04-OCT-2009
Virginia Tiger Moth, AKA Yellow Bear
A lovely photo of this pretty little caterpillar, another "woolly bear" type, photographed by Diane.
04-OCT-2009
Crane fly (Tipulid sp.)
Diane said she photographed a crane fly which she sent to Fenja Brodo, a crane fly expert, for ID. Fenja said "That crane fly is a female (pointed end) and looks suspiciously like either Tipula oleracea or Tipula paludosa, species that are relatively recent European imports in southern Ontario. They have been known for years as pests on both coasts, especially in Newfoundland and northern California up to the Vancouver area. The larvae eat the roots of grasses and several vegetables such as broccoli and cauliflower. I would have liked a specimen to confirm this, especially since this would be a first for the Ottawa region." Pretty exciting to have a first for the Ottawa area at the FWG! As Diane said, we'll need to look at these more carefully.
02-OCT-2009
Cooper's hawk, juvenile
The first thing I encountered this afternoon at FWG was a flock of agitated chickadees in the BYG. As I rounded the corner of the Interpretive Centre, I could hear them calling repeatedly, obviously not happy. One flew at speed from the red cedar and missed me by a centimeter. I quickly saw the cause of all this panic, a young Cooper's hawk trying very unsuccessfully to catch a meal.
02-OCT-2009
Chipmunk
This little guy appeared bemused by all the kerfuffle in the BYG, but after a few seconds, decided he had better hide too.
02-OCT-2009
Wolf's milk slime mould (Lycogala epidendron)
Fall is fungi time and these pretty little slime moulds are common and even abundant on logs right now. The pink ones are new growth, while the grayish ones are mature specimens.
02-OCT-2009
Ducks in pond
When I arrived at the FWG this afternoon, I saw at least 25 ducks in the pond. Most were mallards, including a number of males in eclipse plumage, but there were a few black ducks in the mix. Most were feeding on the duckweed and the sound they made was quite audible.
02-OCT-2009
Sweat bee (Agapostemon sp.)
As is to be expected, the number of insects is decreasing all the time as fall draws on. However, there were many syrphid flies of various species, still quite a few bumblebees, yellowjackets, craneflies, and sweat bees such as this one.
02-OCT-2009
Asters
New England Asters are blooming in profusion all over the garden. Sometimes a spray of goldenrod can be found, as here, but in general the goldenrods have finished flowering. Knapweed and some of the sow thistles are still in flower, and attracting insects. Today I noticed that the sow thistle flowers each had one tiny sweat bee, pollen covered and very slow moving.