Eastern Gray Treefrog At The Atkinson Park Wetlands

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Eastern Gray Treefrog At The Atkinson Park Wetlands

Eastern grey treefrog sitting on a plant leaf at Atkinson Park Wetlands, Aurora, Ontario

Along about mid-summer, Bob and I were interested in exploring some new wetlands that we had come to know about, and one of them was Atkinson Park Wetlands or McKenzie Marsh in Aurora.  It is located near St. John’s Sideroad and Yonge Street.  Bob and I were delighted to find a series of boardwalks that traversed a good-sized pond and wetland, and these conducted us to a paved trail adjacent to another smaller pond.  It is there that we came upon a Gray Treefrog (Hyla versicolor) sitting discreetly on a milkweed leaf. Read more

Fall Colors In Algonquin Park 2014

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image of fall colors in algonquin Park

fall colors in algonquin park - fall 2014 pic 28

Come join me on a virtual tour of the magnificent Fall Colours In Algonquin Park this past autumn.  Even before we entered the Park, the show of coloured foliage took our breath away.  At the boundary of the Park is Park Lake, known to many as Long Lake, and as we passed that way, stretching before us was this tantalizing stretch of highway lined with trees dressed for the season. Read more

An Atlantis Fritillary Butterfly along the Mizzy Lake Trail



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An Atlantis Fritillary Butterfly along the Mizzy Lake Trail

Atlantis Fritillary butterfly - mizzy lake trail - algonquin park - ontario

The location of our picnic spot along the Mizzy Lake Trail in Algonquin Park, happened to be very ideal next to a pond where we were rewarded with the pleasure of observing this Atlantis Fritillary Butterfly (Speyeria atlantis). Read more

Juvenile Least Bittern At Colonel Samuel Smith Park

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least bittern at colonel sam smith park - etobicoke - toronto - ontario 8

One summer, people had been reporting sightings of one, if not two, Juvenile Least Bitterns that have been hanging out at Colonel Samuel Smith Park at the lakeshore in Toronto.  Bob and I went to the Park to look for a flutter of Monarch Butterflies one morning, but coming up empty-handed, we turned our attentions to birdwatching.  It wasn’t too far from our location on Whimbrel Point that we found one of the Least Bitterns.  The bird was much smaller than expected. Read more

Blanche Russells Rock Houses In Marble Canyon, Arizona

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Blanche Russell Rock House in Marble Canyon in Arizona, U.S.A.

As Bob and I cruised along the black tarmac, the air literally shivered with the heat.  In the distance, at the base of the Vermilion Cliffs, a mirage appeared complete with stone houses rising up out of the desert sands….or so we thought.  This was one of Blanche Russells Rock Houses that was constructed during the Great Depression. Read more

A Wood Frog on Algonquin Park’s Mizzy Lake Trail

A Wood Frog on Algonquin Park’s Mizzy Lake Trail

wood frog, mizzy lake trail, algonquin park, ontario

Earlier one summer, Bob and I undertook to hike the Mizzy Lake Trail in Algonquin Provincial Park.  It is touted as one of the more difficult trails in the Park but also the trail along which hikers have the best chance of sighting wildlife.  The 11-kilometre loop skirts nine small lakes and ponds while passing through dense forest.  We enjoyed a clear day with intermittent clouds that gave brief reprieves from the blazing sun that threatened to discourage any wildlife from making a show of themselves along the trail.  Still, we sighted many turtles and frogs such as this Wood Frog (Lithobates sylvaticus). Read more

A Solitary Sandpiper at Lower Reesor Pond in Toronto

A Solitary Sandpiper at Lower Reesor Pond in Toronto

solitary sandpiper at lower reesor pond - toronto 2

Bob and I recently visited Lower Reesor Pond in north Toronto because it is fairly close to our home and the day’s weather was uncertain.  There had been recent reports of a Green Heron sighted there, and we were keen to see for ourselves what waterfowl might be on location.  One of the birds that pleased us that day was a Solitary Sandpiper. Read more

Our Drive Through The Painted Desert In Arizona

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photograph of Echo Cliffs on the Kaibito Plateau in the Painted Desert in Arizona, United States.

hwy 89 in arizona

Despite having been awake since a very early hour, it was not until about 10:30 a.m. that Bob and I decided to make a run for the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.  It was approximately 200 miles from the South Rim, and the roads were very good, so there was plenty of time left in the day to get there and back again.  One of the striking features of landscape to impress us along the route was the Painted Desert with its myriad formations in all colors of the rainbow. Read more

Viceroy Butterfly At Tommy Thompson Park

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viceroy butterfly, tommy thompson park, toronto, ontario

Over the previous few weeks, Bob and I have made countless trips to Tommy Thompson Park, in Toronto, Ontario, in search of Monarch Butterflies, caterpillars and their elusive cocoons.  On one visit, another Monarch Butterfly landed on a bush right in front of me, or so I thought until I got a closer look at its wings.  The brightly-coloured orange butterfly turned out to be a Viceroy butterfly (Limenitus archippus). Read more

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