Tag: Canada

Great Black Digger Wasp At McKenzie Marsh In Aurora

Great Black Digger Wasp At McKenzie Marsh In Aurora

great black digger wasp - atkinson park wetland, aurora - pic 1

When Bob and I set off to explore the Atkinson Park Wetlands found at St. John’s Sideroad and Yonge Street in Aurora, Ontario, we expected to find ducks and herons, frogs and toads, but had not anticipated or planned on focusing on a number of interesting insects.  As I studied the frogs in the pond, Bob was absorbed in observing a curious black bug that turned out to be a Great Black Digger Wasp (Sphex pensylvanicus). Read more

A Northern Pearly-Eye Butterfly In Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario

A Northern Pearly-Eye Butterfly In Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario

northern pearly-eye butterfly - algonquin park - 2014 pic 5

This past summer, Bob and I undertook to hike the Mizzy Lake Trail in Algonquin Provincial Park in Ontario.  For a summer’s day, the temperature was not all that hot, but we were blessed with wonderful sunshine and a gentle breeze to cool us over the course of the 7 hours that it took to complete our hike.  Along about mid-morning, amidst the flickering shadows cast by millions of green leaves, a Northern Pearly-Eye Butterfly (Lethe anthedon) settled its dainty body on some foliage at the edge of the thick forest. Read more

Our Close Encounter with Red Foxes In Algonquin Provincial Park

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photograph of a red fox in the fall in Algonquin Provincial Park, in Ontario, Canada.

red fox in algonquin park - fall of 2014 - pic 2

Earlier one fall, Bob and I set off for a three-day visit to Algonquin Provincial Park in Ontario.  We were on a mission to find and photograph a Bull Moose.  Given the time of year, the odds were pretty good that we might come across one.  Instead, we were rewarded with the opportunity to observe and photograph not one, but two, Red Foxes (Vulpes vulpes).  I was ecstatic! Read more

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

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

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

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

A Flutter of Monarch Butterflies At Toronto Shoreline

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monarch butterflies - tree 3 - at colonel sam smith park - etobicoke - ontario 19

One fall, Bob and I ended up spending most of the day at Colonel Samuel Smith Park at the edge of Lake Ontario in Toronto.  Our mission to locate a flutter of Monarch Butterflies started early in the morning, but it was not until late in the afternoon that we finally knew success.  There was no mistaking the chosen tree for its branches hung with hundreds and hundreds of these beautiful butterflies, come together to rest for the night. Read more

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