16-APR-2012
Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis)
A close up view of the pristine white blossom of this pretty native woodland flower.
16-APR-2012
Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) with sweat bee
Tiny little dark green sweat bees (Halictidae) were common on the freshly opened blossoms of this early blooming native plant.
16-APR-2012
Sweat bee (Halictid) on dandelion
There are many tiny sweat bees around at the moment, on dandelions and exploring daffodils, as well as bloodroot and any other flowering plant present now.
16-APR-2012
Tree swallow
The swallows are back, and so are the flickers, of which I saw about 4 around the garden. White-throated sparrows were around too, as well as a big flock of juncos (about 35), and all the other regular species. Chickadees were excavating a nest hole in a birch tree, and red-winged blackbirds were chasing away all who came close to their chosen nest site.
16-APR-2012
Black ducks
One of the ducks was snoozing on the raft when the other one swam up and climbed heavily onboard. That woke of the first one who then began calling loudly. One can only guess what he was saying.
16-APR-2012
Wild ginger flower (Asarum canadense)
The rather obscure but intriguing flowers of the native wild ginger are out now. They lie close to the ground and can be overlooked as the leaves often cover them.
16-APR-2012
Wild ginger flower and leaves (Asarum canadense)
Another view of the wild ginger, showing how well hidden the flowers are under those hairy leaves.
16-APR-2012
Green frog (Rana clamitans)
Found two of these guys in the pond in the Backyard Garden. There are no doubt more as last summer we could often see 6 or 8 at a time. It was such a warm day, so summer-like, that I thought I might hear toads trilling. I know that in some areas south of us, they began mating quite awhile back, much earlier than normal. Things are topsy-turvy this year, with so much happening much, much earlier than is typical.
16-APR-2012
Nomada bee caught by crab spider
I thought this nomada bee was resting on the bloodroot flower at first, but then as I leaned in, I saw a tiny white goldenrod crab spider had caught it. There are nomadas out in force at the moment. They are kleptoparasites on andrenid bees.
16-APR-2012
Asian ladybeetle (Harmonia axyridis) on daffodil
The Backyard Garden is alive with the golden hues of masses of daffodils. Seems that there are more than I can ever recall seeing before (?). Many insects were nectaring on them including numbers of Halictids, ladybeetles, andrenid bees, nomada bees, and even a crab spider sitting and waiting....!
10-APR-2012
Lupines
The lupines are just beginning to appear around the Butterfly meadow. These are not the native lupines, but they certainly attract a variety of insects including many bees.
10-APR-2012
Tulip tree (Liriodendron tulipifera)
Despite a very, very close brush with a snowmobile or some other machine during winterlude, the tulip tree seems to have survived. The encounter was so close that one branch was broken off. We'll have to make sure it is better protected this year! This marks the second winter it has survived, but of course, both winters were mild, and whether it will survive a very cold one is unknown.
