20-OCT-2012
Eastern Box Elder Bug (Boisea trivittata)
Seeking warmth on the south side of the old red barn, this bug was probably about to enter the structure and settle down for the winter. These bugs overwinter as adults, as do beetles such as the Asian ladybeetle, of which there was one just out of the photo frame, heading in the same direction.
20-OCT-2012
Sow bug (Philoscia sp.)
These are abundantly common little critters, so common, we barely pay attention to them. They are actually in the same Class as crustaceans such as shrimp and crayfish, though in a separate order, the Isopods. Some call these guys woodlice, but I've always known them as sow bugs. This was trundling down the wall of the Interpretive Centre.
16-OCT-2012
WHite-breasted nuthatch
This nuthatch was happily feeding on the suet in the backyard garden feeder, and chasing away any others who wanted a taste, until a downy woodpecker flew in and chased the nuthatch off.
16-OCT-2012
Lemon drops (Bisporella citrina)
I am always enchanted by these minute sac fungi, whose common name of lemon drops is so apt, given the way they look. This is a macro shot, but in reality they look like small yellow pinpricks, so if you don't have a camera with a macro feature or macro lens, you'll need a hand lens to see them up close and appreciate them.
16-OCT-2012
Puffballs (Lycoperdon)
Found a cluster of these very small puffballs on the edge of the Butterfly Meadow. They may be Lycoperdon curtisii as they were so very small.
16-OCT-2012
Black-capped chickadee nest cavity
This is an incomplete nest cavity made by a chickadee. On this birch log, there are two holes that have been partly excavated. In this one you can feel down about an inch, but then the hole ends. Clearly, the birds decided to go elsewhere. Standing dead birch trees are perfect spots for chickadees to nest in and nest in them, they do!
16-OCT-2012
Black-capped chickadee eating new england aster seeds
This chickadee was very, very busy eating seed after seed from this big stand of asters. So many wild plants, both native and not, provide seed sources for wildlife.
16-OCT-2012
Black-capped chickadee eating new england aster seeds
Another view of the chickadee eating the aster seeds.
16-OCT-2012
Squirrel stash
Crabapples stored by a red squirrel below a den site.
16-OCT-2012
Wild grapes (Vitis riparia)
Wildlife depend on wild food crops, thus these wild grapes are eagerly eaten by many species of birds and mammals.
16-OCT-2012
Ornamental crabapples (Malus)
Another food source is provided by crabapples, although not all are eaten. I suppose some cultivars have taste bred out of them, so that wildlife will ignore them and leave the pretty red fruit to add colour to the winter landscape. I'd prefer planting trees that feed wildlife.
10-OCT-2012
Blazing colours at the FWG
Much of the colour here comes from the amur maple saplings that turn a brilliant scarlet in fall, which is one big reason why this non-native maple is so popular in gardens (from whence come the ones we see in natural areas).
