I wish I could remember where I took the photo above, as I would return to see how the garden looks now. I liked the untamed look to the place and exotic flowers growing there. The second photo was taken in my neighbourhood. I return every year to photograph these yellow flowers against the brick wall of the house.
Recent photos from a walk in town. It’s been very hot lately and the mosquitoes are biting, so we’ve been taking some city walks. You’re never far from some shade and a cold drink and no shortage of things to photograph if you keep your eyes open.
I was scanning the river for birds when I noticed this very large painted turtle on the edge of a boulder. I kept expecting it to slip into the water but it continued to balance like this for all the time I was there. Although not endangered or threatened, its status is of “Special Concern” as it may become so. That said we haven’t had as many sightings as usual this summer; I do look forward to seeing them every year.
On a recent weekend afternoon, a drive through the countryside with friends provided many scenes like this one. The colours of late summer and the light are different now, not as brilliant but still beautiful.
The Canada Goose was swimming close to shore winding its way through the reeds. I usually try to get a clean shot of a bird but in this case I thought the reeds made for a more interesting and realistic photograph.
We often see Black-crowned night herons intent on the water, performing this balancing act. They can hold the pose much longer than I can keep my camera raised. I took the photo from further than I would have liked but it does allow a glimpse of the surroundings.
Poppies grow here for a very short period in summer. Their brilliant colour makes a mark on the landscape. Even against a brilliant backdrop they are standouts.
These four ducks are a tight knit group. I’ve seen them swimming in close formation on my last couple of visits to the reserve. On this particular day they were drying off after a swim. I was happy to get them all looking up, it took a while as they did some preening beforehand.
This damselfly perched on a plant that contained an insect gall (the growth you see on the stem).
We are getting to the end of the damselfly season although dragonflies will continue to emerge into September. It feels as though summer has barely begin but I sense the change of season. The days are warm but the evenings are cool and the wildflowers are beginning to fade.
A morning when there were a lot of sparrows about and not much else. On days like these you appreciate the beauty in the ordinary. The sparrow was a nice poser and the surrounding vegetation framed it nicely.
Different flowers, the first ones from a garden, the second growing in the wild. They both have an untamed quality to them. The violet flowers reminded me of underwater plants you’d see moving in a sea current. The others were found along a path and I took the shot just as the wind was lessening.
The ladybug is a a pretty common beetle, although I’ve only seen a couple this summer, including this pair. They come in many varieties and are useful insects as they eat a lot of garden pests.
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.
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!
BELINDA GROVER PHOTOGRAPHY 