8 June 2010
Tiny bee
A closer look at one photo of the campanula revealed this tiny bee clinging to the pistil.
8 June 2010
Caterpillars on Pearly everlasting
Why am I photographing pearly everlasting leaves? Because there are many American Lady caterpillars on them at the moment. These caterpillars glue the top leaves together with fine strands to make a shelter, keeping them out of sight of predators.
8 June 2010
Widow skimmer
Down near the southwest corner of the FWG, this female Widow Skimmer was sunning herself between meals. South of the woods, I saw two White Admiral butterflies and a Tiger Swallowtail. This is looking like a good year for at least some butterflies.
8 June 2010
Wood duck
And back at the Amphibian Pond, a female Wood Duck was making inroads (and trails) in the duckweed that's covering the deep end of the pond.
05-JUN-2010
Chickweed
One of many small, non-native species that occur locally. They are so small as to be almost unnoticed, but very pretty when seen in close up.
05-JUN-2010
seed capsule of Purple flowering raspberry (Rubus odoratus)
This amazing photo shows part of the seed capsule of the purple-flowering raspberry, the big shrub with the rose-like flowers. Here, it almost looks like a sun-dew of some sort. I had never looked closely at the seed capsules before I saw Stephen's photo, and when I did, I was surprised at what they look like!
05-JUN-2010
Pink (Dianthus)
This looks like the inside of a Pink, A Dianthus, but I haven't seen the whole flower so I could be wrong!
05-JUN-2010
Jumping spider, female
Steve Begin was at the garden recently and took some stunning close ups of jumping spiders. Not sure of the species here, but it is certainly a remarkable photo, showing the characteristic head of the jumper with those huge eyes, which are said to be the biggest of any invertebrate.
05-JUN-2010
Jumping spider, poss. Eris
Another superb shot by Steve, of a jumping spider. Look at those enormous eyes! These intriguing little spiders have been abundant this year at FWG. I have found many, many of them, often on DSV, where they have made their little webs. Unlike many spiders, they don't use a web to ensnare prey (they rely on their phenomenal eyesight ... those big eyes, and their powerful jumping ability). The webs are places to retreat to.
04-JUN-2010
Pale beauty (Campaea perlata)
This pretty moth was sitting on the side of the building and another couple were found on nearby vegetation. It is one of the most common moths around, often found during the day perched flat against vegetation.
04-JUN-2010
Polyphemous Moth wings
Cathy found these moth wings lying on some thyme in the BYG early Friday morning. Obviously a bird had had a feast. This is pretty common. Also on Friday morning, I was sitting inside the Larose Forest station, and noticed a phoebe plucking one moth after another from the wall and sitting on the railing by the door, to eat them. Finding wings like this gives us an idea of what is around!
04-JUN-2010
Viceroy (Limenitis archippus)
Viceroys seem particularly abundant this year and we are seeing them in many locations. No Monarchs yet! Keep your eyes open for them. They are very similar to Viceroys, but bigger and without the black line on the lower wings. I should probably say that the viceroys are similar to monarchs rather than the other way around, since they are considered a monarch mimic.
