Still staying local.....

09 June 2021

Lakeside Park, Kitchener, ON

     The park has become dense with vegetation and some of the paths are barely visible.

     There is luxuriant growth everywhere you look.

     Dragonflies have been abundant of late and  many Common Whitetails (Plathemis lydia) were present, and one very obliging female stopped for a moment to have her picture taken.

    That two-legged reprobate, Homo ignoramus disgusticus continues to do what it does best, trash the environment, and it appears that this squirrel found tasty remnants left in a plastic container cavalierly tossed away.

      It certainly is not beneficial for the squirrel to acquire a taste for human food and start to seek it out. It is lacking nutritionally and in any future conflict between squirrel and human there is going to be one sure loser - the squirrel.

     In Canada last year, 3.3 millions tonnes of plastic was diligently separated and put out for recycling, of which only 9% was actually recycled. There is simply not the industrial capacity to process more. This abysmal ratio is no doubt true in other countries, and in many even worse. There are poor countries where there is no attempt at all to recycle plastics, electronic waste or other hazardous products. Children pick through mountains of garbage exposing themselves to all manner of hazards to their health.

      In addition to household waste, containers like the one the squirrel is licking never make it to a recycling bin. The land we use for recreation and food is degraded with this stuff, soil and groundwater are polluted - and we just keep tossing it away. 

      People have more excuses than you can imagine for continuing to eat at restaurants that offer only plastic cutlery and styrofoam plates, plastic-lined beverage containers and little plastic containers for dipping sauce, to using disposable items at home to avoid the onerous chore of doing the dishes - and so on. It would be as well to sign a pledge committing to providing a trashed planet for your children and grandchildren, because that is exactly what you are doing.

     I had no intention of getting into this disgrace when I started to write this post, but it is one of the key issues of our time. A friend of mine was horrified to see plastic bottles floating on the ocean in Antarctica, and the islands of debris floating in the seas of the world are well known to all. Microplastics are now being absorbed by fish rendering them unsafe for human consumption. It goes on and on.

     It was a hot day and we left the squirrel to enjoy its treat. 

     I bet it wouldn't take long to find another.

10 June 2021

Our backyard, Waterloo, ON

     A Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus) is a handsome bird indeed, and I always think the French name for it, Pic flamboyant, captures it so well.

     Unusual among woodpeckers it is primarily a ground-feeding species, with ants forming the mainstay of its diet.

     Like all backyards ours has its share of ants, and this individual was perfectly willing to help us get them under control!

     At times it seemed as though he was bent on excavating the patio as he drilled into the soil between the bricks!

     It was a great pleasure to share our space with him and we hope he returns often. Ants du jour will doubtless always be available.

11 June 2021

Lily at Breithaupt Park, Kitchener, ON

Will someone help me out of the car, please?

A snack is always welcome.

         Bet you can't put your foot in your mouth - well not literally, anyway.

     That was a good one!

 Do you think I'm cute?

 This is a good book!

 That was a great way to spend a couple of hours.

11 June 2021

SpruceHaven, St. Agatha, ON

      Everywhere is looking quite splendid at this time of the year.

     The Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) colony is thriving and we have around thirty nests with eggs or young.

     The adults are kept busy providing a nonstop feeding shuttle to hungry young, and have earned a brief rest now and then.

     Siberian iris (Iris siberica) is found around the pond. A more gorgeous plant would be hard to imagine.

     Yellow Iris (Iris pseudacorus) also does well there, and is no less appealing.

     This non-native species can be highly invasive, but is often planted at waste water ponds to take advantage of its ability to absorb heavy metals.

     The area we call Teen Hollow in recognition of the work done there by WRN Teens is coming along according to plan, and is well on the way to becoming a fully functional restored wetland.

Back at home, Waterloo, ON

     A glass before dinner, another with dinner. Hmmm!

     How could you resist a wine with a name like that?

14 June 2021

Laurel Creek Conservation Area, Waterloo, ON

     Having now bought an annual pass to all the properties of the Grand River Conservation Authority, we go over to Laurel Creek quite frequently.

     With a sky like this and modest mid-twenties temperature, you will understand the allure.

     We took our thermos of coffee and Miriam's delicious apple cake to David's Dell, and almost as soon as we sat down had the company of a Pearl Crescent (Phyciodes tharos), a fine welcome indeed.

      Soldier Beetles (Catharis livida) are making their presence known and a quick search is sure to turn up a few.

     We are still seeing them in singles, but soon they will be living up to their colloquial name of "boinking beetle" since the entire population seems to be joined together in a glorious orgy of sex!

     What a handsome creature it is!

     And Northern Crescent (Phyciodes cocyta) was also a joy to see.

     It is always rewarding to capture them with wings both spread and closed to display all aspects of their beauty.

     The pattern on the hindwing almost looks like scrollwork.

     Bluets (genera Coenagrion and Enallagma) can be frustratingly difficult to identify without hand examination, but given the likelihood of a given species where we encounter it, I believe this representative is Familiar Bluet (Enallagma civile). 

      They were present in their hundreds, but were airborne far more frequently than perched.

     It was interesting to see a Northern Crescent and a bluet so close to each other.

     The most ambitious attempt at identification for the species below that I can make is that it is in the family Coenagrionidae, a narrow-winged damselfly of some type.

     If you have by now concluded that my level of proficiency with odenates is not great, you are right!

     A Little Wood-Satyr (Megisto cymela) posed no identification difficulties at all.

     We are just getting into the period of peak abundance for Northern Pearly-eye (Enodia anthedon) and we were rewarded with a few sightings.

     Monarch (Danaus plexippus) is probably the best known butterfly in the world, due principally to the many TV documentaries viewed by a wide audience.

     Most birds are now well advanced into their breeding season and they are both silent and secretive, but one can always count on an American Robin (Turdus migratorius) to bid a fond farewell.

     I had Miriam to keep me company, coffee, apple cake, butterflies, dragonflies, birds and beetles too.  I can think of no better way to spend a morning in June.

Nature in the Summer

     For the second year in a row I have been involved in monitoring an artificial mound designed to encourage Sand Martins (Riparia riparia) to nest there. 

     Unfortunately, this structure has been a complete failure both years. There has not been the slightest interest in it; in fact, I have never even seen a Sand Martin in the vicinity of it. I think there are various reasons why it has not been used and I hope that a serious reevaluation will be made by the Land Trust responsible for it. I will be happy to share my ideas and I hope that if anyone reading this account has experience with a structure like this they will offer any critiques or suggestions they may have.
     I know that in Europe walls with pipes filled with sand have been used successfully and perhaps that is the answer here. Whether a wall has even been tried in North America I have no idea, but I have been unable to find evidence of it. Location is certainly a factor too.
     Butterflies abound in mid summer and there were lots of Northern Pearly-eye (Enodia anthedon) flitting around in the meadows. Fortunately the odd one landed on a desirable piece of vegetation, at least long enough to take a picture.

     A male Baltimore Oriole (Icterus galbula) was singing its head off; I am not quite sure why at this late stage in the breeding season, perhaps in defence of territory.

     After such a strenuous performance a little preening was in order.

     Upon leaving the reserve, as I pulled away in my car, I spotted a large Eastern Garter Snake (Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis) basking in the middle of the gravel road. I stopped the car and got out gingerly and walked around the vehicle to the back so that the sun would be behind me for a picture. Careful as I might have been, I had obviously spooked the snake and it was slithering away quickly into the grass. I succeeded in getting only one picture before it disappeared from view. At least it was no longer in danger of being run over.

     After lunch Miriam and I decided to go out and check a few local spots, given the fact that the temperature was a pleasant 24 degrees, in sharp contrast with the hot spell we have been having recently, when air temperatures have been soaring to 35 degrees, and with humidity factored in, into the low forties - not pleasant at all.
     A pair of Western Ospreys (Pandion haliaeetus) have nested on a communications tower for the past few years and two birds were on the nest.

     I suspect that these two birds are the young of the year, now as big as their parents and ready to fledge at any time.
     Cedar Waxwings (Bombycilla cedrorum) are common and we were surprised to see only one individual.

     In fact birds were very scarce, perhaps resting during the heat of the day. Turkey Vultures (Cathartes aura) were taking advantage of the thermals and it was rarely that we looked up without seeing a couple soaring overhead.
     It was easier to find butterflies, with Cabbage White (Pieris rapae) being the most common species.

    Clouded Sulphur (Colias philodice) was a close second.

  
     A lone Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus), feeding at the edge of a pond which is rapidly drying up, appeared to be benefitting from the lack of competition.

     We spotted several Eastern Commas (Polygonia comma) but it took a bit of patience to wait for one to land. In fact, no sooner had one landed than a second one joined it.

     Queen Anne's Lace (Daucus carota) is blooming everywhere, and we checked for the caterpillar of the Carrot Seed Moth ((Sitochroa palealis) which uses Queen Anne's Lace as a host plant and we were able to find a few.

     The meadows are a riot of wildflowers at present.

     Lots of Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) was in bloom but try as we might we were unable to locate even one caterpillar of a Monarch (Danaus plexippus), and we have seen only two or three of this enigmatic butterfly this year.

     Japanese Beetle (Popilla japonica) is a serious invasive pest and seems to be quite catholic in its taste. I have lost count of the number of native plants on which I have seen it feeding.

     A couple of other butterflies rounded out our walk. If I am not mistaken this is our first Spring Azure (Celastrina lucia) of the year and it is already July!

     A Northern Crescent (Phyciodes cocyta) was partially hidden in the grasses, but Miriam managed to capture this shot.

     We saw several other interesting species of various taxa during our walk, most without photographs and a couple upon which we are awaiting ID confirmation. 
     It was great to be out and about on a fine summer's day. We will do it many times again before the cool winds of fall nip at our cheeks.