Rosy Maple Moth

I had only seen this moth species once before and that was in the early 2000's when I had found one clinging on my screen door one morning. This weekend we had stopped at a gas station and found several Rosy Maple Moths on the outside wall of the building there . A welcomed sighting of a very colourful moth.

Flies and Bugs

I take a walk through a meadow often for it is a most fascinating place full of wildflowers, butterfies and moths, dragonflies and damselflies and bugs and beetles. The small flying creature pictured to the left mimics the appearance of a bee or wasp but is actually a fly called American Hover Fly. This fly feeds on flower nectar and also aphids. The colourful black and orange/red beetle to the right is called a Burying Beetle and as its name implies buries carrion that it encounters. Insects and bugs are all fascinating to look at and photograph and research. A meadow is wonderful place to wander through for you may find all sorts of small intriguing creatures there.

Round-leaved Sundew

This was a new find for me. A very small plant that is know for growing in boggy areas, yet I found this growing on an eroded hillside while looking for butterflies in the dry, sparse, grassy area above. I think there is probably underground water seepage that keeps the area wet and damp at the spot where this Round-leaved Sundew is located. It was not in blossom yet but the tall stem, which is cane-shaped at its top, holds the buds that will come into blossom one at a time. As a child I remember being fascinated when hearing of carnivorous plants. Imagine a plant eating an insect! Even today I am still intrigued by Pitcher Plants whenever I find them. So I was doubly impressed to learn that Sundew is also a carnivorous plant. I didn't see the clear, sticky, liquid droplets on the end of the plant's spines that look like 'dew' until I downloaded my macro photos. Insects flying by will get stuck in this sticky substance and the Sundew plant will gradually dissolve and absorb the nutrients from the trapped insect's body.

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River Jewelwing

I think this is a real gem of a picture; or rather I should say 'jewel' for this is a male River Jewelwing Damselfly. Some damselflies are not so easily identified but this Jewelwing has its own unique appearance. The black on the hindwings is about a third of its wing and the forewings have a lesser amount of black. Also its long black legs have prominent spines. Its body is a bright metallic green but sometmes appears blue depending upon the lighting where it is found. Damselflies are insects of the Odonata group; as are dragonflies as well.

Chestnut-sided Warbler with Lunch

This little insect eating warbler must have been flying home with food for its young when I came along. Standing beside the river, within a stand of bushes and trees, I kept hearing a bird sound very loudly close beside me but I could not find its source. Stepping back to get a better view this little Chestnut-sided Warbler flew out of the tree that I had been standing beside.

Osprey

Handsome Cranefly

False Crocus Geometer Moth

I glimpsed this attractive yellow moth flying in the early evening with sunlight shining through it wings. It was a beautiful sight. I followed it over the grass until it finally settled in one stationary spot on my lawn. Hoping it would stay in that location I ran to get my camera and it was still there when I got back. One of the foods this False Crocus Geometer Moth feeds on is Ground Ivy and we have a plentiful supply of that small wildflower in our yard.

Red-breasted Nuthatch

I hadn't seen one of these little nuthatches for quite a while. They used to visit at our feeders often but I haven't seen them much during the past year or so. I found this one in an old wooded area which includes a stand of old, tall Pines. It didn't seem to mind me being there and allowed me to take quite a few close up pictures.

Mustached Clubtail Dragonfly

Walking through a meadow holds many nature treasures and this Mustached Clubtail Dragonfly was a wonderful find.

Butterflies Seen Today

Silver-bordered Fritillary
Little Wood-Satyr

White Admiral

Painted Turtles

There is a pond alongside the shoulder of a road and it is my favourite spot for finding Painted

Turtles. If the sun is shining I can be quite sure I will find one, or two or even more there. You have to be quick with your camera though for as soon as they are aware of you they are gone! Yesterday as soon as I drove off the road onto the shoulder I could see three sitting on an old, half - submerged, discarded TV cabinet. Two quickly disappear -ed into the water but luckily this one remained. Later on in the summer as the water level lowers even more, a discarded sofa frame becomes a favourite sunning spot for them and Painted Turtles of varying ages and sizes can be seen basking in the sun there.

The yellow and red markings on this Painted Turtle make it very distinctive and easily identi- fiable.This photo (left) was taken in early May, 2006.

Wildlife in my Yard

This handsome creature, Groundhog, popped up from under our garden shed yesterday. He

may have visited last year also but is not a regular, tho we wonder if perhaps we should blame him for our chewed Hosta plants rather than the deer whom we had decided were the culprits.

Another animal visitor Raccoon, stopped by in the early twlight earlier this week to check out the food supply in our bird feeders but they were quite empty having had lots of bird visitors earlier in the day. This masked bandit didn't stay long. Visiting Raccoons do not seem to be as prevelant this year as others and that is a good thing!

I missed the best photo opportunity yesterday when a Doe and two small Fawns walked through out yard. I ran for my camera and they ran for the woods. They reached the shelter of the woods before me and my camera returned.

Butterflies Seen Yesterday

Canadian Tiger Swallowtail
Common Ringlet

Northern Cloudywing

Common Yellowthroat

This little male Common Yellow -throat Warbler is probably the warbler species most

frequently seen by us. Often we will see them fliting among the leaves of the trees in our feeder area. We have a pergola just beside one of our windows and the leaves of an American Bittersweet growing over it is an often visited area. These are armchair photos; taken through our windows.

Osprey

Turkey Vultures

We saw a wake of eight Turkey Vultures soaring in the sunlit early evening sky near Welsford on June 15, 2007. The vulture's flight feathers on the underside of its wings, caught here in the strong sunlight, took on a silvery-grey appearance.

Red-shouldered Hawk

I took a picture of a hawk from a distance and it was only after I had retuned home and downloaded the pictures and did some major cropping and editing that I realized it was a juvenile Red -shouldered Hawk.

Sunbathing in Blissville

Two Painted Turtles on a log in Central Blissville.

Dragonflies

Ever fascinating and sometimes difficult to id , I am intrigued whenever I encounter dragonflies. I was fortunate yesterday when some kept landing on a cement water pipe just in front of where I was standing. There was a small pond on one side of a dirt road with a marshy area on the other and there was lots of dragonfly activity. The first dragonfly that I could identify was a male Chalk-fronted Corporal.
The second species that I was able to get pictures of was a Dot-tailed Whiteface. Marks which easily identifies this dragonfly are the bright yellow spot on the S7 segment of its abdomen and its white face. One of the most beautiful dragonflies that I have photographed was a Calico Pennant last year on June 19th.

Eastern Phoebe

Snapping Turtle Along the River

Watching safely from a vantage point high above the river on the foot path of a railroad bridge, I saw this Snapping Turtle slowly moving along the river bank before it returned to the river. In previous years, often towards the latter end of June, I have encountered Snapping Turtles laying eggs in areas adjacent to the river.

Cedar Waxwings

Cedar Waxwings have been visiting our feeder area for the past week or so now, feeding daily on the remaining crop of last year's High Bush Cranberries . They have also been seen feeding in the blossom laden Apple Trees bordering our back yard. I have counted as many as 16 at one time.