The World Through Our Lens
Bob and I cannot get enough of exploring the wilderness in Algonquin Provincial Park here in Ontario. It was while hiking the Mizzy Lake Trail that we came upon a Moose cow and her calf standing in the muddy water at one end of a lake. Read more
On a nice outing to Tommy Thompson Park in Toronto, Ontario, we finally succeeded in locating some of this year’s crop of Monarch Butterfly larvae, ten in fact. We were ecstatic. Read more
Bob and I were visiting my parents at Oxtongue Lake near Algonquin Provincial Park one summer, and we decided to take a drive into the park to check on the progress of the wild blueberry crop. At one of the beaver ponds along Highway 60 where moose are known to frequent, we spotted this big Moose cow and calf beside the roadway. Read more
What a sad summer it was here in Toronto, Ontario in 2014, because Monarch Butterflies (Danaus plexippus) were conspicuous by their absence. Bob and I had been monitoring sightings posted by nature lovers on Facebook, and websites such as The Insects and Arachnids of Ontario, The Weather Network, and Butterflies and Moths of North America. We were not the only people discouraged by the poor showing of these beautiful insects so far this year. Read more
How beautiful is a sprawling drift of Sunchokes fading into the distance! That is just what we found when Bob and I visited Lower Reesor Pond in northeast Toronto. This native species of sunflower goes by many different names including Sunchokes, Sunroot or Earth Apple. Read more
Bob and I take regular walks to Milliken Park, in Toronto because we find that the variety of habitats found there encourages an assortment of birds and animals at any given time of the year. Based on a tip from my sister, we hit the pavement in hopes of seeing some Cedar Waxwings (Bombycilla cedrorum), and we were stunned by the numbers around the south pond. Read more
For the past several years, starting each spring and into the summer months, I have been pestered by Red Lily Beetles (Lilioceris lilii) on my Tiger Lilies . It is actually the beetles’ shiny, hard forewings that are red. These pretty little beetles stand out quite well on green plants, but they are a trick to catch and squash. I declare that I think they see me coming because, often, as I move in on their position, they drop to the earth below and essentially disappear in the shadows. It doesn’t help that, this year, I spread red cedar chips in all my gardens, so imagine trying to find a red bug on that red surface. Read more
After a stretch of very rainy weather, Bob and I were desperate to get out in the field, and nothing pleases us more than to explore a new trail or go birdwatching in a habitat never before visited by ourselves. Such was the case when we targeted Lower Reesor Pond, a wetland in northeast Toronto, in Ontario, in Rouge National Urban Park. Our outing, as usual, was prolonged but immensely rewarding. Amongst other birds and animals seen that day were several Eastern Gray Treefrogs. Read more
This past summer, Bob and I once again found ourselves in Algonquin Provincial Park here in central Ontario. We had various objectives during our two-day visit to the area, and one of them was to pick wild blueberries. Having heard that the crop was more plentiful than usual, we were eager to put ourselves to the task of harvesting a few. It was quite a surprise to find that an American Black Bear and two cubs were sharing the blueberry patch with us. Read more