I took this photograph at the Dominion Arboretum in Ottawa, Canada. Established in 1889, it occupies 64 acres (25.89 hectares) of green space in the city core and contains over 4000 varieties of trees and woody plants. On a recent hot, sunny day the bench was inviting us to sit a while and enjoy the view.
It’s a summer with more bugs and insects than birds. Happily, dragonflies are attractive subjects that I like to take. This one looks like he’s King of the Meadow.
The daylily is showing up everywhere at this point in the summer; in gardens, fields and roadsides. Not native to North America, they do beautifully here and are another flower I look forward to. The wind picked up as I was taking the photograph. The focus is a bit soft but I think it adds realism to the shot.
The bird was at a distance and in the shadows. Sometimes you get lucky, this was the only shot I took before it flew off. I see these warblers in the woods all summer but rarely get the chance to photograph them, they rarely touch down for long.
Queen Anne’s Lace is everywhere right now. In fields, vacant lots, on roadsides, wherever there’s sun and a bit of earth. It’s classified as an invasive weed but it also produces this lovely flower. In the fall the flower dries and takes on the appearance of a “bird’s-nest”, its colour complementing the landscape.
The Widow Skimmer is a big showy looking dragonfly that we’ve been seeing a lot lately. They are known to be territorial and aggressive but you’d never know it to look at this one.
Standing on a platform looking out at the lake we saw this female wood duck doing the same. I rarely see a male wood duck on its own, the females seem to appreciate the quiet though. No chicks in sight, probably taking a break from it all.
Black-eyed Susans appear midsummer like clockwork. The flower was on slightly higher ground than the path I was on and I liked the angle. I only noticed the soldier beetle on the flower (to the left) when I looked at the image on my computer screen. As I said in a recent post, if you see one of these beetles it’s likely there are more about.
We’ve seen several Black-crowned night herons this summer. They can stand motionless in the water for long periods waiting for a fish to swim by or else stalk with the best of them. This heron is the first one I have taken this year with no reeds blocking my view.
I believe this is a red soldier beetle. I saw one then a few more on surrounding plants. It’s been my experience that you never see just one. I took this with my 300mm so I was pleased that I got a decent shot with a bit of cropping.
Bindweed or Wild Morning Glory is a beautiful looking flower but can take over a garden, wrapping itself around other plants and smothering them. I saw this flower in the wild; the early morning light providing a nice soft box effect.
I’m not a great fan of flies but they can make engaging subjects, particularly the pollinating kind like this one. There’s a tiny garden maintained by a local business association that plants a variety of wildflowers every summer. I was walking by when I spotted the fly on some milkweed.
It won’t be long before these mallard chicks set out on their own. We saw some when they were newly hatched but only a few times since. They were enjoying the swim and I felt cooler just watching them in the water. It’s been a strange summer, fewer birds, fewer bugs but the vegetation is lush. I hope to have more opportunities to photograph the former, perhaps I will as the the summer moves along.
We got to the park in the early morning when it was still cool and watched as the swallowtail landed on the plant. If we had been an hour later it would have led us on a merry chase; as the temperature warms, butterflies speed up and don’t stay still for long. We see a few of these butterflies every year, always a pleasure.
I always see skippers low to the ground in bright sunlight, tricky conditions for photography. If you can spot them before the day gets too warm, they are more slow moving and easier to photograph. This variety of skipper is tiny, the clover gives you an idea of scale.
One of my favourite things to photograph in summer are wildflowers. They will grow just about anywhere that has plenty of sun, including roadsides and big open fields. Open fields are best as they carpet the ground for great distances.
Another dragonfly from earlier in the week. I took this photo with my 300mm lens and although I could have cropped the image more, I thought the background was as integral to the image as the insect was.
The intricate design in this tree stump was carved by beetles and their larvae. Although their designs or galleries are beautiful, these insects end up killing their host by destroying the tree’s ability to transport nutrients. The design is revealed when the bark falls away. There is not much left of the original tree but it still has a role in the forest. Fungi grow on its side, vines encircle it and seeds are left on its surface for a passing squirrel or bird.
These painted turtles were soaking up the June sunshine. Most summer days the logs are very crowded but so far this year turtle activity is sparse. I hope as the warmer days roll on we’ll see more of these turtles and some snapping turtles too.
There’s something innocent about a daisy but the photo’s background suggested something a bit sinister. Although my eye was attracted by the flower I think what was behind it made the photo more interesting.
It’s a season of firsts. The other day I featured my first dragonfly photograph, today it’s a skipper. As I walked next to a field, I saw one, then several more of these butterflies. You rarely see a solitary skipper so you usually have several opportunities to take a photograph, always nice.
Although we’ve seen some dragonflies this summer, this is the first I’ve photographed. There seem to be fewer this year, perhaps the fault of our cold wet spring. When you do nature photography you tend to celebrate the first returning bird, sight of a flower, even the first insect! This dragonfly was particularly welcome as he posed so nicely for the photograph.
It’s a challenge to photograph flowers when the wind picks up a bit. Daisies can be seen in the fields and along roadsides everywhere right now. The goat’s beard is a less common wildflower and I’m always pleased to be able to photograph one.
The first time I photographed a female red-winged blackbird I wasn’t sure what it was. Its looks and temperament differ greatly from the male. It has a subtler beauty and it tends to stay in the shadows while the male is out in the open singing its heart out.
We’ve seen several paddlings of ducklings in the last few weeks. This duckling was swimming on its own for a while though never far from its mother. The waters are treacherous for these small birds; the lake has a fair number of snapping turtles and the reserve has its share of hawks (although I’ve seen neither this year). I always feel better when I see a duckling rejoin the group.
The old Chrysler was parked on the grass at a local festival. It wasn’t in great condition and I wished it had been looked after better but it was still a handsome car. If you look carefully you can see some reflections from the surrounding trees on its body.
Thanks to BirdNation for correctly identifying the bird as a red-eyed vireo. I guess the text below isn’t too relevant now😏
The Eastern Phoebe is a member of the flycatcher family and returns to our woods in spring. Most of the birds on this particular day remained too far away to photograph. The Phoebe decided to fly in closer but remained in a shady spot. In this case, I think the shadow on his feathers added some interest.
The area under the feeder was carpeted with empty shells but there must have been a few seeds remaining for the red squirrel to eat. He was sharing the space with a few sparrows also looking for seeds dropped by the bigger birds.
With the arrival of the warm weather in the last couple of days, I don’t know where to look or point my camera first. What a great feeling!
It was nice when this goldfinch positioned himself away from the leaves so I could get a clear shot. He was just within range of my lens and although happy to get the photo, I wish I had had my longer lens with me. Best news of all though, is that last week at this very spot we still wore wool against the cold, today it was 100% cotton!
I liked this solitary bike leaning up against the fire escape of the old house. I kept walking around on the sidewalk until I got it and the house at an interesting angle. As much as I like the colour in the photo, I think the black and white version is better suited to the image.
This groundhog was taken from a distance which might explain his confidant stare. Normally they run away or stand motionless hoping to blend in to their surroundings. This is a city groundhog, I found his burrow close to a water treatment plant. A lucky find indeed.
The Red or Canadian Columbine and Wood Poppy are wild flowers that grow in Eastern North America this time of year. I took these photos at the Wildlife Garden I mentioned in yesterday’s post. Between the birds and the flowers we’ll be visiting there as often as we can. We also stopped by our local nature reserve to see if it had reopened, it’s still closed due to high water levels. 😏
This female hairy woodpecker was taken in a wildlife garden in the city. We saw more birds that one morning than I saw all of last spring. There was a feeder close by and the birds were taking turns at it. I waited for the bird to settle in a nearby tree and took this shot.
Spring flowers, one cultivated, the other wild. Similar colour and attitude as well. Despite our cold spring they appear on schedule to celebrate the season.
More scenes close to home. The cool weather persists. Our local birding areas are closed due to flood conditions or are difficult to navigate. With interesting neighbourhoods to walk through there is no shortage of photo opportunities. Even a humble dandelion can make for a decent subject😊.
Mallards are gregarious ducks and it’s fun to watch their antics. It’s when you find a solitary one that you can really appreciate the breed. More subtle in appearance than the male but still a handsome duck with a contented expression; out of the fray for a while.
What first caught my attention was Bob Marley’s portrait in the window. But stepping back I liked the appearance of the whole house; the pitch of the roof, the contrast of colour and construction material and the green of the spruce tree. More going on here than at first glance.
We returned to the site of our city’s annual Tulip Festival and caught these beauties on a sunny day. A late spring has its advantages; normally the tulips would have been well passed their prime. Not so this year.
I didn’t have to travel far to see this Easter Island statue. In fact it was the first of several replicas I saw in this downtown neighbourhood. I had to smile when I saw it peering over the grass as I approached the house.
BELINDA GROVER PHOTOGRAPHY 