Skim

Skim, originally uploaded by Ontario Wanderer.

We had our first skim of snow yesterday, Oct. 29. It did not last long but it was nice to finally see some snow again!

Barn Scene

Barn Scene, originally uploaded by Ontario Wanderer.

I went to visit a donkey sanctuary today. There are currently 54 donkeys living there of all sizes and colours. It was a wonderful farm full of very friendly, happy donkeys plus a few mules, goats, sheep, a dog and a few humans too.

www.thedonkeysanctuary.ca/website/index.php

Puff The Not So Magic Puffball

Puff The Not So Magic Puffball, originally uploaded by Ontario Wanderer.

Not as good as a dragon but easier to find. Lycoperdon pyriforme or Pear-shaped Puffball is what it looks like in my Mushrooms of Ontario and Eastern Canada book by George Barron.

They usually come in multiples of 5 to 50 or so. I found this one on its own not far from a group of 8 and a few other singles and doubles.

Spindle Tree

Spindle Tree, originally uploaded by Ontario Wanderer.

Apparently wood from this large shrub/small tree was used to make spindles in the past. It is a Euonymus closely related to our native Burning Bush but this species came from Europe. We have several growing wild on our property but this one was photographed on RBG grounds on one of the nature trails in the Hendrie Valley.

Evening Primrose

Evening Primrose, originally uploaded by Ontario Wanderer.

One of 88 species of wild flowers that I found blooming last week Friday. This one was near the Hamilton harbour at the west end of Lake Ontario. I suspect that the waters of the lake keep the shoreline warmer at this time of year letting some flowers continue longer than those further inland.

Goat Herding

Goat Herding, originally uploaded by Ontario Wanderer.

Leroy, our donkey, likes to keep the goats fairly close so when they wander, he goes out and brings them back to the barn for a few minutes just so they know who is boss. Here he is chasing Alice back to the correct location.

Dark O Night

Dark O fNight, originally uploaded by Ontario Wanderer.

This is a case of the camera seeing more than the eye at night. The camera lens was open for 8 seconds at F3.60 with ISO 1600. The light present is coming from the main part of the city of Hamilton about 30 km away. The tripod was on a bit of a hill so it's not quite level but I thought it was more interesting that way when I saw the results.

Moon Rise - Hunter's Moon

Moon Rise - Hunter's Moon, originally uploaded by Ontario Wanderer.

The October full moon is called the Hunter's Moon because, in earlier times, one could continue hunting for the winter's supply of meat after sunset at the time of this full moon.

Moonrise

Moonrise, originally uploaded by Ontario Wanderer.

Finally the colours have come to our area. On this Thanksgiving I am thankful for the place where we live and it's continual beauty throughout all the seasons. I took this at moonrise last night just 100 metres from our house. The fence that keeps our goats and donkey from wandering too far is just barely visable as a blur near the bottom of the photo.

First Frost

First Frost, originally uploaded by Ontario Wanderer.

There has been frost to the north of us but this is the first time it has hit our meadows. The mosquitoes are definately slowing down but I still got a bite or two yesterday. Sigh!

Looking close . . .

Looking close . . ., originally uploaded by Ontario Wanderer.

. . . at a New England Aster with my microscope at the disk florets. I liked how the yellow pollen and disk florets stood out against the purple of the ray florets.

Bird Food

Bird Food, originally uploaded by Ontario Wanderer.

The Amur Honeysuckle berries are large and bright at this time of year. Some quick research on the internet indicated that many winter birds eat the berries and so do the white-tailed deer. I did NOT see any information about humans trying to eat them.

The Amur Honeysuckle seems to spread quite quickly as I don't remember seeing any 20 years ago but they are in many places on RBG propery now but not in cultivated areas. They seem to be wild and spreading.

Friday Stroll

Friday Stroll, originally uploaded by Ontario Wanderer.

I have liked the Great Blue Heron's for years and years. My father knew where they nested in Kansas and took us, the family, and others there often. When I moved to Canada, I was pleased to find Herons almost within sight of where I found myself living and it was not long after that I found a new heron rookery.

Gertrude: Outstanding in Her Field

Gertrude: Outstanding in Her Field, originally uploaded by Ontario Wanderer.

Several people had told me that their goats would follow them around if given the chance so I decided to give my goats the chance and took them out of their fenced pasture. Sure enough, they followed me around. Often they were so close that I could not turn to take their photos. In this case, Alice was right beside me and Gertrude was only a few paces behind. I later took the donkey, Leroy, and the two goats out. I kept Leroy on the lead and I did not trust that he would come back as easily as the goats. Leaving the fenced pasture was a lot easier than going back in. The goats did follow me to the gate but needed encouragement to get through the gate.