Yesterday, Sandy reported a barred owl in the Ash Woods being mobbed by crows. This makes about the 5th year in a row that this owl species has arrived in mid-October at FWG!
On Sunday a very tattered cabbage white butterfly was still fluttering around some of the mustard plants. Also noted were bumblebees, hover flies, a few yellowjackets, several corn rootworm beetles, and not much else in the way of insects. Today I saw none, surprise, surprise :-)
A lone flowering lupine added a burst of colour to the Butterfly Meadow, but most other flowering plants have finished blooming for the year. However, it is still possible to find a few flowers here and there still flowering, for example, many of the mustards, some goldenrods, the occasional yarrow, etc.
I was happy to find this small tortoise beetle (new for the FWG insect list) whose name is bigger than it is (Plagiometriona clavata). One guide I read said that some people consider the brown patch that covers most of its body, to be shaped like a teddy bear. And I guess I can sort of see that!
There are still quite a number of bumblebees around, including some of the tiny males. A week or so ago, it was fairly easy to see the huge queens, but many have probably sought their winter hibernation spots and if they haven't done so yet, they will as soon as the weather gets cooler. A few ambush bugs are still hanging on, and there are plenty of yellowjackets of several species, as well as small numbers of paper wasps (Polistes), mason wasps, sweat bees, and some tiny micro-moths. I found this pretty little moth (possibly a Caloreas sp.) sitting on the shrubby cinquefoil along with a brilliantly green sweat bee. You can see from this comparison how tiny the moth is.
Just before leaving the garden today, I stopped by the pond and looking into the ravine saw a fat little meadow vole digging out seeds from what looked like a small mound of earth and plant litter.
Many hover flies (also known as flower flies or syrphids) are quite active throughout the spring and summer, and many become more so during the fall. Yesterday I counted 7 species of hover flies in one spot, and today added another hover fly to the list for 8 species in two days. And, if you are interested, today's hover fly (transverse hover fly), brings the number of different hover flies found at the garden to 22! Before you say "so what?", remember that many hover flies are important pollinators, AND, the larvae of many hover flies attack aphids. So we want to encourage as many of these gorgeous little flies as we can! Quite a few hover flies are remarkable bee and wasp mimics.
Sweat bees are still quite active, and along with most of the other insects around the garden, are descending on any plant still full of nectar. In this photo and the next, you can see the bee backing out of an obedient plant.
Other insects include a number of other fly species such as this very small Tachinid fly (Gymnosoma sp.), Polistes wasps, Ancistrocerus wasps (tiny little potter wasps), locust borer beetles, and a large seed bug (Leptoglossus), as well as autumn meadowhawks, cabbage white butterflies, and hundreds of bumblebees, and some yellowjackets.
From insects to plants for a minute. I have always been fascinated by the seed pods of the common little (non-native) mustard called shepherd's purse. I think they are quite lovely.
And last, but not least, an unusual visitor to the FWG. There are always cats around the farm, including at FWG. Many of them are probably dropped off in the mistaken belief that they will be able to survive. Given that most of them are only seen for a short while, I doubt they do survive well, particularly when winter comes. Some of you may remember that in 2004 a very friendly cat arrived at FWG and allowed everyone to pat him. I took him home and eventually, through the help of a local cat rescue group, found him a home. I named him Fletcher. But this beautiful cat would not let me get close.
Shortly before the cooper's hawk, a merlin flew around the site briefly. Big flocks of goldfinches, now in their winter plumage, were busily feeding on the seeds of goldenrods in the Butterfly Meadow. Nearby a few nashville warblers were present, and over in the New Woods, a small group of about 6 palm warblers were quite noticeable (see photo).
Meanwhile, with the cooler weather the bumblebees are less numerous and those left are less active. However, today's sun caused a surge of energy and they were flying around quite actively. The new section of the Butterfly Meadow (which I call Diane's Butterfly Meadow) has some good patches of flowering yarrow and aster, as well as rudbeckia and coneflower, hence a great place to
In spite of the cold, the sun brought out in addition to the above bumblebees, at least five species of syrphids (hover flies), a variety of other flies including greenbottle flies, sweat
And... highlight of the day, a milbert's tortoiseshell butterfly. I was unable to get a photo, but here is one from a couple of weeks ago in Larose Forest.
On Tuesday, just as I was about to drive off from FWG, something flew in the open window and landed on my sleeve. I thought at first it was an entirely black lady beetle. But after I stopped, removed it to safety and took a few photos, I saw that it was a fifteen-spotted lady beetle, very dark in colour, the spots barely visible.
And of course, fungi are very visible now. I was looking at something in the BYG with Claudia today and suddenly saw a couple of bird's nest fungi. I'd been looking for them in the Arboretum over the last few days without success, so I was especially happy to see these tiny, intricate little fungi. You can see why they're called "bird's nests."