Nature Photography (Formally Spring is in the Air)

[Viking Spawn]

[Viking Spawn]

[Viking Spawn]

Just a couple more...

[Newt]

Nice shots, VS!

Some orthopterans from last Saturday's walk:

The aptly named Handsome Grasshopper.


American Bird Grasshopper. These big guys normally fly to the treeline when disturbed; fortunately for me, this one headed for the cornline instead.


Differential Grasshopper


Loud-singing Bush Cricket in the river


Rescued!


Assorted katydids

[Newt]

Odonates:

Fragile Forktail


Blue-faced Meadowhawk


Hymenopterans:

Eastern Large Carpenter Bee on milkweed


Eastern Yellowjacket worker


unid'ed wasp


hemipterans:

Green Stinkbug


Rough Stinkbug


Prince of the assassin bugs, the mighty Wheelbug


Dirt-colored Seed Bug

[Doug Watson]

Great shots Newt and Viking Spawn.

After a weeks hiatus we got back in our kayaks at Murphy's Point. Good timing too since it has been raining ever since.

In keeping with the spirit of your shots here is a male Ruby Meadow Hawk. I had mentioned that dragonflies and damselflies often land on us or our kayaks out on the lake. This one is on my wrist. The eyes really look like rubies they even have the facets. These guys were everywhere and had no qualms about using us for a rest.



This one is on my knee.



A twofer! These two are making babies on my kayak. Get a room!



An Eastern Pondhawk, they weren't as numerous as the Rubies and weren't as approachable.



I flipped a board and found two large Narceus Millipedes. This one stayed coiled.



This one was more active and gave me an unwanted gift. For scale my hand is just over 7 inches long.



Some more wildflowers. Another Flowering Rush, named after the great Canadian Rock band



I haven't been able to ID this flower, anybody?



A Closed Gentian.



Forget Me Nots, my home variety were finished in the spring.



Fragrant White Water Lily.

[Doug Watson]

Now for some reptiles, amphibians, birds and mammals.

A nicely banded Northern Water Snake resting on a Beaver Lodge.



Another Big Water Snake. Our algae is dying off and is pretty ripe so I decided not to wade through some of it to get at this guy.



Midland Painted Turtle.



Map Turtle



"All right, Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up." Map Turtle.



Understudy, Map Turtle



The Northern Leopard Frogs were out in force. This one in the typical green.



This is a brown variety of Northern Leopard Frog.



A Green Frog



Another Green Frog



Another Leopard Frog



In this spot I was surrounded by Bullfrogs.



Turkey Vulture



Canada Geese



A one legged Canada Goose 



Take off eh!



Canada Geese in flight



A Muskrat trying hard not to be seen behind a dead tree.

[Newt]

Very nice shots, Doug! Those frog pics are killer!

Your yellow flower is a puzzler for sure. My first impression was "Ludwigia", but it's clearly a composite. My best guess is an atypical Bidens cernua (nodding bur-marigold).

[Doug Watson]

Very nice shots, Doug! Those frog pics are killer!

Your yellow flower is a puzzler for sure. My first impression was "Ludwigia", but it's clearly a composite. My best guess is an atypical Bidens cernua (nodding bur-marigold).

Thank you.

Yes, that was the closest match I could find as well but definitely atypical if it is.

[Viking Spawn]

Holy moly Doug & Newt!!!  Those are some terrific photos!   I really need to go out on the river and/or more nature trails!   I hate to see the summer coming to a close so soon!!!! 

[Doug Watson]

Holy moly Doug & Newt!!!  Those are some terrific photos!   I really need to go out on the river and/or more nature trails!   I hate to see the summer coming to a close so soon!!!!

Thanks, yes up here we try to get out once a week during the summer because pretty soon we will be strapping on the cross country skis.

[Newt]

If you can call it summer...we've had four months of May down here. I had to break out a sweater this weekend!

I guess I shouldn't complain. I work outdoors half the time, and working in 70-80 degree weather is much nicer than in 100-110 degree weather. Just seems wrong not to sweat in August, though. My vegetable garden didn't like it either.

[Newt]

Pandora sphinx caterpillar. This hornworm loses its horn in the last instar, replacing it with a stylish eyespot.


Braconitized!


The hedgerow is a dangerous place.
This jagged ambush bug looked like a nice, inviting goldenrod blossom to a poor, unobservant skipper.


Similarly, this tachinid fly was unable to discern between an actual goldenrod and a goldenrod crab spider.


This Carolina mantis is finding that his tactic of pretending to be poison ivy is somewhat less effective.


Here, a black-and-gold orb weaver explains to a yellowjacket the impropriety of wearing the same dress as the hostess of the party.


But not all is death and destruction! These crane flies demonstrate where leatherjackets come from.

[Viking Spawn]

More amazing insect photos!  I never grow tired of looking at them!   

[Halichoeres]

Braconitized!

Gruesome.

[Doug Watson]

Great shots Newt! Hey with all these bug shots shouldn't your handle be "Gnat"

[Doug Watson]

No kayaking today so I decided to walk our ski trail and do some late season herping. I am still looking for two species that I haven't seen since my youth, the Smooth Green Snake and Eastern Milksnake, no luck today unfortunately.

I found these two guys under a log in the clear cut under the power lines. These are both Red Bellied Snakes, a brown variation and a grey one. These are both young snakes.



I found this baby Eastern Garter Snake nearby under a rock. 



After I left the "nursery" my plan was to walk any sunning spots in the mixed forest and I turned up this medium sized adult Garter Snake in a grassy spot.



Close up.



The spot where I found that adult was full of nice sized Leopard Frogs. A good spot for the snake.



This area has lots of creeks, beaver ponds and bogs that is why there are so many frogs. This pond had a flock of very noisy Canada Geese and is a heronry in the spring and summer.



I also happened upon this pretty American Toad.



These Banded Wood Snails were under almost every log or rock plus I would find piles of empty shells where something had feasted on them.



Queen Anne's Lace



Asters, these were everywhere at the spot where I was finding the baby snakes and the Carpenter Bees were all over them and sometimes on me but wouldn't stay put for a shot.

[Halichoeres]

Asters, these were everywhere at the spot where I was finding the baby snakes and the Carpenter Bees were all over them and sometimes on me but wouldn't stay put for a shot.

Guess you needed to be sweatier! 

[Gwangi]

Love those redbelly snakes Doug, great shot. Since my herping success in the spring the only snakes I've been able to turn up have been garter and northern brown. And a dead on road milk snake that I don't think I shared. They say fall is better for snake hunting than summer, we'll see what I can turn up!

[Doug Watson]

Love those redbelly snakes Doug, great shot. Since my herping success in the spring the only snakes I've been able to turn up have been garter and northern brown. And a dead on road milk snake that I don't think I shared. They say fall is better for snake hunting than summer, we'll see what I can turn up!

Actually since I saw the success you had this past spring with the Smooth Green Snakes, DeKay's etc I am determined to try and get out to this spot when love is in the air next spring.  I just have to figure out when that will be. It will probably be a bit later than you but sometime in May. Problem is a few days either way and you can miss them completely. My Rat Snake sightings were definitely more common at that time of year, I haven't seen one since the heat of the summer. A couple I met on the trail mentioned that they witnessed the emergence of garter snakes from a hibernaculum on that trail so that would be neat to see, but again it's timing and luck. I did catch mass matings of Water Snakes on multiple years I'll have to see if the original dates are still with the shots I took. Good luck with your fall hunt, I will try and get out again.