09-AUG-2012
House wren
While sitting on the bench at the Butterfly Meadow, I could hear a house wren calling repeatedly nearby. Eventually I saw a couple of wrens a juvenile, as here, and an adult.
Bird activity was fairly quiet on this overcast, but humid, day. However, a really nice sight was of about a dozen barn swallows, mostly juveniles, swooping over the old field area. Don't see these swallows much around the garden anymore. And of course, American goldfinches were everywhere! I caught a glimpse of a flycatcher with a mouth full of food, but didn't see the bird well enough to ID it. It was in deep shade, but the white larvae in its bill stood out, however, it looked more like a pewee than anything, in that 2 second shadowy glance. I looked for it for some time, but no luck.
09-AUG-2012
Butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa)
A plant native to southern Ontario, it also grows fairly well in the Backyard Garden at the FWG. The name suggests that it is a magnet for butterflies, but we have not seen many visit it in the years we've grown it, though we have seen other insects sometimes nectar there, as this sweat bee is doing.
The phlox in the garden today, had attracted a hummingbird moth (Hemaris thysbe), the large reddish sphinx moth that is one of the most un-moth like of insects!
09-AUG-2012
Bumble bee (Bombus ternarius) on joe-pye weed
The lovely big heads of the joe-pye weed (Eupatorium purpureum) are attracting many insects these days. We grow both types of joe-pye weed in the Backyard Garden (BYG), the other being E. maculatum which is the one native to this area. This bumble bee is variously called red-banded or red-belted bumble bee.
02-AUG-2012
Leafhopper (Coelidia olitoria)
A relatively large leafhopper, common at this time of year.
06-AUG-2012
Painted lady (Vanessa cardui)
Sandy found this painted lady at the garden. In recent days large numbers of these butterflies have been found, all very fresh, so recently emerged. They'll be making their way southward now, as they too, are migratory butterflies.
03-AUG-2012
Hover fly (Eristalis arbustorum)
Barry photographed this fly on queen ann's lace. There a number of species in this Genus, but this is one of the more common ones encountered. This is an introduced European species.
Small milkweed bug nymph (Lygaeus kalmii)
I think these nymphs are very attractive and like so many bugs, they sport variations in pattern of the black and red colouring worn by the adults.
02-AUG-2012
Parasitic fly (Archytas ?) on boneset
These fat flies with hairy abdomens are common, but because so many look very similar to each other it is not always easy to put an ID to them, unless one knows their Tachinidae well!
Leafcutter bee (Megachile)
A super sharp shot of a leafcutter bee on common milkweed flowers. As you can see, these bees carry their pollen back to their nest, on their abdomens, in contrast to most bees who carry it in pollen sacs on the legs.
02-AUG-2012
Leafhopper (Graphocephala coccinea)
These are abundant leafhoppers, but as common as they are, I never get tired of seeing them. They are so improbably coloured, looking as if they'd be more at home in the tropics than here. Barry has taken a couple of very good photos of this species.
02-AUG-2012
Leafhopper (Graphocephala coccinea)
A side view of the leafhopper.
02-AUG-2012
Planthopper (Acanalonia bivittata)
Another view of this intriguing planthopper.
