18-NOV-2013
Sumac leaf
This sumac leaf was resting on top of the pond and I was intrigued by the two-tones which one sometimes sees on leaves of many species, during the autumn when colour changes occur.
18-NOV-2013
Grey squirrel
Snuggled up against the branch, this grey squirrel is keeping warm in the cool, windy conditions, by putting that big fluffy tail over his body. We see far more of the black phase (melanistic phase) grey squirrels. Nearby was a leafy nest, a dray, high above the ground.
18-NOV-2013
Black locust (L), Prickly ash (R)
At first glance, these two relatively common plants can, when very small and young, be readily confused. Black locust (
Robinia pseudoacacia)is a member of the bean family, however, while prickly ash (
Zanthoxylum americanum), is a member of the citrus family. Both are native to southern Ontario. Locust grows into a very tall sturdy tree, while prickly ash is typically considered a shrub or, sometimes, a small tree. They are easiest to differentiate when in flower, for the flowers of the locust are large white clusters, while those of the prickly ash are small and green. Prickly ash also has a small red bud at the paired spines, while black locust does not. In this photo of a giant swallowtail larva on a prickly ash -
www.pbase.com/fwg/image/153339662 - you can see a red bud just below the head of the caterpillar.
14-NOV-2013
Mouse nest
When cleaning out the nest boxes, we found several mouse nests, but only two seemed to have any inhabitants. One had one mouse who jumped out when I opened the box. This one has four mice, and they stayed put. Their nest is made primarily of dog-strangling vine (DSV) seed fluff. It was interesting that when I opened the box and stuck my hand into the seed fluff to see if anything was there, I could feel an intense heat. Amazing that four little mice can generate such heat. The thick insulation of the seed fluff is clearly helping keep the heat in.
14-NOV-2013
Rose hips
These are in the Backyard Garden, against the wall of the centre. Wildlife will eat these hips, but they are clearly not top of their list. A variety of fruit is left to the end, when the tastiest fruit, or perhaps the most nutritious, has been eaten, and all that is left is the so-so stuff.
14-NOV-2013
Crabapples (Malus)
Three crabapple trees in the old field have this golden fruit, which doesn't seem to be very palatable to wildlife. By winter's end there is always some still remaining on the trees. Not all Malus is edible, as many ornamental varieties have been bred to make them unpalatable to wildlife so that the fruit stays on the tree during the winter, providing colour.
14-NOV-2013
Walnuts in nest box
Two nest boxes were crammed full of husked walnuts, put there by red squirrels, as here. This one was so full of nuts that it was difficult to open the door and when I did, many spilled out (I put them back). There was no room for a squirrel in this box, barely room for a mouse! A good, safe storage place, however. When we were checking one box, a red squirrel started to scold us and ran down a nearby tree branch looking rather put out.
14-NOV-2013
Aerial yellowjacket nest (Dolichovespula arenaria)
This mostly destroyed nest was low in a shrub in the old field area. I found several paper nests, including another one made by this species, in a shrub about a foot above the ground. There were also some bald-faced hornet nests, high up in the trees. This particular nest is in a shrub by which I passed many times over the summer, never knowing it was there! It would have been completely hidden by leaves. Not once did the wasps come out and "attack" despite the fact I must frequently have come within a few inches of it.
14-NOV-2013
Three nests
Claudia and I cleaned out the nest boxes at the garden today. Here are a few of the nests we found. Top, is a tree swallow nest, with an unhatched egg shown at the top of the image. Tree swallow nests are mostly made of dry grasses and lined with feathers.
on the left is a great-crested flycatcher nest. This one was made of a variety of material, including pine needles (and a small pine cone), feathers, leaves, and finely shredded vegetation. There were three dessicated insects in the nest: a japanese beetle, a trigonarthris long-horned beetle, and a large green stinkbug.
on the right is a house wren nest, composed primarily of small twigs, a few feathers, some grape vines, and a small amount of plant fibres, with a depression on one side where the eggs were laid. The nest entirely filled the nest box, with just enough room for the wren to enter.
14-NOV-2013
Goldenrod
One of the most common native plants at the FWG. These plants form large clonal stands that shade out everything else, including dog-strangling vine (DSV). Their seeds are often eaten by chickadees, sparrows and finches, and if a goldenrod gall fly has laid an egg on the stem, around which a gall has formed, then squirrels, mice and woodpeckers will all tear these galls open to eat the larvae.
12-NOV-2013
Mallard, female
A thin skin of ice over the pond, was open in one section, allowing this lone mallard to swim and perch on this lightly submerged log. Mallards are hardy birds, sticking out the winter, sitting on ice and snow...
12-NOV-2013
Hi!
Someone has playfully scrawled a heart and a "Hi" on the underside of this polypore. Some of the bigger polypores lend themselves to this sort of thing, in particular the Ganoderman applanatum, known as the artist's conk, for obvious reasons! Some people collect them and draw elaborate images on them.
