27 May 2017
Mystified Mallard
Thanks to all the volunteers who helped on 27 March, the south bank of our pond is now planted with 1200 wildflowers. This Mallard, who has been frequenting the pond lately, stepped out of the water for a closer look at the new additions.(SG)
27 May 2017
Spider babies
One of our volunteers, Michelle, was surprised to find hundreds of baby spiders dispersing from a web. They seem to be be yellow and black, but they are so small (under 2 mm), it's difficult to tell which species they might be.(SG)
27 May 2017
Mason Bee
This is one of the Mason Bees that is currently laying eggs in the box we made for it out of paper tubes and a milk carton. This one may have been on its last legs, as they are usually too quick and too busy to stop for a photo. (SG)
19-MAY-2017
Bee fly (Bombylius major)
I am not entirely sure, but this bee fly may be dropping eggs into the burrows of Andrenid bees. It was flying around the same general area, stopping frequently to rub its abdomen in the soil before taking off, circling around, landing in the vicinity, then back to abdomen rubbing, or seeming abdomen rubbing. I could never get close enough to see well and these photos (this and the next one) are greatly cropped, taken from some distance.
19-MAY-2017
Bee fly (Bombylius major)
A side view of the behaviour described in the previous image.
19-MAY-2017
Chipping sparrow
This photo was taken in the Arboretum, next door to the FWG, and I post it because though I saw chipping sparrows at the garden, I couldn't get a shot. This photo shows the distinctive rufus cap.
19-MAY-2017
Ostrich fern ( Matteuccia struthiopteris)
These are the 'fiddlehead' ferns, an early spring delicacy, though not to everyone's taste. Better to leave them growing so they can turn into these beautiful large ferns that look almost like the big lush ferns of the west coast rain forests.
19-MAY-2017
White trillium (Trillium grandiflorum)
How quickly spring passes. One minute the trilliums are not up, the next they are already fading as evidenced by the rosy pink shades of many.
19-MAY-2017
Canada plum (Prunus nigra)
Also often called wild plum. This species is fairly common at the garden and attracts various insects during its flowering stage.
19-MAY-2017
Domestic apple tree (Malus)
I am told that Malus pumila is increasingly being used for domestic apple trees.
19-MAY-2017
Green frogs (Lithobates clamitans)
At the quieter end of the pond, that is, away from the bridge, there were 5 green frogs sitting on the shore. When I passed by, two jumped into the pond and sat (the ones in this photo), the others vanished. You may be more familiar with the name of Rana clamitans, which is what you'll find in older field guides. However, many taxonomic changes are occurring in all fields including amphibians.
19-MAY-2017
Black swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes)
Spring is pushing on and with it come the butterflies of late spring such as this black swallowtail.