spanish, complete with command of nuance and deft turn of phrase. He was from Arizona where you would think that bilingualism would be in the air, but it clearly is not, and he opined that many Americans consider it unpatriotic to “cater to” Hispanics. Strange frame of mind, I must say.
DeleteI did make a partial exception with regard to Canada. Perhaps this wasn't clear enough.
DeleteYou did make it clear; my response should perhaps have taken it into account a little more.
DeleteI love wetlands, I enjoy to visit such places. In december I will enter 2 races in Orbetello (Tuscany) so I will have the possibility to visit the Orbetello lagoon and making birdwatching in La Feniglia.
ReplyDeleteCanada geese are common in Bolsena lake where I spend some days every month.
If I were in Tuscany, I would buy bread, wine and cheese, find a good spot to watch you run the race!
DeleteThis is a beautiful series of photos and I always learn something from your posts, which I appreciate!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great experience, David. Those bullheads are really quite tremendous -- I would have been mesmerized watching them, too!
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your nature walks, it's a way for us readers to appreciate and discover all the wonders that exist in nature.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know about Bullheads, what interesting fish they are.
Grandes contrastes de color tiene Planta de Copa. Me gusta. Los gordolobos serán invasivos David pero es bellísima. Gracias por tan buena información que nos dejáis siempre.
ReplyDeleteOs deseo un buen otoño amigos.
Un abrazo.
The turtle is my favourite.
ReplyDelete