17 May 2018
House Wren
SG: A House Wren is busily building a nest in one of our bird boxes.
21 May 2018
Mason Bee
SG: Every year we build Mason Bee boxes, the way Jenny Sheppard showed us, out of milk cartons and rolled tubes of used typing paper. And they work! Every year we watch Mason Bees (also called Orchard Bees) collecting pollen and nectar from nearby fruit trees and building little rooms for their eggs and future larvae in the paper tunnels. This year's cohort of adults is just emerging ready to start the cycle again.
21 May 2018
Andrenid bee
A mining bee, likely in the Andrena genus, visiting crabapple blossoms, and in gathering pollen, ensuring a crop of apples for birds later this summer.
21 May 2018
Nomada bee
SG: This reddish bee was buzzing around the ground in our Old Woodlot. Unable to carry pollen, this bee lays its eggs on food supplies gathered and stored by other bees.
21 May 2018
Andrenid bee
SG: Another species of Andrena, this one collecting pollen and nectar from plum blossoms.
21 May 2018
Andrenid bee
SG: A second photo of the same Andrena, included here because I was fascinated to see how it curled its abdomen around and under its head. Catching crumbs of pollen? More likely transferring a mixture of pollen and nectar to its hairy legs - the better to carry it back to its underground nest.
03-MAY-2018
Chipping sparrow
Another photo of the pretty chipping sparrow whose trilling call can be heard all over the garden (and elsewhere) these days.
09-MAY-2018
Stink bug (Euschistus tristigmus ssp. (luridus)
Hanging out in the willow tree in the Butterfly Meadow. These stinkbugs feed on plant juices.
09-MAY-2018
Green frog (Lithobates clamitans)
Another photo of the green frog shown previously.
09-MAY-2018
Black walnut (Juglans nigra)
The walnuts leaf out later than many other trees, and flower even later still.
09-MAY-2018
Mourning cloak butterfly
Despite the sun and warmth, this was the only butterfly I saw at the garden, which was surprising.
09-MAY-2018
Magnolia
One of two magnolias at the FWG. Although these are not something we would have planted in the wildlife garden (they were already on site when we started the garden), the flowers attract numbers of bees.
09-MAY-2018
Trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides)
The beautiful young lime green leaves just unfurling.
09-MAY-2018
Red-berried elder (Sambucus racemosa)
Hard to believe that not much more than a week ago, there was barely a hint of leaves on this native shrub, and now, not only leaves are growing, but flowers too. Spring comes quickly to Ottawa.
09-MAY-2018
Mayapple (Podophyllum)
The Backyard Garden section of the Fletcher Wildlife Garden, has a huge stand of flourishing mayapples. They are at the very back in the Bill Cody Fern Walk area.
09-MAY-2018
Fletcher Wildlife Garden
Looking southeast toward the old woods on the left and Carleton University in the distance.
09-MAY-2018
White-crowned sparrow
A mixed flock of these birds and white-throated sparrows in the old woods. They were making good use of the brush piles and of a fallen conifer, for shelter.
09-MAY-2018
Downy woodpecker, female
In addition to this woodpecker and the green heron, mentioned earlier, there were quite a few white-crowned and white-throated sparrows, as well as song sparrows, chipping sparrows, cardinals, chickadees, house finches, american goldfinches, red-winged blackbirds, and yellow warblers.
09-MAY-2018
The half-wing moth (Phigalia titea), #6658
Found on the wall of the resource centre.
09-MAY-2018
Green heron
A very poor photo, but not only was the heron far away but in the worst possible light. When I tried to get a photo with better light, it took off. Herons used to nest regularly at the garden for a number of years, but haven't done so for many. Wonder if there will be a pair around this year, or perhaps this was just a single event and we won't see the heron again. Probably attracted to the pond because there was a lot of amphibian activity: toads singing up a storm, and green frogs active at one end of the pond.
09-MAY-2018
Magnolia
There are a couple of large magnolias at the garden, planted long before the site became the FWG. They are quite spectacular at this time of year and the flowers do attract many bees.
09-MAY-2018
Marsh marigold (Caltha palustris)
A nice small group of these vibrant yellow flowers on the edge of the pond in the Backyard Garden.
09-MAY-2018
White trillium (Trillium grandiflorum)
One could almost call this an iconic spring wildflower... it is one species that everyone knows. In good condtions and over time, this can spread widely throughout woodlands.
09-MAY-2018
White trillium (Trillium grandiflorum)
A nice large stand of the beautiful white trillium in the old woods area where it has naturalized and spread.
09-MAY-2018
Wood duck nest box
Erected by Catherine and Sandy on the edge of the pond, we are hoping that wood ducks might nest here.
09-MAY-2018
Green frog (Lithobates clamitans)
The green frogs were at one end of the pond, while toads were trilling up a storm in the rest of it.
09-MAY-2018
Trout lily (Erythronium americanum)
Just as I crouched down to photograph this trout lily, a bee made a bee-line for it! When I lowered the camera to look for the bee, it was gone, so I have no idea which species it is and the photo is too poor for me anyway, to determine.
09-MAY-2018
Red trillium (Trillium erectum)
The old woods section of the Fletcher Garden is ripe with spring wildflowers including both red and white trilliums.
09-MAY-2018
Mayapple (Podophyllum)
These native plants don't seem to grow in the wild around Ottawa, although they do an hour or two south of us. Here in the garden they do well.
09-MAY-2018
Spotted ladybeetle (Coleomegilla maculata)
One of the earliest native lady beetles to be found in spring.
09-MAY-2018
Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis)
Bloodroot flowers are truly ephemeral. They no sooner bloom than they are finished it seems. Fortunately, they bloom over a period of a few weeks so there are still some to see.
03-MAY-2018
Chipping sparrow
Several chipping sparrows, along with white-throated sparrows and song sparrows, in the backyard garden at the Fletcher Garden yesterday.
03-MAY-2018
Backyard Garden at the FWG
The Backyard Garden (BYG) section of the Fletcher Wildlife Garden is the most visited part of the 15 acre site. Spring is just beginning to be felt here, but in a few weeks there should be a dramatic difference.
03-MAY-2018
Bird feeder
The bird feeder in the Backyard Garden at FWG, is very popular and because of that is kept stocked year-round. Photographers can frequently be found sitting on the benches as they photograph the many avian visitors.
03-MAY-2018
Red-winged blackbird, male
The males have been back quite awhile and the females joined them some weeks ago.