26-OCT-2009
Beaver food raft
The beaver is beginning to stockpile food.
26-OCT-2009
Starlings feeding on crabapples
There were hundreds of starlings around this morning at the garden, flocks of perhaps 150 or more. They didn't stay in any one tree for long, but long enough in this crabapple for me to get a few shots. As you can see, they are all in their spangly winter coats!
The usual birds were around the garden, but in addition to the robins, cardinals, chickadees, etc. there were about a dozen red-winged blackbirds in the cattails in the pond. Most of them appeared to be juvenile males.
26-OCT-2009
Beaver dam
Another view of the small dam.
26-OCT-2009
Beaver dam
To the right of the bridge you can see a small freshly made beaver dam, courtesy of a beaver who has recently taken up residence in the pond. Although we've had beaver there before, never has one been as industrious as this one.
25 October 2009
Tamaracks
These photos of tamarack trees (Larix laricina, also called larch) at the FWG were contributed by Hélène (the photographer) and Bryan Halliday, who were taken with the beauty of these trees, and sent us the photos to confirm ID. Although classified as conifers because they produce cones, these trees turn gold in fall and lose all their needles - so they're deciduous conifers.
25 October 2009
Tamarack
The fall colour looks particularly spectacular against our rare blue skies. These trees prefer a damp habitat. At the FWG they are growing in the wet field north of our Ash Woodlot along with a number of Red Osier Dogwood shrubs. Watch these trees again in spring when the cones start to form, as they look like they are blooming with small dark red flowers.
24-OCT-2009
Ribbons for birds
A little while ago, a volunteer found a dead white-throated sparrow. Because it had no marks on it, as if attacked by a predator, and because it was near the building, I concluded it had struck the window. This illustrates the problems that even small windows can present for birds who see the reflection of trees, sky, etc, and think they can fly through. Sandy and I discussed this and I suggested ribbons outside the window, because the best thing to do is to break up the reflection by having something moving across the window surface. In the past I had hung used CDs in the windows, but some viewed them as very un-aesthetic and I guess they were! Sandy bought the ribbons, and Erma, Isabelle and Barbara devised the design and installed them on every window and they look great! Very festive.
24-OCT-2009
Inside looking out
Looking out from inside the centre.
24-OCT-2009
Blue Jay
I don't usually go to the FWG on the weekend, mostly because I like going further afield, but having things to do closer to home, I decided to pop in for a few hours. I'm glad I did. There were lots of birds around, especially before the rain started. This blue jay was greedily grabbing the sunflower seeds. Meanwhile, many chickadees were darting in, sometimes 3 or 4 at a time, to grab seeds. A flock of juncos were underneath the feeder, cardinals in the serviceberry tree, a raven flying around overhead, and hundreds of starlings just below the BYG.
Also of note, was a beaver in the Amphibian pond! Haven't seen one there for awhile. When first spotted, he was sitting on a pile of cattails, and it looked like he was gnawing away at the cattails. Once he became aware of me, he swam off to the open area near the bridge. I walked around the top of the pond (south side) hoping for a photo, but the darn cattails made it impossible to get a clear shot. I doubt this poor guy will stay. It is no place for a beaver to spend the winter, though judging from some of the work he has done, he thinks he may have found his new home.
24-OCT-2009
American toad (Bufo americanus)
While watching the juncos hopping around on the ground beneath the feeder, I caught a glimpse of an odd movement, odd that is, in amongst the nimble juncos. Going for a closer look I discovered this toad. I picked him up and moved him a little further under the shrubs, and he was icy cold. Most amphibians, but not all by any means, have sought out overwintering sites. These guys don't produce the anti-freeze in their bodies like woodfrogs do, and they need to find a hibernation site well below the level of ground freezing.
24-OCT-2009
Red squirrel with walnut
As is always the case once winter approaches, red squirrels become more visible. This one was sitting in a walnut tree gnawing away at a nut...you can see the pile of debris on the branch from its efforts!
Speaking of mammals, I checked one of the nest boxes in which mice had built a nest entirely of dog-strangling vine early in the spring. It is now a big nest and when I opened the front, FIVE little guys clung to the inside top of the box, all in a row. Talk about cute!!! Too dark for a photo, and besides I was worried about disturbing them, so I left them alone.
24-OCT-2009
Old Field
It began raining quite hard as I approached old field and my next set of photos are a bit smudged, thanks to the rain drops on the lens. There was a faint mist, just enough to soften things, and the landscape around the garden was quite beautiful.
24-OCT-2009
Old Field
Another shot of the old field, showing the raspberries and the mist over the treetops in the background.
24-OCT-2009
Green Heron Way
For those who don't know, some years ago, one of our previous volunteers suggested we name various parts of the garden so that we'd all know to which section we were referring. This stretch of the service road, running from Prince of Wales Drive to the Ash Woods, and between the Old Field (left) and Birch Grove (right), was called Green Heron Way because we frequently saw the herons flying back and forth across it. I think this is the only name that has stuck! Here, we are looking west along the road.
24-OCT-2009
Carleton University from FWG
Looking towards Carleton U, shrouded in mist, from the Old Field.
24-OCT-2009
Tamaracks (Larch)
This row of tamaracks is on the northwest edge of the Ash Woods. This is an anomalous species, a conifer that loses its needles each fall. They turn a gorgeous golden yellow before all the needles drop off.
24-OCT-2009
Oriental bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus)
This is an old vine that has been around for some time. Another such vine used to be on the west side of the Old Field thickets, but haven't seen it for awhile. Another vine has self-seeded along the fence at the Amphbian Pond. It didn't take long for it to grow to a substantial size. This is the non-native vine that not only is considered a serious invasive, especially a little bit south of here, but also hybridizes with our native bittersweet vine, not a good thing.
20-OCT-2009
Stinkbug possibly Brachymena sp.
These very large stinkbugs are pretty common in fall. I have seen quite a number at FWG over the last few days.
13-OCT-2009
American Robin
This robin was having a grand time feasting on crabapples.
13-OCT-2009
Ducks on raft
Mallards and Black ducks were happily making use of the turtle raft! There must have been about 30+ ducks in the pond. Down in the Arboretum there were over a 100, mostly mallards.
Not a lot of birds around today, but there was a large flock of dark-eyed juncos near the Interpretive Centre, and lots of goldfinches and chickadees in various locations. Robins have made inroads on the mountain ash fruit near the Ravine! Last week the fruit was untouched, today it is nearly all gone. House finches are more apparent now as their numbers build. During the winter we often have flocks of anywhere from 10 to 20+ around the garden. A far cry from the old days (a decade or more ago) when we would find large flocks of 60+ around FWG.
13-OCT-2009
Trail through sumacs
This lovely stand of sumacs is on the western side of the Old Field, on the very edge of the FWG property.
13-OCT-2009
Storm's approach
Looking north across the Ravine toward the Arboretum, the sky is darkening quickly. Within about 4 minutes the skies opened!
13-OCT-2009
Mushroom (Marasmius sp.)
This unbelievably tiny and delicate mushroom is not uncommon, just overlooked much of the time because of its tiny size. The stems are thread-like and seem too fragile to hold up even this tiny mushroom head.
11-OCT-2009
Red-legged Grasshopper (Melanoplus femurrubrum)
Diane was at the FWG on Sunday, and found this lovely red-legged grasshopper.
11-OCT-2009
Blow fly (Pollenia sp.)
Diane photographed this distinctive fly on a black-eyed Susan. These guys overwinter as adults and can be found in barns, sheds, as well as houses sometimes. The yellow haired thorax is distinctive. Also, the way these flies hold their wings when at rest is also distinctive... they are crossed over the back rather than held apart like many flies, especially the Muscidae which they most closely resemble.
11-OCT-2009
Blow fly (Pollenia sp.)
Another view of this fly. In both photos you can see the silky hairs that cover the thorax.
11-OCT-2009
Red-legged grasshopper (Melanoplus femurrubrum)
Another view of the grasshopper by Diane.
11-OCT-2009
Black-eyed susan (Rudbeckia hirta)
Despite the late date, many flowers are still blooming, including these beautiful Rudbeckias.
11-OCT-2009
Virginia Ctenucha caterpillar (Ctenuca virginica)
This little caterpillar will, next summer, turn into the beautiful day-flying Ctenucha moth, but it has to go through a few more instars yet! It will overwinter as a caterpillar and next spring we'll see quite a few of these around the garden, looking a bit different from here. Check out our Moth gallery for other views.
11-OCT-2009
Woolly Bear caterpillar (Pyrrharctia isabella)
This familiar caterpillar turns into a large and much less familiar moth called the Isabella tiger moth.
9 October 2009
Elfin saddle
This is a good time of year to look for mushrooms. Even though it's getting cold, they seem to pop up, sometimes in great quantities, after a rainy day. I think this one is an Elfin Saddle (Helvella crispa), although it's a bit hard to tell as I believe it's been stepped on. It was in the Ash Woodlot where we've found this species before.
9 October 2009
Oak polypore
Another perennial species - this time a polypore, Daedalea quercina. This shelf fungus was growing on a branch that fell off this oak tree, but it looks like it's living in the standing tree as well.
9 October 2009
Hypsizygus ulmarius
Another Elm Oyster mushroom on the same tree.
06-OCT-2009
Sumac in the autumn sun
I think sumac really comes into its own in the fall. I can't help taking dozens of photos because all the leaves look different. Some are a vivid orange, others are red, some are yellow, many are multicoloured. And when the sun shines through, they are a visual treat. But sumacs also produce seeds which help animals through the winter, particularly toward the end of the season, when most other natural food sources have vanished.
06-OCT-2009
Shamrock orb weaver (Araneus trifolium)
This big spider was wedged tightly in between two milkweed pods. Well hidden, as they like to be, waiting for something to shake their web, at which point they can move like greased lightning from their hiding spot.
06-OCT-2009
Monarch butterfly on Canada thistle
This male monarch was nectaring on New England aster when I first saw him, but he flew off to a Canada thistle where I managed to get a couple of shots. He then flew away out of the garden. One of the handful of monarch sightings I've had this year around here.
06-OCT-2009
Black maple (Acer nigrum)
We have a couple of black maples at the FWG, the most visible is north of the Ash Woods. Feel the back of the leaves... if they are nice and fuzzy, you are looking at a black maple.
06-OCT-2009
Hover fly (Spilomyia sayi)
One of my favourites amongst the Syrphidae, or hover flies, is this very large, wasp mimic. No matter how often I see them (and they are not found in great abundance, at least not by me!), it is always a thrill to see them again. Don't you think it looks like a wasp?
06-OCT-2009
Hover fly (Spilomyia sayi)
Here is another view of this wasp mimic, investigating my hand.
06-OCT-2009
Yellowjacket
Yellowjackets are still pretty common around the area. This one was having a grooming session on a milkweed leaf!
06-OCT-2009
Northern crab spider (Mecaphesa sp.)
This is another crab spider, also very tiny, but in a different genus from the more familiar goldenrod crab spider.
06-OCT-2009
Goldenrod crab spider (Misumena vatia)
This little crab spider was on the head of a coneflower in the BYG this afternoon.
06-OCT-2009
Western conifer seed bug (Leptoglossus occidentalis)
In late summer and early fall, these large bugs are common. They can often be found on walls of buildings as well as on vegetation. Notice the distinctive flattened area on the hind tibia.
04-OCT-2009
Sweat bee (Agapostemon splendens)
Diane was at the FWG on Sunday, 4 Oct., and said "I was happy to see a few insects in and around the BYG. I saw at least three Agapostemon splendens flying around the Black Eyed Susan. They were not flying rapidly and one of them just sat there for a long time. While I was photographing them a Tortricid moth sat on a petal, but I was not able to identify it. On the wall I saw a moth that appeared to be an Autographa, but it was too high to take a picture.
04-OCT-2009
Sweat bee (Agapostemon splendens)
A back view of the sweat bee.
04-OCT-2009
Paper wasp (Polistes fuscatus)
There are still a few paper wasps around, both this species and the introduced Polistes dominula.
05-OCT-2009
Canada Darner
Diane also photographed this mosaic darner which she identified as a Canada.
04-OCT-2009
Virginia Tiger Moth, AKA Yellow Bear
A lovely photo of this pretty little caterpillar, another "woolly bear" type, photographed by Diane.
04-OCT-2009
Crane fly (Tipulid sp.)
Diane said she photographed a crane fly which she sent to Fenja Brodo, a crane fly expert, for ID. Fenja said "That crane fly is a female (pointed end) and looks suspiciously like either Tipula oleracea or Tipula paludosa, species that are relatively recent European imports in southern Ontario. They have been known for years as pests on both coasts, especially in Newfoundland and northern California up to the Vancouver area. The larvae eat the roots of grasses and several vegetables such as broccoli and cauliflower. I would have liked a specimen to confirm this, especially since this would be a first for the Ottawa region." Pretty exciting to have a first for the Ottawa area at the FWG! As Diane said, we'll need to look at these more carefully.
02-OCT-2009
Cooper's hawk, juvenile
The first thing I encountered this afternoon at FWG was a flock of agitated chickadees in the BYG. As I rounded the corner of the Interpretive Centre, I could hear them calling repeatedly, obviously not happy. One flew at speed from the red cedar and missed me by a centimeter. I quickly saw the cause of all this panic, a young Cooper's hawk trying very unsuccessfully to catch a meal.
02-OCT-2009
Chipmunk
This little guy appeared bemused by all the kerfuffle in the BYG, but after a few seconds, decided he had better hide too.
02-OCT-2009
Wolf's milk slime mould (Lycogala epidendron)
Fall is fungi time and these pretty little slime moulds are common and even abundant on logs right now. The pink ones are new growth, while the grayish ones are mature specimens.
02-OCT-2009
Ducks in pond
When I arrived at the FWG this afternoon, I saw at least 25 ducks in the pond. Most were mallards, including a number of males in eclipse plumage, but there were a few black ducks in the mix. Most were feeding on the duckweed and the sound they made was quite audible.
02-OCT-2009
Sweat bee (Agapostemon sp.)
As is to be expected, the number of insects is decreasing all the time as fall draws on. However, there were many syrphid flies of various species, still quite a few bumblebees, yellowjackets, craneflies, and sweat bees such as this one.
02-OCT-2009
Asters
New England Asters are blooming in profusion all over the garden. Sometimes a spray of goldenrod can be found, as here, but in general the goldenrods have finished flowering. Knapweed and some of the sow thistles are still in flower, and attracting insects. Today I noticed that the sow thistle flowers each had one tiny sweat bee, pollen covered and very slow moving.