Category Archives: bugs

Pollinator predator

Posted on May 7, 2012 by Alistair

  Now that pollinators are back, pollinator predators are back also. Yesterday I watched a jumping spider waiting for prey among the flowers. If this one does as others have, it will wait on the same leaf week after week—its food … Continue reading →

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Two bees or not to be

Posted on May 3, 2012 by Alistair

  Yesterday afternoon, I was watching the last of the C.P.R. wreck saga: the lifting of the flatcar that had jumped the tracks and slid down the bank towards the Lake. That story has been told through a number of … Continue reading →

Posted in bugs, commentary | 10 Comments

Tasty spider, m’dear?

Posted on May 1, 2012 by Alistair

  Clint Saunders showed me some nuthatches nesting in a snag in his yard. So, I pointed my camera. White-breasted Nuthatches carve out their own nest and then smear pitch around the entrance, probably to keep other creatures out. During … Continue reading →

Posted in birds, bugs | 4 Comments

Butterflies are back

Posted on April 25, 2012 by Alistair

  For a week now, I have been seeing butterflies—not just butterflies, but bees and flies. The insects are back. This posting marks a seasonal shift to the inclusion of the delightful world of arthropods. What better way to start than … Continue reading →

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Last butterfly

Posted on November 2, 2011 by Alistair

Proclaiming the observation of any species as being the last of the season is fraught with problems—you just might see another a few days later. Yet, a butterfly on November 1st has to be close to the last. Posting updated on … Continue reading →

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October odonata

Posted on October 31, 2011 by Alistair

One might have thought that with dropping temperatures and turning leaves, dragonflies and damselflies (insects of the order Odonata) would have vanished. Yet, while October is their last stand of the year, some remain. Admittedly, they seem to spend a … Continue reading →

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A show and tell

Posted on October 17, 2011 by Alistair

I take pictures to better understand things seen. I post discussions to website and blog as a personal memory aid. That my notes are available publicly is incidental. Yet, the public is not incidental when one gives an illustrated talk; … Continue reading →

Posted in birds, bugs, mammals, weather, wildflowers | 9 Comments

Beach walk

Posted on October 16, 2011 by Alistair

On a beautiful sunny day, a walk along the beach at Kokanee Creek Park revealed old friends and a new delight. Three are illustrated below in the order seen. The view over the waters of Kootenay Lake often shows rather … Continue reading →

Posted in birds, bugs, weather | 1 Comment

Bug catchup

Posted on September 15, 2011 by Alistair

The previous posting caught up on miscellaneous recent pictures of birds; this one does the same for bugs—bugs being used as a rather informal term for any arthropod. Bluets copulate in the wheel position; the male is bluish, the female … Continue reading →

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Four–footed three

Posted on September 8, 2011 by Alistair

I take my camera for a walk along the lakeshore just as others might take their dogs for a walk. My guess is that camera walkers and dog walkers will often see different things. On yesterday’s walk, I saw three … Continue reading →

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