My eye was on the tortoiseshell butterfly, I didn’t see the bee at first. This was the first and only time I’ve seen this kind of butterfly. It’s interesting to see more than one insect on a plant at once, a bit of drama at play. In the end the butterfly blinked first and moved on.
I saw quite a few sulphurs last year, all within the span of a few days. We were walking along some flower beds in a botanical garden hoping to see some painted lady butterflies. The day was a bonanza of butterflies, we saw three different kinds, including the sulphur.
The size of the tree frog perched in a dense clump of flowers and the light proved quite the challenge. I have only ever seen a couple of tree frogs before and I couldn’t walk away without a photo. I waited, changed my position and waited some more but he never turned my way. In the end though, I was pretty happy with the shot I got.
Red squirrels will scatter when you approach but when they’re eating they often choose to stay put as this one did. He had the whole place to himself and was taking full advantage.
This colourful fly landed on the daisy as I was composing my shot. One of the things I like about nature photography is that you can’t always predict what you’ll encounter or the outcome of a shot. The possibilities are endless.
I’m glad the old tree wasn’t any higher! Sometimes birds find their way right to the top of a tree making for tricky photography. Wonderful bird, wonderful tree, what’s a bit of a sore neck after all. 😏
Frogs are no easier to spot when on land or in the water. A jump or a splash usually alerts me to their presence. The first frog looks pretty bold. The leopard frog in the second photo probably hopes he has disappeared into the background. Almost but not quite.
This dragonfly posed so nicely I just had to take its picture. It appeared to be having as good a time as I was. 😊
These ducks arrive in late October and never swim close to shore. They bob around in the middle of the lake, just a bit too far out. Yet I thought the scene was still worth taking as it captured the mood of a late fall day.
There is something special to me about walking through fields like these in summer. The colours and smells and sounds never, ever disappoint. So much to see and photograph.
House Finches are native to western North America but were introduced in the east. Their colour, particularly the red plumage of the male varies according to diet. They’re attractive little birds, although quite common I rarely seem them.
Another surefire sign of summer is the arrival of dragonflies. I saw this skimmer in early August. Each variety puts in an appearance throughout the summer. I’ve even seen a few still flying around late in the season if the weather remains warm.
This wood duck was taken last fall, before they all flew south for the winter. I’ve noticed that unlike most ducks that tend to stick together, the female wood duck is often on her own above the fray.
Ladybugs have tremendous balance and seem to do most things on the run 😏. Occasionally though they slow down enough to take a few photos.
The hairy woodpecker is larger than the downy with a longer bill but their colouring is very similar. This fellow was working his way up and down the tree trunk, in and out of sight. I caught him as he came back into view.
Mallard Mom and her young ducks, still juveniles. Not sure if they’re male or female at this stage. The adult keeps a bit of a distance but the juveniles seem more comfortable with little space between themselves.
I caught sight of the red-winged blackbird in the half light of the woods. The female seems to prefer to remain in the background or on her own unlike the more flamboyant male who sings his tune for all to hear. 😊
The Canada Goose might not be Canada’s favourite export. They’re noisy, messy birds, and can be aggressive to both people and other geese when they feel threatened. However, they are quite elegant when you catch them in a pose like this.
At the best of times, watching bees visiting flowers and gathering pollen is a good sign for nature and our part in it. In these troubled times, it’s reassuring to see that life continues, there is still order and more will return in time.
Queen Anne’s Lace is a flower I enjoy seeing and photographing. It grows alongside other wild flowers and grasses which makes for interesting compositions and it’s such a fine looking flower all on its own.
Another sure sign of summer are cabbage white butterflies. Their caterpillars are rough on gardeners but as adults they feed on nectar and are a pleasure to see. Unlike many butterflies, they fly slowly between the flowers and seem to linger longer than most.
Ants and peonies seem to go together. Ants feed on the flower’s nectar and also keep harmful insects away from the plant. The ant was racing along the bud but I waited until it finally slowed down and took the shot.
Just a walk in the park, actually a photo from a walk I took at the Dominion Arboretum, located on 64 acres of land in the city of Ottawa. You can’t see an offshoot of the Rideau Canal because the vegetation was so thick it hid it. A spot I hope to return to soon.
Three trilliums for this cold day in May. Last weekend the weather was warm and sunny, today we’re having snow showers. Despite the weather, the flowers know it’s there time. I took these photos in May two years ago. I imagine they’re about ready to bloom this year too.
I took these photos last May at our city’s annual tulip festival. The festival was cancelled this year due to the pandemic but as I go most years, I have many photos in reserve. When we drove by the site the other day, some flowers had begun to open (the bulbs are planted every fall). It’s been a cool spring so the flowers are a bit late to bloom.
The heron was across the lake from me, having a look around. It remained in place for longer than I did. These birds can remain motionless for long periods of time particularly when stalking their prey. They are singleminded and ignore everything else around them.
The egret was the bright spot on the water and stood out among the canada geese. We see the occasional egret, heron or cormorant along with huge numbers of geese in this body of water but they’re always at a fair distance. Scenes like this stretch the limits of my lens but make for a pleasant perspective.
With most of us homebound, it struck me how much kids used to enjoy playing with toys like these. They just needed a bit of space and imagination. Nothing fancy, no screens in sight. I took the photo at a fair last year. I didn’t adjust the colour, the toys are a bit garish but that was part of their attraction.
As I said in my post last week, I took a lot of painted ladies last year. Here are two more. Who thought butterflies could pull a face. 😏
The light fell nicely on the bee, highlighting its face. I took the photo in September, the flowers were fading but there was still plenty of nectar and pollen to go around.
I took this photograph last May. The wood ducks had arrived a few weeks earlier and were sporting their fine breeding colours. I imagine they are back at the lake this year. I do hope we get to enjoy them again at one point this summer.
I used to walk past this yard quite frequently. Although not exactly in my neighbourhood, certainly close enough in normal times. I like the wall art on the old brick wall that borders the garden. A bit of the old and new. I hope to return sometime this summer.
Blue Jays are common birds here but we only see them occasionally in the woods. This one was eating something when I took the photo. Males and females are similar in size and plumage, not sure what I have here.
We saw many Painted Ladies last summer and I was fortunate to take a lot of photographs. The butterflies weren’t flighty but if one flew off there were many more to replace it. More photos to come.
Painted Turtles blend in so well, that what appears to be vegetation swaying in the wind is often a turtle swimming silently through the water. I was in a good spot to see this one surface.
Another frog, this one near the shore of a nearby lake. This spot attracts a lot of small frogs each summer. They blend in so well that I usually stop a while, and listen for a splash or just get lucky and spot one.
I haven’t seen too many Baltimore Orioles so it was a pleasure to photograph this bird, feeding on the nectar of these flowers. They are among the many migrants to our area each spring.
I took a break from aiming at warblers high in the pine trees when I saw the wood duck. I don’t often see these birds on land and thought the background made for an interesting photo. (I don’t think anyone with me noticed the wood duck, as they had their eyes trained on the quick darting warblers.)
A bit of cheer brought to you by this handsome pair. This bridge is a nice place to stop and look around to see where the locals are. Cardinals are usually pretty skittish but these two weren’t. Lucky for me.
There’s a little pond in a wildlife garden we go to that has several resident leopard frogs. I always check the pond when we first get there and again when we leave. Most times the frogs hardly budge, so I can always take a few more photos.
BELINDA GROVER PHOTOGRAPHY 