20-AUG-2018
American goldfinch, male
Canada thistle seeds are a feast for goldfinches who can usually be found clustered around a stand of these non-native thistles.
20-AUG-2018
Chrysomelid beetle (Calligrapha bidenticola)
This beetle feeds on plants in the Asteraceae family, including Bidens, which is the plant this one was photographed on. A handsome little beetle.
28 August 2018
Two-striped Grasshopper (Melanoplus bivittatus)
Catherine photographed this grasshopper laying eggs in the soil just in front of our garden shed.
20-AUG-2018
Purple coneflower (Echincacea purpurea)
Thriving in the Butterfly Meadow where it attracts numerous bees,butterflies and other insects.
20-AUG-2018
Tansy (Tanacetum vulgare)
Another late summer flower. This non-native species is appealing to many insects including bees and butterflies.
20-AUG-2018
European paper wasp (Polistes dominula)
A smaller wasp than our native Polistes fuscatus, and very non-aggessive. These are the wasps that make little paper nests suspended from eaves, or sheds or here, the roof of an old bird box.
20-AUG-2018
Blue vervain (Verbena hastata)
A beautiful native wildflower that can grow up to 5 ft, and prefers moist conditions. Usually found in damp sites and edges of ponds and wetlands. The flowers attract numerous insects.
20-AUG-2018
Trashline orbweaver (Cyclosa turbinata)
A very small spider whose odd name comes from the long line of "trash" it keeps in its web. Really, the trash is just the discarded parts of its prey.
20-AUG-2018
Honey bee (Apis mellifera)
The pretty flowers of knapweed attract many bees and butterflies, but in some areas the plant is considered invasive. Though we've seen it at the FWG for years and years, it has never spread much.
20-AUG-2018
Tomentose burying beetle (Nicrophorus tomentosus)
This handsome big beetle was found next to the body of a mouse (Peromyscus sp) on the service road. The mouse looked as if it had been hit by something, a bicycle, or the small tractors that come through the garden on the way to the AAFC plant waste dump site, or...? At any rate, this beetle was underneath the mouse but came scuttling out when I stopped. Unlike most of the burying beetles, this one digs a small pit then covers the dead animal with litter.
20-AUG-2018
Locust borer (Megacyllene robiniae)
This handsome large long-horned beetle is associated closely with black locust trees as its species name suggests. They are found in late summer feeding on goldenrod. There was a time when these beetles were very common at FWG, but not in recent years. I'm not sure why, because there is still abundant goldenrod, and the locust trees in which their larvae live and feed, are more numerous than ever.
20-AUG-2018
Leafhopper (Jikradia olitoria)
Large for a leafhopper, these are also one of the more common ones. Their nymphs are also more frequently found than the nymphs of other leafhopper species. Formerly called Coelidia olitoria).