09-MAY-2018
Trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides)
The beautiful young lime green leaves just unfurling.
09-MAY-2018
Red-berried elder (Sambucus racemosa)
Hard to believe that not much more than a week ago, there was barely a hint of leaves on this native shrub, and now, not only leaves are growing, but flowers too. Spring comes quickly to Ottawa.
09-MAY-2018
Mayapple (Podophyllum)
The Backyard Garden section of the Fletcher Wildlife Garden, has a huge stand of flourishing mayapples. They are at the very back in the Bill Cody Fern Walk area.
09-MAY-2018
Fletcher Wildlife Garden
Looking southeast toward the old woods on the left and Carleton University in the distance.
09-MAY-2018
White-crowned sparrow
A mixed flock of these birds and white-throated sparrows in the old woods. They were making good use of the brush piles and of a fallen conifer, for shelter.
09-MAY-2018
Downy woodpecker, female
In addition to this woodpecker and the green heron, mentioned earlier, there were quite a few white-crowned and white-throated sparrows, as well as song sparrows, chipping sparrows, cardinals, chickadees, house finches, american goldfinches, red-winged blackbirds, and yellow warblers.
09-MAY-2018
The half-wing moth (Phigalia titea), #6658
Found on the wall of the resource centre.
09-MAY-2018
Green heron
A very poor photo, but not only was the heron far away but in the worst possible light. When I tried to get a photo with better light, it took off. Herons used to nest regularly at the garden for a number of years, but haven't done so for many. Wonder if there will be a pair around this year, or perhaps this was just a single event and we won't see the heron again. Probably attracted to the pond because there was a lot of amphibian activity: toads singing up a storm, and green frogs active at one end of the pond.
09-MAY-2018
Magnolia
There are a couple of large magnolias at the garden, planted long before the site became the FWG. They are quite spectacular at this time of year and the flowers do attract many bees.
09-MAY-2018
Marsh marigold (Caltha palustris)
A nice small group of these vibrant yellow flowers on the edge of the pond in the Backyard Garden.
09-MAY-2018
White trillium (Trillium grandiflorum)
One could almost call this an iconic spring wildflower... it is one species that everyone knows. In good condtions and over time, this can spread widely throughout woodlands.
09-MAY-2018
White trillium (Trillium grandiflorum)
A nice large stand of the beautiful white trillium in the old woods area where it has naturalized and spread.
