19-SEPT-2016
Fungi
Barry commented that after he took this shot, he realized it rather looked like a dog peering to the upper right.
19-SEPT-2016
Autumn meadowhawk (Sympetrum vicinum)
Although we think of dragonflies as a summer insect, this species is pretty hardy and can be found late into Autumn,sometimes as late as November.
19-SEPT-2016
Grey squirrel
Getting ready for winter, as all creatures are now.
26-SEP-2016
Chipmunk gathering material for his den
Chipmunks partially hibernate (they are not true hibernators) and they prepare a den for the winter, as this one is doing.
26-SEP-2016
Wood ducks
The newly dug out pond had four wood ducks and two black ducks on it while I was there in the morning. Later, Diane told me she saw 12 wood ducks on the pond in the afternoon.
26-SEP-2016
Honey bee (Apis mellifera)
Several honey bees on the new england asters (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae) around the garden, always a good sight to see.
26-SEP-2016
The squirrels should be happy
Some of the black walnut trees are laden with nuts, as this one is. The red squirrels in particular have already been harvesting lots and there are many more yet for them to cache or store.
26-SEP-2016
Gray tree frog (Hyla versicolor)
It is thanks to Colin Gaskell, whom I met at the garden, that I got a photo of this pretty tree frog. He had found it while birding. As can be seen, it was sitting on a dog-strangling vine leaf, amidst a thicket of the vines.
26-SEP-2016
Hairy woodpecker
In addition to this large woodpeccker enjoying the feeder, other birds at the garden included white-breasted nuthatches, big flocks of song sparrows and white-throated sparrows, smaller ones of dark-eyed juncos, chickadees, cardinals, yellow-rumped warblers, common yellowthroat warbler, gray catbird, swainson's thrushes (the latter three species seen/heard by Colin Gaskell), crows and over head, turkey vultures, canada geese, and ring-billed gulls. On the pond, four wood ducks and two black ducks.
26-SEP-2016
Lupine
Shades of spring! A fresh lupine blooming in the butterfly meadow.
26-SEP-2016
Butterfly meadow
Golden sunflowers and purple asters, a winning colour combination. Both are attracting various bees and other nectaring insects such as Toxomerus hover flies.
26-SEP-2016
Bumble bee (Bombus) on sunflower
One of many bumble bees in the Butterfly Meadow, on the sunflowers.