The Mill Race, St. Jacobs, ON

 28 July, 2020

     It was a hot day; an American Robin (Turdus migratorius) was drying off after a cool bath.

     A female Rose-breasted Grosbeak (Pheucticus ludovicianus) was seeking shade.

     Fly Honeysuckle (Lonicera xylosteum) is an invasive plant, prone to rapid spread, but it is undeniably attractive.

     A Solitary Sandpiper (Tringa solitarius) patrolled up and down the edge of the Conestogo River. 

     It was joined by a second bird but they were never close enough together to have them both in the same frame.

     Powdered Dancer (Argia moesta) is an abundant damselfly in late July. A male is shown in the first picture below, a female in the second.

     This Black Raspberry (Rubus occidentalis) seems to have ambitious plans for expansion.

     I can't say that I was surprised to see this Common Sunflower (Helianthus annuus).

     People routinely carry sunflower seeds to feed chickadees and other birds, so it's logical that a few errant seeds would germinate here and there.

     Broadleaf Arrowhead (Sagittaria latifolia) produces a very beautiful white flower.

     The leaves of this maple are a paradigm of perfection, nature's exquisite beauty at its very best.

     They are probably Silver Maple (Acer saccharinum), but I can't be a hundred percent sure.

      Silver Maple may hybridize with Red Maple (A. rubrum) - and quite frequently does so. This hybrid is known as Freeman Maple (Acer freemanii).

     As is true for many species of maple, trees may be either dioecious (separate male and female trees), or monoecious (male and female flowers on the same tree).

     Indigenous people used Silver Maple (and I assume Freeman Maple) for many purposes, from making baskets, cut and shaped as lumber and in various medicinal applications. 

     Swamp Goldenrod (Solidago patula) was blooming prolifically.

     A Least Skipper (Ancyloxypha numitor) remained motionless, hoping to avoid detection.

     More frog than tadpole, all I can say about this fine fellow is that it belongs in the family Ranidae.

      In all likelihood it is a Green Frog (Lithobates clamitans), the species we see most frequently along the Mill Race, as you may see below.

     Common Ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia), known by many other colloquial names, is all too common for many folks.

     Its pollen is wind-dispersed causing substantial suffering to people who are allergic to it.

     This plant appears to have been infected with Ragweed Gall Mite (Aceria boycei).

     Lesser Burdock (Arctium minus) is an invader from Europe that most people wish had never arrived in North America. 

     It is a distinctly offensive weed by conventional definition.

     Richard Mabey, that 21st Century wordsmith of eloquent prose, in his entertaining book Weeds: The Story of Outlaw Plants provides what strikes me as the perfect definition, "Plants become weeds when they obstruct our plans, or our tidy maps of the world. If you have no such plans or maps, they can appear as innocents without stigma or blame."

     A Bristle Sweat Bee (Lasioglossum imitatum) seeking pollen cares not at all about the anthropogenic categorization of a plant. 

     An Orange Mint Moth (Pyrausta orphisalis) is as lovely as the summer's day on which we found it.

     A Stream Bluet (Enallagma exsulans) is one of nature's dandies, too.

     Spotted Joe-Pye Weed (Eutrochium maculatum) is a native plant that thrives in moist areas and attracts many insects.

     Spearmint (Mentha spicata) was blooming here and there.

     A lonely Common Red Soldier Beetle (Rhagonycha fulva) was quartering a Wild Carrot (Daucus carota), perhaps searching for a friend.

     Riverbank Grape (Vitis riparia) was prolific.

     We have seen quite a few Snapping Turtles (Chelydra serpentina) this year.

     This one was quite small and seemed content to warm up on a log.

     There is always pleasure walking alongside water as it flows, twisting and turning to get around obstacles, carving out the bank on its way, giving life to myriad flora and fauna. 

     I am glad that you shared this streamside stroll with me. Let's do it again!