Looking for Insects

Springbank Park - June 11, 2024

A nice warm, sunny day today, high of 18c.  It was quiet for birds.  

There was a huge rock not far from the turtles with nothing on it.  They all crowded on this rock. 

Northern Map Turtles

Komoka North - June 12, 2024

I saw/heard a few birds,  Baltimore Orioles, Orchard Orioles, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Northern Flicker, Barn Swallows, Tree Swallows, Yellow Warblers, Warbling Vireo, Field Sparrow, Song Sparrow, a Belted Kingfisher flying over, Osprey, Turkey Vultures and Spotted Sandpipers. 

My first Monarch of the year. This is the only butterfly I saw and no dragonflies at Komoka North.  

Monarch

Great Blue Heron

Scenes at Komoka North

Medway Valley Heritage Forest - June 13, 2024

I had better luck today finding some insects.  There were lots of European Skippers around.

Cabbage White

European Skipper

Ebony Jewelwing

Little Wood Satyr

Common Ringlet

Scenes at Medway Valley 

FInally Some Butterflies and Dragonflies

 Medway Valley and Hyde Park Areas

Medway Creek is a tributary of the Thames River.  I found a Smallmouth Bass...close to 1ft long and also lots of smaller fish probably minnows.

I finally have seen some dragonflies this last week of June.  I believe this one is a Powdered Dancer.

Powdered Dancer

Little Wood Satyr

Oxeye Daisy

European Skipper

I'm seeing more Cabbage Whites again.

Staghorn Sumac

Black-eyed Susan

Eastern Tailed-Blue

Butterfly Milkweed

I'm not sure what the next dragonfly is.  Maybe a female of some species. 

Twelve-spotted Skimmer

I saw a nice size Garter Snake but it was too quick to get a photo.

Roaming Around London Area

Week of June 21-26, 2021

We got a lot of rain this past week so I didn't get out much.  Again, I was looking for butterflies.  A lot of Cabbage Whites, Little Wood Satyrs, European Skippers and the new one I saw was the Banded Hairstreak.  There were a lot of them the one day I was out.  

European Skipper

Foxglove Beardtongue

Common Milkweed

Tree Swallow

Catbird

Eastern Meadowlark

I watched a family of Ospreys (5) flying around.  Two adults and three juveniles.  It was a windy day so for the juveniles, it was good practise flying around and landing in the strong winds.  

Osprey

Savannah Sparrow

Northern Mockingbird

The Banded Hairstreaks like Common Milkweed.  They are very tiny.

Banded Hairstreak

Little Wood Satyr

Admiring Butterflies and Dragonflies

June 30, 2020  Wetland North London

I didn't see anything new at the wetland...was mainly looking for butterflies.

Eastern Kingbird 

July 2, 2020 - Hyde Park

It's going to be a very hot day (feel like 35c) as we are in a heat wave in Southwestern Ontario.  Trying to get out early to beat the heat.  Hyde Park is one of my favorite places to look for butterflies and dragonflies.  As I mentioned in an earlier post, the weeds, flowers and grasses got cut down short this year. There are lots of Cabbage Whites around.

Eastern Phoebe

Common Whitetail

Widow Skimmer

Eastern Forktail

Eastern Tailed-Blue

July 4, 2020 - Hyde Park

I mainly looked for insects today.  It is really dry and we really need some rain.  The common dragonflies were flying around. Other butterflies I saw but no photos were Cabbage Whites, Clouded Sulphurs and an Eastern Tailed-Blue.

Common Whitetail

Eastern Pondhawk

Eastern Amberwing

Eastern Amberwing on the fly

Widow Skimmer

Violet Dancer

European Skipper

Common Ringlet

There were lots of Common Wood-Nymphs around.

Common Wood-Nymph

This coming week is going to be really hot so I will have to try to get out early in the mornings.