Eastern Comma Butterfly At Rosetta McClain Gardens

eastern comma butterfly, rosetta mcclain park, toronto, pic 12

Late this summer, Bob and I popped down to Rosetta McClain Gardens in Toronto to see if we could discover any birds of note but also to look for Monarch Butterflies given the few that we had seen in our own garden over the summer.  What we found was an Eastern Comma Butterfly on one of the Butterfly Bushes. Read more

Dog-day Cicadas Mating In The Heat Of Summer

mating cicadas in toronto, ontario

On a sultry summer day here in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, I went out to the garden to tend to some chores.  Imagine my surprise, as I bent to the task of deadheading my Gaillardia, when something clipped the side of my head.  Seconds later, I noticed a pair of Dog-Day Cicadas mating where they lay on the pavement of the street. Read more

A Hummingbird Clearwing Moth at Oxtongue Lake

Image of a clearwing hummingbird moth at lilac bush at oxtongue lake, in ontario.

If ever you have seen a Hummingbird Clearwing Moth, you were probably mesmerized as we were by the sheer look of its see-through wings and the way it hovers like a hummingbird.  In fact, you might have mistaken it for one of those teeny birds.  Bob and I have seen Hummingbird Clearwing Moths on a couple of occasions, once in Algonquin Park and this one above in my mom’s garden at Oxtongue Lake, Ontario. Read more

A Hike In The Amazon Rainforest at Sandoval Lake

Sunset's on Sandoval Lake, Amazon Basin, Peru

Main building at Sandoval Lake Lodge, Lake Sandoval, Amazon Basin, Peru

While staying at Sandoval Lake Lodge, it was customary to be wakened before dawn for an excursion around the lake at daybreak.  After completing our early morning circuit of the lake, Bob and I returned to the lodge for a much needed breakfast that once again featured local fruits. Read more

Question Mark Butterfly at Rouge National Park

Question mark butterfly along the Cedar Trail at Rouge National Park, Toronto, Ontario

Bob and I had not entertained our youngest son and his wife for quite some time, so in early August, we got together to catch up on all the news.  Not being ones to sit around and visit ad infinitum, after passing a couple of hours on our backyard deck, I suggested a bit of a walk to work up an appetite for dinner.  Cedar Trail at Rouge National Urban Park is close by, and we promised that we would not stand around for hours photographing birds, but the chance sighting of a Question Mark Butterfly did hold us up for several minutes with no complaints from our company. Read more

Shamrock Orbweaver Spider at Col. Samuel Smith Park

Shamrock Orbweaver Spider at Col. Samuel Smith Park

Shamrock orbweaver spider at Colonel Samuel Smith Park in Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada

Late last summer, based on reports of a Yellow-crowned Night Heron being seen at Colonel Samuel Smith Park in Etobicoke, Bob and I finally found the time to take a spin down to that waterfront park to see if we would be lucky enough to find it.  Amongst other things, I found this gorgeous Shamrock Orbweaver Spider. Read more

Striped Hairstreak Butterfly in Huntsville, Ontario

Striped Hairstreak Butterfly in Huntsville, Ontario

Striped Hairstreak Butterfly on a plant leaf near Huntsville, Ontario, Canada.

After arriving at our accommodation in Huntsville, Ontario, late one July, we headed off almost immediately to stretch our legs.  As we are always on the lookout for whatever wildlife might cross our paths, we had our cameras in tow.  It was Bob’s keen eye that noticed the fluttering of a Striped Hairstreak Butterfly on a plant and had him exclaiming, “there’s a new butterfly!”.  Read more

An Atlantis Fritillary Butterfly in Algonquin Park

An Atlantis Fritillary Butterfly in Algonquin Park

Atlantis fritillary butterfly on the ground at Mew Lake, in Algonquin Park, Ontario, Canada

This past summer found Bob and me in Algonquin Provincial Park in Ontario in search of Black Bears.  The blueberry patch at the old airstrip near Mew Lake Campground was a magnet for two families of Black Bears a year ago, so we were hoping that some of them might have returned in search of this year’s crop.  Instead, the only visitors to the blueberry patch were countless Atlantis Fritillary Butterflies. Read more

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