Wildlife in a Giant Sand Box

Ok not a sand box, per se. But at one of my favourite sandy natural areas. It is the St. Williams Conservation Reserve in Norfolk County, near Simcoe. During my OMNR career, it was at the far east end of our district, and I didn't get to it often, but it was always a highlight when I did get there. Sadly, I had only made it there once since I retired more than 7 years ago, so this month I made a point of spending time there on a couple of occasions.

June is a colourful time of year to be there. One of the main features is the presence of Wild Lupine. In this first photo, Marie (in the distance) is following the path that goes through a large stand of it.

 There were a few bees enjoying the lupine.

 Other plants, some quite rare, could be found in this area. This first one is an Endangered species, known as Cucumber Magnolia. It is closely related to Tuliptree.

 Bird's-foot Violet is another Endangered species.

 Moss Phlox is not officially rare, but it certainly is not common anywhere.

But my main interest during these two forays was in butterflies, tiger beetles and the like. There were lots of American Coppers.

 Dreamy Duskywings were not common.

 I only saw one Eastern Pine Elfin and managed a couple of quick shots.

 Juvenal's Duskywings were quite abundant. On my second visit there, just a few days ago, I saw an estimated 15-20.

 I got my first of the year, Tawny-edged Skipper.

 I think this next one is a Wild Columbine Duskywing.

A new moth for me was this next one, the Nessus Sphinx. I got a few shots of it feeding on a cluster of puccoon flowers.

Tiger beetles were out in good numbers, especially on my second visit. Festive Tiger Beetles were especially abundant.

 Some were being a little....festive? It looks like the population will be continuing.

There was a fair number of Big Sand Tiger Beetles as well. They can really scamper, but some were either curious enough, or at least tolerant enough, to allow me to photograph them. I did very little cropping on these.

 While looking for tiger beetles, I noted a few other things, including this tiny critter. I was drawn to the movement, and it wasn't until I got a close look that I realized it was a type of grasshopper. When it was on the open sand, it was well camouflaged. It was only about 5-6 mm in length. It turns out to be a Mottled Sand Grasshopper, which at maturity is 20-25mm in length, so this one is just a nymph.

 There were lots of wasps and bees of various shapes and sizes. This one is a small Thread-waisted Wasp of the Ammophila genus, which means 'sand lover'. I haven't found out what the species is.

So much to see in just a few hours. I hope to get back again soon!

The Beckoning North

Once or twice a year we take a trip to North Bay to visit our daughter and her hubby. Our most recent trip was this past weekend. For those of us living in the very flat and largely denuded landscape of southwestern Ontario, it is a delight to travel to parts of this province where forests, hills, rocks, and lakes predominate! Not that we are contemplating moving to that more northern landscape any time soon. The biological diversity of our extreme southwestern landscape, as limited as it is, is far greater. So here we stay, at least for now.

We really feel that once we get north of Barrie, and better yet, north of Orillia, we can start to enjoy the north, getting farther and farther away from the hustle and bustle of the south and especially the GTA. We usually make a stop at a little place called Novar, where there is a spring that provides delicious, cold water, and we fill up several jugs. These first two photos are taken at the point where we exit off of Hwy 11 to get to the Novar spring.

While the main purpose of our trip is to visit family, there are a few quite accessible spots that I try and make a point of exploring. For example right within the city limits of North Bay is a 97 hectare (240 acre) conservation area known as Laurier Woods. There are several kilometres of trails that go through forest, across rocky outcrops and across or adjacent to wetlands. Most of the trails are quite easy going, as shown in the next two photos, but there are steeper and rockier sections.

There are quite a few multi-stemmed trees, such as the White Birch in the next photo, an indication of the historical timber cutting that went on here many decades ago.

 Some parts of the forested section are relatively open at ground level, as the previous two photos show. Other sections are covered with ferns or other vegetation.

Bracken Fern

Cinnamon Fern

 There were a lot of Bunchberry plants...

...and we noticed a single Pink Lady's-slipper, a.k.a. Moccasin Flower.

 We were serenaded by territorial Chestnut-sided Warblers.....

 ....and Veerys, as well as various other species.

Some sections were quite open with lots of stunted trees on the bare or moss-covered rock.

 It was in these more open areas where we saw Canadian Tiger Swallowtail, shown below, as well as a few skippers. From what I could tell, all of the skippers were Hobomoks.

There are many wetland areas.

 Of course the presence of Beavers are frequently noted, although the Beavers themselves are seldom seen in daylight hours.

 To control the water levels behind one of the beaver dams, a large pipe was put in place well behind the dam, and going through the top to allow an escape of high water so as to not take out the bridge I am standing on to take this photo.

 One of the most attractive wetland flowers on this excursion was Wild Calla.

The Laurier Woods Conservation Area, as wonderful an asset it is to the community of North Bay, is not pristine. There is a scrap metal recycling depot visible across one wetland area. Another section of the trail system shows a car dealership across the way.

Nevertheless some of the wildlife don't seem to mind, as this log in the middle of the previous photo is being well used by more than a dozen Painted Turtles.

Another section of the trail system has the Trans Canada highway in the background, although it often is not very busy and is far enough away that the traffic noise is not all that bothersome.

Another very accessible location I typically check out is Champlain Park, at the extreme southern extent of North Bay and along the waterfront of Lake Nipissing. There aren't many accessible trails, but a fair bit of water front to explore. This park has historical significance, as the La Vase River empties into Lake Nipissing here. This river connects Trout Lake and Lake Nipissing and was an important part of the route for the voyageurs travelling from Montreal through the various rivers such as the St. Lawrence and Ottawa on their way to points farther west. It was used by First Nations of the area for many years, and it was those First Nations guides that brought it to the attention of early European explorers such as Samuel de Champlain and Etienne Brule. This next photo, which I took on a previous trip in April of 2016, shows the river as it empties into Lake Nipissing.

The water was much higher this year, as is the case for many lakes and rivers in Ontario. The boat launch and adjacent dock were under water, and the shoreline of the river was flooded. Of course that meant a more extensive feeding ground for water birds, such as this Great Blue Heron.

 I didn't see exactly what the heron captured, but this next photo shows it being swallowed.

There is always something to explore and enjoy in the greater North Bay area.