13-JUN-2012
Little wood satyr (Megisto cymela)
Flitting along the woodland edge of the ash woods, was this little "eyed" butterfly, very much a woodland species which can be very, very common in many locations.
13-JUN-2012
Old field
This shows the area of old field that was rototilled recently. A few milkweeds have been planted here, and we'd like to plant more before the raspberries, garlic mustard, dog-strangling vine, etc. return. Claudia and I worked at hoeing and raking out roots (and lots of garbage turned up by the rototilling and presumably from way back). Then we discovered thousands of garlic mustard seedlings that had appeared where the tractor had backed into the field probably when turning. Along these tracks the garlic mustard is impressive.
13-JUN-2012
Banasa stink bug (Banasa dimidiata)
These attractive green stinkbugs are very common and seem to be especially so on red osier dogwoods. I usually see many on these shrubs, although I also see them on other vegetation, but never so abundantly as on dogwood. There appears to be some confusion about the species name. Originally it was apparently written as "dimiata" and depending on which source you consult, you will find it written either way.
13-JUN-2012
Banasa stink bug (Banasa dimidiata)
On the red osier dogwood shrub I was looking at, there were at least a dozen of these stinkbugs, including this one hiding in a shelter formed from a leaf rolled around some seedheads.
13-JUN-2012
Pale green weevil (Polydrusus impressifrons)
This is the time of year to see these gorgeously coloured little weevils. They don't seem to be particular about which plants they hang out on, although they are said to prefer willow, birch and poplar. This one (and several others) was on a red-osier dogwood, and I've seen them in great numbers on hazel shrubs (Corylus). This is a European species that was accidentally introduced (how often have we heard that about so many species!).
13-JUN-2012
Fruit fly (Tephritidae sp.)
This tiny fly is one of the many, many species of fruit flies that occurs in eastern Ontario. These are not related to the tiny flies that cluster around bowls of fruit at home. These belong to the family Tephritidae, and many are specific to various types of plants, such as sunflowers, apples, walnuts, etc. The fly that makes the galls on goldenrods belongs to this same family. This may be in the gentus Urophora. It was found on a red-osier dogwood.
10 June 2012
Spider mites on the centre of a flower
Steve Begin photographed these tiny red mites on a plant on the patio behind our Interpretive Centre.
10 June 2012
Spider mite on a petal
Yellow grains of pollen are stuck to hairs on the mite's exoskeleton.
10 June 2012
Spider mite
This mite, which is less than a millimetre long, seems to be collecting pollen with its front legs. Unlike insects, mites have eight legs and are more closely related to spiders and ticks.
9-JULY-2012
Hobomok skipper (Poanes hobomok)
Sandy found this, and one of the blues (probably silvery blue based on her description), near the Ash Woods, a location where the first hobomok skippers usually appear. She also noted seeing a white admiral and several "orangish butterflies" flying too fast for a good look, but Sandy is sure they were one of the commas.
Canadian tiger swallowtail (Papilio canadensis)
A beautiful photo by Diane of the swallowtail on Dame's Rocket
Red admiral caterpillar (Vanessa atalanta) on stinging nettle
Photographed in the butterfly meadow.
