On an outing to Rouge National Urban Park in Ontario, Canada, we came upon a pair of Cecropia moths mating beside a pond. Read more
Tag: Insects
Hiking amid the Plantations near La Bajada, Mexico
Having left Cerro de San Juan Ecological Reserve behind us in Tepic, Bob determined that there were still sufficient daylight hours to make a stop and go hiking near La Bajada. The coffee and banana plantations in that area promised good birding habitat, and it wouldn’t be too far off our route back to San Blas. Read more
A Rauparaha’s Copper Butterfly in New Zealand
It was enjoyable making our way through the sand dunes at Muriwai on the North Island of New Zealand. The observation deck looking over the Gannet colony was our destination, but delights awaited us along the way such as this pretty Rauparaha’s Copper Butterfly. Read more
Butterflies And Moths We Sighted In Tuscany
The morning following our arrival in Tuscany at first looked like it would be dreary and wet. A light sprinkle of rain dampened the patio stones as we ate breakfast, but by the time we finished our fruit and cereal, warm September sunshine cast shadows of the tall trees surrounding our farmhouse, so we set off to explore the vineyard. Butterflies and moths were everywhere in our dooryard, on the wildflowers and clinging to bushes and vines. Read more
Dog-day Cicadas Mating In The Heat Of Summer
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
Hummingbird Clearwing Moth at Oxtongue Lake
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. Read more
Question Mark Butterfly at Rouge National Park
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
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
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
Atlantis Fritillary Butterfly in Algonquin Park
This past summer found Bob and me in Algonquin Provincial Park in Ontario, Canada, 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