Here's to pollinators!

 This week has been known as National Pollinator Week.While to many people, the concept of a pollinator brings up the image of a honey bee, which is indeed a pollinator, it is not native to North America. Yet for countless thousands of years, plants of North America were pollinated quite successfully, by numerous pollinators native to this continent. One of the groups of pollinating insects that doesn't get a lot of credit is moths.

Regular readers will already know that I have an affinity for moths. They are truly incredible for various reasons. Their night time vision must be quite remarkable, and has to be since most of them are the most active in what is darkness, to us.To add to their general capability to fly around at night, they have the ability to discern different wavelengths of light, and presumably can see the incredible patterns of their fellow moths. And while they are carrying out their night-time activities, they visit flowers and in the process, pollinate them.

I have had the black light out on quite a few occasions since late March. Certainly the handiest location is my back yard, so I can set it out on short notice and if inclement weather arrives or the temperature drops too low for moth action, I don't have far to go to retreat! In addition to home, I have so far had it set out at Rondeau and Clear Creek Forest provincial parks. There will be more such nights and locations, as well as (hopefully) one or more other locations that haven't even been sampled once yet.

Some moths aren't all that colourful, at least to human eyes. And even some of the normally quite colourful ones can appear very drab, especially if they have been around for awhile and most of the scales that give them their pattern and colours are worn off. There are all too many of those that come to the sheet, and even after taking their photo and processing it to get the most colour and detail, they are still unidentifiable.

Here is a sample of some of the most interesting and colourful ones I have photographed this season, starting with ones from my own back yard. This first one is a Common Looper.

Next is a Confused Euscaria (not sure why it is confused.....)

The largest one I have had come to my sheet so far is this Elm Sphinx, with a body length of about 5.5 cm. It arrived all a-flutter and then left. I wasn't sure if I was going to get a chance to photograph it or not, but about half an hour later it arrived and stayed in the same spot until closing time, allowing me to get photos like this.

This next one has a very distinctive, but somewhat variable, pattern. One of the common names is the Hairnet Acleris.

A new one for me this year is this Juniper Webworm.

One of the smallest, but colourful ones I periodically get is this Metallic Case Bearer. It has a body length of about 8 mm.

This next one, while not all that colourful, was one I first came across about three years ago. When I uploaded it to iNaturalist, it was rejected, as this particular group of moths had not been recognized in Ontario before. It is the Mimosa Webworm.

Looking a bit like an airplane is the very distinctive group of Plume Moths. This is the Morning-glory Plume Moth.

Another very tiny, but colourful moth is the Orange-headed Epicallima Moth. It's body length is about 6-7 mm.

Another first for me was this Oregon Cycnia. It looks velvety smooth and delicate, and is actually a little larger than average. The distinctive white veins against the grayish-white wing help distinguish it from similar looking moths.

Yet another first for me is this Red-streaked Mompha, again very small at only about 7 mm.

Clear Creek Forest Prov Park is again, proving to be quite a hot spot for moths. We didn't start there last year until the last part of July, so in order to check on what earlier species were around, we set up for a few hours on a couple of occasions already, and as the mosquitoes present a major obstacle at other spots, we will again turn our efforts more intensively to Clear Creek Forest.

Here is a small sample of the distinctive or colourful highlights so far, starting with the Black-patched Clepsis.

Quite subtly patterned, but velvety smooth and in great condition is this Broken-banded Leafroller.

A fairly regular one, and on the larger size compared to many, is this Close-banded Yellowhorn, named, presumably for its yellowish antennae

There are quite a few members of the Grass-veneer group. These are the ones that flutter up in the grass, then drop down and disappear under a blade of grass as they fold up their wings. This is the Eastern Grass-veneer.

Some members of the Tiger Moth group are boldly patterned, with subtle differences that distinguish the individual species. This is the Harnessed Tiger Moth.

Very distinctly patterned is this Hickory Tussock Moth.

Members of the Silk Moth group are highly sought after, partly due to their bold pattern and large size. This one is known as an Io Moth. When slightly disturbed it will open its wings to display the huge dark eyes, which may cause a potential predator to move on. This individual is quite yellowish, and more the norm....

...I seldom have seen this slightly darker colour.

On the very small end of the scale is this Narrow Bucculatrix, at about 6 mm.

Slightly larger is this Packard's Caloptilia, in a group of moths known for having longer forelegs giving the appearance of being propped up.

Back to the larger size, is this Virginia Creeper Sphinx. This is a normal colour pattern, but later in the post I will show quite a different appearance.

This one was new for me as well. It is the Zeller's Ethmia, and is quite small as you can tell by the comparative weave of the sheet.

Lastly, here are a few of the colourful or distinctive ones encountered at Rondeau on the three separate occasions we've had the light up so far. This first one is the Common Spring Moth.

Here is a Green Leuconycta, looking quite fresh. I photographed another one of this species that was missing all of its greenish scales and it looked quite pale indeed.

This is the Muzaria Euchlaena.

Another new one for me was this Orange Virbia. It may have come to my lights before, but it is very tiny so could have missed it amongst the many hundreds of midges.

This next one is the Pale-winged Crocidophora. It has a distinctive shiny, crinkled part of its forewing.

One of the brightest moths, although not overly large, is this Scarlet-winged Lichen Moth.

Some members of the slug moth group have their abdomen curled up over their heads. This is the Shagreened Slug Moth.

Not all of the moths come to the sheet. The Shagreened Slug Moth came to a plastic box nearby, and this next one, The Beggar, came to my lower pant leg. It made it difficult to get the camera and macro lens at a good angle to keep the moth in good focus.

This is another example of Virginia Creeper Sphinx, not showing much pattern at all compared to the one above.

Another slug moth is this Yellow-collared Slug Moth.

So here is to moths, and pollinators! At the moment, we have photographed more than 550 species of moths at Rondeau and in less than a year, almost 350 species at Clear Creek Forest. There will be more posts on black lighting to come, and likely featuring some of the colourful non-moth species that are also attracted to the sheet.

Orchid delights

 With so much happening in spring, it is hard to keep up with everything. But it is always a highlight of the season to search for and enjoy native orchids. Some are colourful, some are not, but they are always a delight to see. They are not abundant, which makes finding them all the more rewarding.

 Some places have a good variety of orchids, such as Rondeau Provincial Park, which has had 19 species found within its boundaries. Many other woodlands in the area have never had any found.  Sandy soils seem to make a difference.

The first species to appear in flower in Rondeau, one that has been considered a species at risk but hasn't quite made it yet, is Showy Orchis, which typically flowers during the last third of May. It isn't very tall, and it can be easily missed in spite of its colourful flowers.

Here is one that likely everyone has seen, at least in photos: the Small Yellow Lady's-slipper. It is widespread in Ontario, and in places on the Bruce Peninsula, can be very abundant. At Rondeau I have seen it in three locations and likely occurs in a few more. One small population seldom flowers anymore, and the larger population is well away from any easy access, so I don't get to track it down every year.

Closely related is the Small White Lady's Slipper. It is a real rarity, and in fact is legally endangered in Ontario. There are a few spots for it on Walpole Island First Nation, but none are very accessible, and even then only with landowner's permission. I haven't been to see them for several years, so this one is from my archives. Other than being at Walpole, there is only one, or maybe two, other locations for it in all of Ontario.

Purple Twayblade, shown next, is also a legislated Species At Risk. It grows in a few scattered locations, but never seems to be very plentiful even where it is found. This one was in the Windsor area, in the greater Ojibway Prairie complex. There are all sorts of rare, threatened and endangered plant species there, which isn't surprising since the entire habitat is endangered in Canada. A population that I had known about for several decades, seemed to have disappeared, likely due to the invasion of Phragmites. However some fellow orchid enthusiasts had access to some coordinates for a single plant in another section of the complex, and after a bit of a search, Marie and I were fortunate to be able to see and photograph it. Thanks John, Peter, Jeremy and Natalya!
 

One that is visible all year round is this next one: Puttyroot. However for most of the year, only its somewhat distinctive leaves are showing, especially from November through May.

By very late May and into early June, a few flower spikes appear. However in the main population I have counted almost 60 sets of leaves in the early spring, but have never seen more than 15-20 flower spikes, and usually less than 10.

It isn't showy, but it is distinctive.

This next species may still grow at Rondeau, although I haven't seen one in flower in decades. It is Hooker's Orchid. It isn't very colourful either, so one has to look a little more intensively to find it. For getting these photos, I had to travel to a sandy site in north Lambton County where I found a few plants.

 While I was there, I took the opportunity to track down a spot nearby which usually has a few Pink Lady's-slippers, also known as Moccasin Flower.

One of my goals on this trip to north Lambton was to find a tiny, but somewhat showy orchid called Ram's Head Lady's-slipper, which I have seen here before on several occasions. However on this trip, I did not see anything but leaves, so maybe next year it will be in flower. This photo was taken in 2019. A close-up looks impressive, but in reality this whole plant was no more than about 10 cm high. This location is believed to be the most southerly in all of Canada.

The flush of orchids will taper off somewhat now, at least locally. But later in the season there are a few others that I hope to find and feature on a future post.

Atlassing explorations

 Now that the peak of bird migration is well behind us, there is time to look for other things. That doesn't mean unusual birds won't appear. This White-faced Ibis showed up a few days ago at the Keith McLean Conservation Area. It isn't the first time one or more has put in an appearance here. There were two a year or so ago, but I couldn't make it. This individual represents the first one I have seen in Ontario.

They aren't the best shots, but the bird was a long way off and not approachable. These first two photos are at an equivalent of about 100X or more.

I had seen a small number out in southern Manitoba almost three years ago, and although they were much closer, the lighting was a challenge.

While I was at the KMCL, I got some photos of the nesting Osprey. This adult was keeping an eye on things while its mate was incubating.

There were quite a few Marsh Wrens chattering and scolding amongst the cattails.

 Atlassing is now the main birding priority, so I've been out to various places. The Acadian Flycatchers and Prothonotary Warblers at Rondeau have continued to be cooperative for viewing and even photographing. This Acadian Flycatcher individual is nesting in a Sugar Maple, one of the few times I have ever found a nest in anything other than an American Beech tree. Perhaps the ongoing effects of Beech Leaf Disease is the cause.

I can never get enough of a Prothonotary, especially a cooperative one! And along the way, one might come across this breeding adult Common Five-lined Skink, a species at risk....

....or a much more common Eastern Chipmunk....

...or on the much smaller scale of things, a Six-spotted Tiger Beetle, which may have more, or fewer, than six spots. I didn't name it!

I was out to the Dealtown Crown Land Prairie site a few days ago. It is off the beaten path, which makes it quite infrequently visited by anyone, but all the more rewarding when one finally gets to it. Unfortunately it is becoming extremely shrubby in places and is in desperate need of a prescribed burn, but I doubt it will happen any time soon. Grassland birds are less common than they used to be, but shrub land type birds are definitely on the increase.

 Yellow Warblers are abundant.

Willow Flycatchers are present in small numbers.

It is slightly early for Cedar Waxwings to be in full nesting mode, but it won't be long. They are likely to be staking out a territory, or at least feeding on the abundant fruit of Red Cedar.

There were several Brown Thrashers. They do a lot of 'chukking' to let you know they don't appreciate your presence, but seldom come into view. They typically skulk in the thicker tangles, but periodically pop up into partial view....

...and on occasion don't seem adverse to being in full view, but at a safe distance. A good telephoto lens is definitely handy.

Yesterday I spent some time in northwestern Chatham-Kent, including some time at a private property I have landowner permission to access.

This sub-adult Bald Eagle flew over, but it is too young to be breeding, so it didn't get counted as a breeding individual. Not to worry, however, as there is an active eagle nest already known for this square.

While I was scanning the patches of cattail vegetation out on the lake, this Black-crowned Night Heron flew almost right overhead.

I also saw three adult Yellow-headed Blackbirds, two males and a female, but they were skittish and I didn't try too hard to get a photo.

I also had permission to access the Mitchell's Bay Sewage Lagoons. During the last atlas, from 2001-2005, they were quite good, but this time around two of the ponds are completely vegetation free even around the edges, except for some grassy/weedy stuff, and the third pond is chock full of Phragmites. Even the area beyond the ponds had been recently mowed. Overall the birding there was poor at best. I did get a couple of Spotted Sandpipers among a handful of species, including the one in this next photo.

Today I went to the municipally owned McKerrall Woods, a few kilometres north east of Chatham. The section of property as one approaches the woodlot is a grassy hayfield, and on a previous visit a few weeks ago, had things like several Bobolink and Savannah Sparrows. I was hoping that maybe a Dickcissel might be there today. Had I been there a week ago, I may have encountered one, but alas, the hay had been cut and more than half of it was now baled. There were no grassland birds other than a couple of Savannah Sparrows that looked out of place given the severe change of habitat quality. 

There was a Turkey Vulture roosting on one of the bales.

The walk in the woods was pleasant, but not overly 'birdy'. Just a handful of the expected species in and around the wooded area. This vulture came by and sat in a tree; I wondered whether it was checking on a nest site, but I couldn't find any evidence of it, and after I moved a bit, it decided to leave the area.

Next up....more atlassing, or a post on spring orchids, or black lighting adventures!