Category Archives: bugs

June goulash

Posted on June 30, 2021 by Alistair

  This is a selection of June images none of which had a posting of its own. While not exclusively birds, there is certainly a preponderance of them. Two Bald Eagle chicks still in the nest are scrapping over a … Continue reading →

Posted in birds, bugs, herptiles | 7 Comments

Two dragonflies

Posted on June 24, 2021 by Alistair

  It seemed a bit early to see the first dragonflies of the season, but there they were. And a welcome sight they were. These acrobatic aerial predators are especially partial to mosquitoes, flies, mayflies, midges, and gnats. If the … Continue reading →

Posted in bugs | 2 Comments

Crabbing season

Posted on June 22, 2021 by Alistair

  The crabbing season has begun, so I went crabbing.  Mind you, I am not talking about the crabs found in oceans, but the crab spiders found here (and elsewhere). A crab spider is an ambush predator that waits patiently … Continue reading →

Posted in bugs | 1 Comment

Local tigers

Posted on June 10, 2021 by Alistair

  Almost simultaneously, the tigers have arrived. They are: a tiger beetle, a tiger butterfly, and a tiger lily. I have commented previously, somewhat whimsically, on our rather odd naming conventions for species: butter sipping (on butterflies and buttercups); horned … Continue reading →

Posted in bugs, wildflowers | 7 Comments

Butter sipping

Posted on June 4, 2021 by Alistair

  I am sure the participants did not appreciate the etymological niceties of their situation as a butterfly sipped nutrients from a buttercup. The names of each species seem to have been of imitative origin, and resulted from their yellowish … Continue reading →

Posted in bugs, wildflowers | 2 Comments

May goulash

Posted on May 31, 2021 by Alistair

  This is a collection of images from this May, none of which has had a posting of its own. As spring is upon us, this collection is diverse, but hardly exhaustive. Of our three regular hummingbirds, the Calliope is … Continue reading →

Posted in birds, bugs, mammals | 8 Comments

Mating moths

Posted on May 22, 2021 by Alistair

  Nature Canada bills the hummingbird moth as one of Canada’s coolest creatures. But, who could have guessed just how cool it would be on this occasion? With spring, I often look for this moth. I rarely find it. Our … Continue reading →

Posted in bugs | 7 Comments

Bombylius, Not Bombus

Posted on April 16, 2021 by Alistair

  With the advent of sunny spring, I noticed my first lawn flower of the year, a chionodoxa, a tiny bluish flower with a whitish centre. It is sometimes known as the glory of the snow. Abruptly, the flower was … Continue reading →

Posted in bugs, wildflowers | 4 Comments

March goulash

Posted on March 31, 2021 by Alistair

  This is a collection of interesting creatures taken this March that lacked a posting of their own.  Many are seeing Evening Grosbeaks this year. Why have they become relatively common? In the spring, we see two species of bluebirds: … Continue reading →

Posted in birds, bugs | 6 Comments

Aestivation’s over

Posted on September 6, 2020 by Alistair

  Now that September is here, daytime temperatures are somewhat more temperate and the mourning cloak butterfly is back in abundance.  The mourning cloak likes to avoid temperature extremes, otherwise it closes down. Over winter, it hibernates (becomes dormant to … Continue reading →

Posted in bugs | 4 Comments