Category Archives: bugs

Dipper shake

Posted on April 1, 2014 by Alistair

  We have all seen a dog climb out of a lake and vigorously shake off water. Yesterday morning, I watched a dipper seemingly do the same thing: having gotten wet, it vigorously spun back and forth rather as does … Continue reading →

Posted in birds, bugs | 3 Comments

First butterfly

Posted on March 31, 2014 by Alistair

  Today, March 31st, I saw my first butterfly of the year: a comma. Can someone tell me which one it is?

Posted in bugs | 5 Comments

Solstice arthropods

Posted on December 15, 2013 by Alistair

  One does not normally think of arthropods as appearing around the winter solstice. Yet, a few hang out in the house. Here are three seen this week. This is a Cellar Spider, a female Pholcus phalangioides identified by arachnologist, Robb Bennett. This … Continue reading →

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Over the edge

Posted on September 18, 2013 by Alistair

  Most osprey chicks were still in the nest two weeks ago when I wrote about them in It’s time you went. One of the pictures taken then didn’t quite fit the theme of that posting, but appears today. In the … Continue reading →

Posted in bugs, history | 4 Comments

Meadowhawk mating

Posted on September 15, 2013 by Alistair

  The first thing I saw was a male Striped Meadowhawk flying low over the grass along by the edge of a marsh. But, then I noticed two couples copulating in the grass, below. Everywhere, there were copulating meadowhawks. In … Continue reading →

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Percher and flier

Posted on September 11, 2013 by Alistair

  Dragonflies are predators that voraciously consume other bugs. Their hunting strategies are similar to those used by predator birds: Some watch for prey from a perch; Some hunt on the wing. Below is an example of each. This is … Continue reading →

Posted in bugs | 6 Comments

Spinners at sunrise

Posted on September 9, 2013 by Alistair

  Spinners are a small version of mayflies, or at least the adult stage thereof. Depending upon the species, spinners may emerge and swarm at different times in the summer or fall. These insects are short lived—a day or two—so … Continue reading →

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Baldfaced Lodge

Posted on September 6, 2013 by Alistair

  Around here, if one uses the term, baldface, the assumed referent is the Baldface Lodge and ski resort high in the Selkirk Mountains just north of Nelson. Yet, this picture shows a baldfaced lodge and it certainly has the … Continue reading →

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Bountiful nuisance

Posted on August 21, 2013 by Alistair

  Wasps—particularly Western Yellowjackets—have been bountiful this summer. People who normally favour an outdoor meal have been driven indoors by the nuisance of them. Yet, imagine the problem faced by an outdoor fish eater. Below is an Osprey chick that … Continue reading →

Posted in birds, bugs | 7 Comments

Dangling tongue

Posted on August 11, 2013 by Alistair

  Normally when a bumble bee is flying, its tongue, protected by a horny sheath, is folded under its head and body. Certainly, the tongue is extended when the bee is sipping nectar from a flower, but leaving it extended during … Continue reading →

Posted in bugs | 2 Comments