24-SEP-2012
Broad-headed bug (Alydus eurinus)
Here is a side view of the little bug that was shown earlier photographed from above.
24-SEP-2012
Maple leaved goosefoot (Chnopodium simplex)
When I saw this plant, I assumed it had to be a non-native species, as many plants in this genus are. But to my surprise, I found out that this one is native. It is one of many plants that grew up over the summer in the small section of the old field that was rototilled this spring.
24-SEP-2012
Eastern tailed blue butterfly
This little butterfly flitted past, landed briefly on this grass in the old field area, and then vanished. I got one shot, not the best, but a record of it being seen in late September.
24-SEP-2012
Locust borer beetle and spotted cucumber beetle
The goldenrods still in flower were a magnet for insects of all kinds. Here there are two locust borers (long-horned beetles associated with locust trees) and a very small spotted cucumber beetle is clambering across the back of the much larger borer, to reach the enticing flowers on the other side. You can just see the second locust borer at the top left corner.
24-SEP-2012
Parasitic fly (Tachinidae)
These large tachinid flies were abundant around the garden, particularly on goldenrod.
24-SEP-2012
Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) on coneflower
The only monarch I saw at FWG on this visit, was nectaring on coneflowers in the Butterfly Meadow.
24-SEP-2012
Feather legged fly (Trichopoda plumipes)
This is the time of year to see these really cool little flies with the feathery legs, as if wearing chaps! This one was quite small, but I've seen others almost twice this size. One species of Trichopoda, but apparently not this one, is used to control stinkbugs! Feather-legged flies are in the Family Tachinidae.
24-SEP-2012
Primrose moth caterpillar signs
The beautiful pink primrose moth is closely associated with the evening primrose plant. The larvae bore into the seed heads and eat the seeds, and the hole here shows where one entered.
24-SEP-2012
Broad-headed bug (Alydus eurinus)
These small bugs are commonly found on goldenrod flowers, and if you look closely, you can see that there is a dusting of goldenrod pollen on this one. It crawled off the goldenrod, onto my finger, and then back onto the plants. According to Bug Guide, this species may feed on carrion, although it is more often found lapping plant juices.
24-SEP-2012
Wooly bear caterpillar
This very familiar little caterpillar is common in autumn, and is known by most kids and adults alike! The moth turns into the Isabella Tiger Moth.
Autumn meadowhawk
Fellow PBaser, Suzanne Labbé from Quebec, visited our garden this month and was very happy with what she saw there. She told me she took many photos and offered to share some with us for our photo-blog. This and the following 6 are by Suzanne. The autumn meadowhawk here is beautifully photographed.
You can visit Suzanne's excellent galleries, full of fabulous wildlife photos, at:
http://www.pbase.com/licornette
Ruby-throated hummingbird/Colibri-a-gorge-rubis
We've had a good year for hummingbirds at the FWG. As noted in an earlier posting, we have noticed them feeding on a wide variety of plants in our Backyard Garden. They rarely sit still, but this little one perched in perfect light, allowing Suzanne to catch a great shot.
Mallard/Canard-colvert
This pretty duck is making use of our turtle raft in the big Amphibian Pond. She was photographed by Suzanne Labbé.
Monarch butterfly /Monarque
Joe-pye weed is very attractive to insects, and monarch butterflies are especially prone to nectaring on it. Here, this gorgeous male monarch (you can tell it is a male by the scent 'patches' on the wings, the two little black spots) was photographed on the plant, by Suzanne.
Bumble bee/Bourdon-fébrile
Joe-pye weed is a magnet for insects, including bumble bees, honey bees and butterflies (as the previous photo shows).
Red-legged grasshopper/Malanople-a-pattes-rouges
This pretty little grasshopper, was caught on camera by Suzanne, as it rested on the sedum in the BYG.
Japanese beetle/Scarabee-japonais
Although not universally liked, these beetles are remarkably handsome, and if they were very uncommon, or better behaved, we would appreciate their metallic beauty. Suzanne photographed this handsome creature at the garden.
18-SEP-2012
Sunflowers in the Butterfly Meadow
A shot of the rain dewed sunflowers that tower over the meadow. In drier weather, and a bit earlier in the season, these flowers attract quite a variety of insects.
18-SEP-2012
Red squirrel
This little red was nipping off the flowerheads of some of the black-eyed susans and then rushing into the fork of this tree to eat them.
18-SEP-2012
Red squirrel
The same squirrel heading on back down the tree to gather more flowerheads.
18-SEP-2012
Red squirrel
A very wet squirrel, looking quite bedraggled with his wet tail creating a spiky hairdo effect!
18-SEP-2012
Heading down the trail
This is the Bill Holland trail from the parking lot to the Interpretation Centre, through a forest of sumacs. The ravine is on the right side of the photo.
18-SEP-2012
The pond in the Backyard Garden
This is where one of the resident green frogs was heading away from. The little pond looks quite lush and richly vegetated, particularly in the rain which makes everything look more "tropical"!
18-SEP-2012
Green frog (Rana clamitans)
A very large and quite dark, green frog, heading away from the BYG pond, across the lawn.
18-SEP-2012
Butterfly meadow
The gorgeous autumn colours of the lush foliage in the butterfly meadow are a tribute to the hard work of the volunteers who meet weekly (Wed. evenings) to plant and maintain this site. This photo shows one section of the meadow. The next few photos show different sections of the site.
18-SEP-2012
Butterfly meadow
This is another section of the butterfly meadow, at the northwest end of the site. It has been thickly planted by volunteers and is flourishing. The sign is politely asking visitors to not walk in the newly planted bed.
18-SEP-2012
Butterfly meadow
A third section of the meadow, this one abutting the birch grove.
18-SEP-2012
Black duck snoozing in the rain
The waterproof feathers of this sleeping duck show the rain beaded on his back.
18-SEP-2012
Black ducks feeding
Bottoms up! The black ducks, who'd all been sleeping amongst the cattails, were awake and feeding on my way back across the bridge.
18-SEP-2012
Bridge across the pond
I've always thought that the trail heading up the slope from the bridge, through the sumacs, is very enticing. Like a country lane!
17-SEP-2012
Pennsylvania leatherwing (Chauliognathus pensylvanicus)
Barry photographed this pretty beetle at the FWG. Goldenrod and leatherwings seem to go naturally together. Bug Guide calls them goldenrod soldier beetle, which is far more apt I guess, but the Pennsylvania leatherwing name is used in most insect guides, no doubt because of the species name (pensylvanicus). At the height of their occurrence, which is usually mid-late August (although they can continue to be observed well into September), they can be abundant on goldenrods. They are actually soldier beetles (Cantharidae), and a good insect to have around as their larvae feed on various insects we don't always want in our gardens, such as aphids.
17-SEP-2012
Burrowing bug (Sehirus cinctus)
Also called white-margined burrowing bug, for good reason as you can see in this great shot by Barry. These tiny bugs (about 5 mm) are found most often nectaring on flowers, but they are completely harmless, to you and to your flowers and should be left alone. These little guys will overwinter underneath leaf litter. You are most likely to find them if you have plants in the mint family in your garden, as these are their larval plants of choice, the larvae being fed the seeds of such plants.
17-SEP-2012
Sweat bee (Sphecodes)
Another beautiful image by Barry, of this little kleptoparasite. This sweat bee is distinctive with its red abdomen.
17-SEP-2012
Sweat bee (Sphecodes)
Gorgeous shot of a vivid sweat bee, quite different from the metallic green ones we often see, or those with striped abdomens. This red-bellied one is a kleptoparasite on other sweat bees.
17-SEP-2012
Oak gall
Oak trees are decorated with a variety of galls, such as this one, most being made by tiny wasps in the Cynipidae family.
09-SEP-2012
Monarch butterfly caterpillar
A rather late caterpillar. Let's hope it pupates and emerges in time to fly southward. It looks fairly big here, so I am guessing it probably pupated not long after Barry took this photo. It will take between 9-12 days to pupate, and then it will emerge as a beautiful butterfly. This is the generation, the last of the summer, that will head toward Mexico.
09-SEP-2012
Bee fly (probably Bombylius sp.)
Barry photographed this bee fly nectaring on rudbeckia. Its colouring allows it to blend in with the flower quite easily.
09-SEP-2012
Leaf miner work
The patterns created by the various leaf mining insects is quite remarkable. I've always been fascinated by them (and by the patterns in dead trees made by bark beetles). Barry took this lovely image.
09-SEP-2012
Blotch type work of a leaf miner insect
Another type of pattern made by a leaf-mining insect, more than likely a tiny micro moth of some sort. It appears that there is a very small larva in each of these blotches.
09-SEP-2012
Leaf miner work
Isn't this a beautiful pattern? Barry photographed this leaf, completely riddled by an leaf-mining insect. There are any number of insects who do this kind of thing, so it could be a leaf-mining moth, or a fly, less likely to be a beetle as the lines are too fine. At any rate, whatever insect made this pattern, it is beautiful.
09-SEP-2012
Locust borer (Megacyllene robinia)
Al took this terrific shot of a large locust borer. This species is closely associated with black locust trees, of which the FWG has many, growing in the Ravine.
07-SEP-2012
Darling underwing moth (Catocala cara), #8832.1
Thanks to Diane for identifying this large moth, photographed by Al. Catocala moths are in the Noctuidae family. This one is a new species for our FWG moth list!
07-SEP-2012
Great ash sphinx moth caterpillar (Sphinx chersis), #7802
Diane identified this moth as being quite probably the Great ash sphinx moth, in the Sphingidae (Sphinx moth) family. She did say it is best to see the side as well as the top to be 100% sure, but feels it is more than likely this species. Thanks to Al for photographing this species, new to the FWG, and to Diane for identification.
06-SEP-2012
Pollen drenched bee
This bee is so pollen covered that it is difficult to determine which species it might be, but perhaps a sweat bee (Halictid). Photo taken by Barry.
06-SEP-2012
Small milkweed bug (Lygaeus kalmii)
Barry photographed this bug on a milkweed seedpod which allows you to see how small this insect really is against the seeds which, as we know, are very small.
06-SEP-2012
Bee Wolf wasp (Philanthus)
A lovely shot by Barry, showing the shape and colours of this beautiful wasp. Despite the name of bee wolf, it is indeed a wasp, not a bee. The name comes from its habit of preying on bees (and sometimes other wasps) which it captures to provision its larder for its larvae.
06-SEP-2012
Autumn meadowhawk
One of the dragonflies we can continue to observe right through fall, sometimes even into November if the weather remains reasonably mild.
06-SEP-2012
Praying mantis (Mantis religiosa)
Always an intriguing insect! These European mantids are common right now, and it seems that 2012 has been a good year for them, as they are being seen by many people all over the area. Some years they are barely found, others, such as this one, they are abundant. One of my favourite insects. Barry photographed this on a milkweed leaf.
06-SEP-2012
Praying mantis (Mantis religiosa)
A head-on view of a praying mantis in this great shot by Barry.
06-SEP-2012
Leafy shelter
Barry found and photographed one of the many leafy shelters made most often by Torticid moths. However, other lepidoptera will also make such shelters, so it is difficult to say which creature made this. I've sometimes seen stinkbugs and jumping spiders using these shelters, usurping them!
06-SEP-2012
Oleander aphids (Aphis nerii) on common milkweed
These brightly coloured and very attractive aphids begin appearing in mid-summer, attacking mostly milkweed plants, although sometimes found on other plants too. They attract predators such as the larvae of hover flies, lady beetles, and lacewings. Tiny jumping spiders will also take aphids as prey. In the meantime, the aphids often have a protective coterie of ants who try to fight off intruders. The ants are not being altruistic, but rather defending their "herd" of honeydew producers!
Aphids (Uroleucon sp.)
A gorgeous golden-infused image by Barry, showing typical postures of these vividly red aphids. They are most often seen clustered along plant stems this way, whereas the oleander aphids (next photo), are usually clustered tightly together on leaves and stems.