I always consider the little island in the Arboretum, just below FWG, to be an extension in a way of the garden, when it comes to bird life anyway. This is because you can often see birds flying from FWG to the island and back. So with that in mind, here is a brief report of all the birds that were on the island during a 20 to 30 minute period this morning.

A large flock of cedar waxwings was feeding greedily on the black elderberry fruit. They were mostly juveniles, as you can see by the streaked plumage, but there were a few adults mixed in. Reminded me of a school outing with a bunch of happy-to-be-away-from-school adolescents and a few harried adults. There was quite a cacophony from these rambunctious "kids."

I stopped in at the BYG and saw a mourning cloak butterfly, white-breasted nuthatch, 3 or 4 male cardinals and what seemed like an army of chipmunks :-) as well as a darner sp. Isabelle told me that all morning a brown thrasher was around the site. I'm sorry I missed that. And Carla told me that two adult tree frogs were also present.

Tortoise beetles fascinate me, and despite how common they are, I rarely see them. Darn! But yesterday I was delighted to stumble across a tiny little golden tortoise beetle. Which was not golden, but red. These little guys get their knickers in such a knot when they feel threatened that they literally turn colour from golden to red! How's that for a quick change act? Sadly the photo is terrible. Not only was this beetle tiny, but moving fast under dark light conditions. Sorry! Although the photo is poor, can you see the transparent margins of the elytra?

And finally, yet another insect that I always delight in seeing, the little leafcutter bee, Megachile frigida. Notice how she is carrying the pollen on her stomach rather than as is most typical with other bees, on her legs? You will sometimes see these bees with white abdomens, which means that at that moment they are pollen-less!

I hope that you are noting all the shots lately featuring asters? These plants are a really important source of food for so many insects. At the moment they are about the last resource available for pollen and nectar. There are a few goldenrods still blooming, and assorted other flowers, but if you really want to see action, go to a stand of asters and watch. Later on, the seeds will feed many birds, particularly sparrows and finches.

And so - turning to insects, there were lots of bumblebees around, in fact, hundreds and hundreds of them swarming over asters primarily, but also on many other plants. It is a bit like the last hurrah, for sturdy as they and able to withstand a certain amount of cool weather, they will eventually all die off by the time winter arrives, leaving only the young queen to survive the winter. Speaking of queens, there are quite a few very large bumblebees (and wasps) around, these are the big mamas!

There were also dozens and dozens of sweat bees (Halictids), the little green metallic ones we've been seeing all summer. Syrphids are still quite common, although fewer species than previously.

Woolly bear caterpillars (the adults are known as the Isabella tiger moth) are common, but there are other caterpillars out there too. Here is a spotted tussock moth caterpillar.