We had planned to go to a park by the river but there was an event going on so we went to a nearby trail instead. There weren’t many birds but there was a nice variety of wildflowers. The bladder campion, though not native to North America, has been naturalized and insects are attracted to its nectar.
Among all the bees, I saw this one little wasp seeking some nectar. Like bees, wasps are also pollinators.
From the brilliant to the more subtle, each flower has its own beauty and uniqueness.
Buttercups and fleabane daisies are considered weeds but I prefer to call them wildflowers, Both of these photos were taken in the woods where they grow freely. The frothy substance on the stem of the buttercup is produced by immature spittlebugs, a definite concern for gardeners yet it appears on a variety of garden plants as well.
Every year at this time, these wild rose bushes are covered in bees. We had taken a walk about two weeks ago to see how the flowers were developing but they were just beginning to bud. This past weekend we returned and were happy to see some bees gathering pollen.
It seems that every week, new flowers are appearing in gardens and woodlands. Not enough time to catch them all 😊
There are some who don’t appreciate dandelions. I like them and so do bees.
There are new flowers in bloom everytime I look around. Today I noticed this iris beaming back at me.
Often considered a weed as it self seeds in lawns and gardens, the common blue violet is native to eastern North America. I look forward to them every spring.
I saw this plant at a recent visit to a local wildlife garden. I thought it looked a bit like an aquatic plant. I haven’t been able to identify it.
I walk by the lawn of this old house very frequently in the spring and summer. Left to its own, old plantings as well as wild flowers put in an appearance when it’s there time to shine. Tulips against the warm brick attract me like a magnet 😊
I like the way these flowers grow. They know exactly how to show off their colours.
There’s nothing like a sunflower to perk up the day.
After months of cold greys and whites, spring is showing off its colours.
The weather was truly spring-like last weekend. It’s wonderful to see crocus pushing up through last fall’s dried leaves.
The bee must have had pie on its face (Joe-Pie-Weed that is). I hope I identified the plant correctly. 😏
An early spring snowstorm is forecast for tomorrow so I thought I’d do a bit of daydreaming .😏
These jewel-like bees are very small yet stand out due to their brilliant colour. They are also called sweat bees as they are attracted to the salt in human perspiration. Not the nicest name for this attractive bee.
The calendar says spring but the temperature is struggling to reach double digits. No snow though so maybe we’ve turned a corner. 😏
It’s been so grey lately it was time for a little colour. Although taken in late summer the flowers didn’t fade quietly.
Trilliums grow wild in our woods in late spring. Another thing to look forward to as winter fades.
Spring passes quickly here. Yesterday we had record breaking warm temperatures, today we’re back in the deep freeze. A few flowers were urgently called for…
There is a patch of wild roses that attract bees of all kinds every summer. This one was doing a little happy dance .😊
A little bit of colour on this cold grey day.
On a day like today, snowing and cold, I thought I’d revisit summer for a while.
I was hoping to find a few frogs among the water lilies that day but they remained quiet and well hidden. All in all I didn’t leave disappointed.
Quite the change from our current snowy landscape.
It’s cold and grey outside (we had our first dusting of snow) but it definitely was sunny when I took this at the beginning of October. Quite a difference a month makes.
I liked the strong contrast of colours and the flowers’ spiky appearance. 😏
One of the ducks found some shade beneath the asters on this hot September day. I saw the bright flowers first and then these two.
We began to see cabbage white butterflies in April and we continue to see them. I think we’ve now seen several generations of this butterfly and they are by far the most numerous around here this year.
There are still flowers about but on some recent walks, the gardens are looking more like this. As for the trees they have begun to show off their fall colours.
Japanese beetles are a form of scarab beetle and were introduced to North America in the early 1900’s. They have beautiful colouring but are highly destructive to plants and crops. This one was balancing on some Queen Anne’s Lace.
Our neighbour grows the most beautiful peach coloured roses. I stopped by often this summer,
If you’re lucky a dragonfly will land nearby. Just the water lily that day, still not too shabby 😏
I followed this cabbage white as it moved from flower to flower. This one looked a little bleary eyed from all that nectar 😏
I think I’m seeing more bees now than I was earlier in the summer as the season nears its end.
Late summer – cooler nights, and daytime temperatures still nice and warm, the landscape now a mix of flowers and grasses.
Bees and flowers, summertime favourites.
We’ve seen several monarchs this summer but until now they’ve been very flighty. I finally got a few minutes to photograph this one.
BELINDA GROVER PHOTOGRAPHY 