Virginia Waterleaf

Virginia Waterleaf
Originally uploaded by Ontario Wanderer

I found this on one of the Royal Botanical Garden Arboretum nature trails in Hamilton, Ontario. The species may have flowers of other colours but this is my favourite.

Little Red

Little Red
Originally uploaded by Ontario Wanderer

I've never been much of a party person. I've probably only been to 4 or 5 in the last 64 years and before that I don't remember. That being said, it was not surprising that at one of the parties I made arrangements with my partner to meet her at the time she thought she would be ready to go home from the party and I took a walk into the nearby countryside. I ended up in a small tree overlooking a brook with a poetry book for a couple of hours. Just as I was climbing down I spotted the red. It was a brownish red with spots that did not move. I looked closer and saw a very young fawn. It had been at the base of the tree the entire time I was up there reading. I moved as slowly as I could a bit closer, reached out even more slowly and petted the small youngster and then backed slowly away.(The memory comes back this afternoon as we saw a very young fawn settling down just outside our library window. This is that fawn.)

Rare Flower # 2

Rare Flower #2
Originally uploaded by Ontario Wanderer

This Yellow Mandarin is not as rare as the last wild flower that I put up but still it is difficult to find in our area. I know of only 3 locations and perhaps 7 or 8 plants.

Golden Corydalis

Rare
Originally uploaded by Ontario Wanderer

One location in the county and only 3 locations in the next county. I think I have only seen this in flower three times in the last 10 years.

Trillium

Trillium
Originally uploaded by Ontario Wanderer

I have heard, as usual at this time of year, stories from people who think they are looking at Painted Trilliums or Red Trilliums when they are looking at this species and are unaware of its colour change.

Under Construction

Under Construction
Originally uploaded by Ontario Wanderer

We are lucky enough to have a Baltimore Oriole building a nest in the tree closest to our house right near our door. Hope it continues and uses it.

The photo is from two days ago. The nest building is still in progress.

Alice

Alice
Originally uploaded by Ontario Wanderer

It's way past shearing time and time to get the hooves trimmed. There is so much work right now that I can't keep up. Goats, Donkey, Garden, Fencing, Lawn Mowing, . . .

Leroy Still Wearing Winter Coat

Leroy Still Wearing Winter Coat
Originally uploaded by Ontario Wanderer

Leroy's heavy winter coat is starting to come off but, judging from last year, it will be quite a while before he turns to his summer blacker coat. Meanwhile, he is enjoying his fresh grass in the meadows.

Green and Gold

Green and Gold
Originally uploaded by Ontario Wanderer

I have been playing with making double exposures with my camera lately. I like many of the results but, as of now, I still cannot set up the photos or know what I am going to get until the camera has done its work.

Tools

Tools
Originally uploaded by Ontario Wanderer

These were the tools at one of the benches of the artist Leo D’Lázaro in Havana, Cuba. His studio was on one of the main streets in Old Havana and open to the public. He had a great variety of paintings, sculptures, and installation type art using many objects that he had found on the streets. It was art from "garbage" and found materials.

Ephemeral

Ephemeral
Originally uploaded by Ontario Wanderer

This plant had not come up two weeks ago. I found three small clumps of plants last Friday in bud. This week two of the clusters had bloomed and lost their petals and only one group still had petals. This is the only nearby location of the plant that I know about. It is on an old trail in the Royal Botanical Gardens in a woodlot. According to records, it was planted years ago and has survived on its own since then.

There are many plants in another location closer to Oakville that are wild as far as I know and I know of a few other plants near Lake Erie.

The plant is called Twinleaf. Go to the Flickr page to see other botanical information.