10-JUL-2011
Milkweeds
One of the best places to see any quantity of milkweed is the field directly in front of the southern end of the Ash Woods. WHile milkweeds are growing elsewhere in the garden, they are not in any good numbers. Some of the biggest and most flourishing populations of milkweed have entirely vanished. But in this field, which is not, technically, part of the FWG, they are growing well.
10-JUL-2011
Flower longhorn (Typocerus velutinus)
Once the Queen Anne's lace begins blooming, these lovely medium sized flower longhorns begin also to appear. Not confined to this plant, they can be found on many flowers as the summer wears on.
10-JUL-2011
Muskrat carrying food
It is a busy time for this little muskrat in the pond. Back and forth she goes, back and forth, busily cutting down the cattail stems from the shore. As well, I was tickled to see her working away on the flowering rush (Butomus) and ferry large mouthfuls of that to her den too.
10-JUL-2011
Small Milkweed bugs (Lygaeus kalmii)
A mating pair of bugs found on DSV vines in the Old Field area. These bugs are members of the Lygaeidae family, the seed bugs.
10-JUL-2011
Juvenile Green Heron
This little guy really likes this thick stand of Decodon (water willow), along the edge of the pond. It provides cover and safety, and allows him to peer into the pond for frogs without being seen.
10-JUL-2011
Three-lined potato beetle (Lema daturaphila)
These are members of the Chrysomelidae subfamily, Criocerinae, the shining leaf beetles. This species seems to favour plants of the potato family, such as the non-native vine, Solanum dulcamara, or, as in this case, Clammy ground cherry (Physalis).
10-JUL-2011
Tulip tree (Liriodendron tulipifera)
Our little self-seeded tulip tree is flourishing. Not sure what will happen if we get a very severe winter, but hopefully this tree will thrive.
10-JUL-2011
Caddisfly (Trichoptera)
Not sure which family of trichoptera this belongs to, as there isn't enough detail to say, other than that it is an adult Caddisfly. It was perched on a stem of stinging nettle.
06-JUL-2011
Bottlebrush grass (Elymus hystrix)
One of the prettiest and most distinctive native grasses.
06-JUL-2011
Leafcutter bee (Megachilid) work
A leafcutter bee has cut a nice neat section of rose leaf to use in nest construction. Roses are a favoured plant for these bees.
06-JUL-2011
Mallard female and young
The pond was a busy place this morning when Diane and I stopped by. First we saw this mother mallard with her enchanting little youngster. She didn't seem very bothered by us standing on the bridge and photographing her, but clearly she was keeping a wary eye out nonetheless. I was surprised to see a duckling here. There have been a couple of mallards on the pond from spring right on through, but they've always hung out together and showed no signs of having a nest. Well, just shows how things can happen right under our eyes.
06-JUL-2011
Muskrat
This muskrat has been very noticeable for the last few weeks. I don't know for sure, but it seems to have taken over the old beaver bank burrow. At any rate, it comes and goes from that vicinity. Today, it was busy feeding on roots and who knows what else.
