19-JUN-2012
Shed skin (exuviae) of an insect
This tiny delicate shed skin was balancing on a leaf in the BYG. It was perhaps 3 mm in length, so small that I was afraid of squishing it if I picked it up to position it better. To be honest, shed skins are not my specialty! Many species of insect molt several times (about 4 to 7). This shedding of the old encasing exoskeleton, allows them to grow with each molt.
16-JUN-2012
Cabbage white (Pieris rapae), mating pari
Diane photographed this pair of mating cabbage whites. See how creamy yellow they look. SOmetimes they can look almost like a sulphur when flying past, and conversely, some sulphurs are almost white.
16-JUN-2012
Common ringlet (Coenonympha tullia)
Diane photographed this rather dark ringlet on an ox-eye daisy. These are the little butterflies that love grassy areas and can be seen in profusion in some parts of Ottawa. At the FWG, we generally can see up to a dozen on a good day!
16-JUN-2012
Sweat Bee (Halictus ligatus)
A very small sweat bee, one of many, many species that occur in eastern Ontario.
13-JUN-2012
Spittlebug, probably Philaenus spumarius
Diane found this spittlebug in the Butterfly Meadow. It is likely the meadow spittlebug, but as this species has at least 30 different variations, it is tough to say for sure! It is certainly the most common of spittlebugs.
13-JUN-2012
Volunteers working on the Butterfly Meadow
The regular Wednesday evening volunteers do very important work, helping with the huge task of rejuvenating the old meadow and helping create the new. Here, they are sifting out roots of dog-strangling vine before planting begins.
13-JUN-2012
European Skipper
These little orange skippers, native to Europe, as their name suggests, are common everywhere right now. It is possible to see 10 or 20 at the FWG in a visit. Their larval host plant is the timothy grass, also a native to Europe.
13-JUN-2012
Gray catbird with food
This is one of several catbirds nesting around the garden. Here you can see that the mouth is full of food for the nestlings.
13-JUN-2012
White admiral (Limenitis arthemis)
This species has recently appeared and can now be found in good numbers. Unlike the Vanessa butterflies, it is not migratory. The larva overwinters and the adults emerge at this time of year.
It was very much a butterfly day at the FWG today, with the following species found:
Monarch 1
European skipper 2
Silvery blue 2
Red admiral 1
American lady 1
White admiral 3
Little wood satyr 1
Question mark 5+
Common ringlet 6+
13-JUN-2012
American lady (Vanessa virginiensis)
Another of the migratory Vanessa butterflies that flew in large numbers into our area, though in nowhere near the same numbers as the red admiral. This one was nectaring avidly on the remaining dame's rocket flowers. This species lays its eggs on pearly everlasting.
13-JUN-2012
Red admiral (Vanessa atalanta)
This is the species that so enchanted all of us a month or so back when millions (literally) flew north to our area and beyond in two giant waves. We were all seeing 5,10, 100 per day. Now we see one or two, or none! However, the stinging nettles which were full of eggs, now have red admiral caterpillars, although numbers are greatly diminished. Nonetheless, the remaining caterpillars are getting bigger and will soon form a chrysalis.
13-JUN-2012
Question mark (Polygonia interrogationis)
One of at least 5 question mark butterflies found today at the FWG. You can see the white "question mark" that gives this species its name.