Merry Christmas from the world of Lynde Shores

decorations-on-the-christmas-tree-at-lynde-shores-conservation-area-whitby-ontario-1

Lynde Shores Conservation Area in Whitby, Ontario has all the trappings of Christmas this year.

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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

Black Bear With Her Three Young Cubs at Carden Alvar

black bear mom standup at cameron alvar, ontario, 2

Bob and I have learned so much through different groups on Facebook, and one of the areas that was brought to our attention was the Carden Alvar here in Ontario.  Our second visit in mid-June was a bit late and too hot for much activity where migrating birds were concerned, but our list of sightings was still long and included this female Black Bear and her three cubs. 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

Mink Frogs Along The Mizzy Lake Trail

Mink frog sittting on a log in a wetlands along the Mizzy Lake Trail in Algonquin Park, Ontario

Along the back half of the Mizzy Lake Trail in Algonquin Provincial Park, if you hike in a counterclockwise direction as suggested, you will eventually arrive at Dizzy Lake.   That is where Bob and I found dozens of frogs including several Mink Frogs.  It was late in the afternoon when we crossed that particular section of wetland adjacent to the lake, and a good many frogs seemed to be contentedly basking in the sunshine while soaking in the water. 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

Blanding’s Turtle At The Carden Alvar

blandings turtle, carden alvar, city of kawartha lakes, ontario, pic 15

Bob and I had been looking forward to getting up to the Carden Alvar in Ontario, Canada, for at least a couple of years.  I was filled with excitement at the prospect of seeing a number of early spring migrants and birds that favour the specialized habitat of the alvar plain, so it came as a pleasant surprise to also come across a rare Blanding’s Turtle. Read more

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