More Photos From RBG

            There were lots of beautiful views of landscape and flowers in the Royal Botanical Gardens Arboretum wild areas yesterday.

Cootes Paradise from Capt. Coote's Trail

One Beech tree by Hemlock grove

One Calico Aster flower

Heart-leaved Aster

Sulphur Butterfly

Maple

Yarrow

Fall Leaves at Royal Botanical Gardens in Hamilton

November Flowers

It's again be a while since I added to my blog. Time passes.

Just for the record, the following is a newsletter that I just sent out to a group of people that follow Fleur-Ange and me on occasion on wild flower walks.

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Hello from Dean and Fleur-Ange,

We have one wild flower walk coming up this weekend. We will meet at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 31st at the Princess Point parking lot and walk part of the Waterfront Trail. We have been doing this hike for a few years now at this location. 

If I remember correctly, this is Dean’s 34th wild flower walk on the weekend closest to the October/November month change. In 1981 we saw 9 wild flowers in bloom on the hike and I saw another 10 species as I walked a few kilometres to and from the hike for a total of 19 for that day. I wonder how many we can find this year.

Following is the list of species I have found blooming during November between 1981 and 2015. The list is currently 209 species long:

Alfalfa *

Alkanet *

Alyssum, Hoary *

Aster, Amethyst

Aster, Arrow-Leaved

Aster, Azure (Sky Blue)

Aster, Calico (Starved)

Aster, Flat-Topped

Aster, Frost

Aster, Heart-Leaved

Aster, Heath

Aster, Large-Leaved

Aster, New England

Aster, Panicled

Aster, Smooth

Avens, Catling's *

Avens, White

Avens, Wood *

Avens, Yellow

Balsam, Himalayan *

Basil, Wild

Bedstraw, Sweet Scented

Beggar Tick

Beggar Tick, Tall

Bellflower, Creeping *

Bindweed, Black *

Bindweed, Hedge

Bittercress, Hairy *

Black-Eyed Susan

Bouncing Bet *

Buckwheat, Climbing False

Bugleweed, Northern

Bugleweed, Rough

Bugloss, Viper's *

Bur-Marigold, Nodding

Burdock, Common *

Burdock, Great *

Butter-And-Eggs *

Buttercup, Tall *

Campion, Bladder *

Campion, Red *

Campion, White (Evening Lychis) *

Catchfly, Night Flowering *

Catnip *

Celandine *

Chamomile, Scentless *

Charlock *

Chickweed, Common * 

Chickweed, Mouse-Ear *

Chicory *

Cinquefoil, Common

Cinquefoil, Dwarf

Cinquefoil, Rough

Cinquefoil, Rough-Fruited *

Cinquefoil, Silvery *

Cleavers

Clotbur, Common

Clover, Alsike *

Clover, Hop *

Clover, Red *

Clover, White *

Clover, White Sweet *

Clover, Yellow Sweet *

Comfrey, Common *

Coneflower, Tall

Coneflower, Thin-Leaved * 

Cress, Marsh Yellow

Crowfoot, Cursed

Crown-vetch, Purple (Crown Vetch) *

Cucumber, Wild

Daisy, Oxeye *

Dandelion, Common *

Dandelion, Red-Seeded *

Dead-Nettle, Purple *

Dead-Nettle, Spotted *

Dogwood, Red-Osier (S)

Dogwood, Silky (Pale)(S)

Elderberry, Red

Evening Primrose, Common

Feverfew *

Flax, Common *

Fleabane, Daisy

Fleabane, Lesser Daisy

Forget-Me-Not, Smaller

Forget-Me-Not, True *

Galinsoga *

Galinsoga, Small-Flowered

Goatsbeard, Yellow *

Goldenrod, Blue-Stemmed

Goldenrod, Canada

Goldenrod, Gray

Goldenrod, Lance-Leaved

Goldenrod, Tall

Goldenrod, Zigzag

Ground Ivy *

Groundsel, Common * 

Groundsel, Sticky * (S.Ragwort)

Harebell

Hawkweed, Field *

Hawkweed, Smooth*

Heal-All

Hemlock, Poison *

Henbit *

Herb Robert *

Honeysuckle, Northern Bush (S)

Horehound, Black

Horehound, European *

Horehound, Water

Horseweed

Hyssop, Yellow Giant (Catnip, G.H.)

Johnny Jump-Up *

Knapweed, Brown *

Knapweed, Spotted *

Knapweed, Tyrol

Knotgrass, Common *

Knotweed, Japanese *

Knotweed, Pink

Lady's Thumb *

Leafcup, Small-Flowered

Lettuce, Wild

Mallow, Common(Cheeses) *

Mallow, Indian * (Velvetleaf) *

Mallow, Musk *

Marjoram, Wild *

Mayweed *

Medick, Black *

Medick, Hyrid *(Yellow Alfalfa)

Mint, (Unidentified)

Mint, Wild

Motherwort *

Mountain Mint, Virginia

Mugwort, Common * 

Mullein, Common *

Mullein, Dark *

Mullein, Moth *

Mustard, Black *

Mustard, Dog *

Mustard, Field *

Mustard, Garlic *

Mustard, Hedge *

Mustard, Tumble *

Mustard, Wormseed *

Nettle, Tall

Nightshade, Bittersweet *

Nightshade, Eastern Black

Nipplewort *

Orach

Pennycress, Field *

Peppergrass, Wild

Periwinkle *

Pigweed *

Pineapple Weed *

Pink, Deptford *

Plantain, Common *

Plantain, English *

Pokeweed

Queen Anne's Lace *

Ragweed, Common

Raspberry, Wild Red (S)

Rocket, Dame's *

Rocket, Sea

Rocket, Yellow *

Rose, Rugosa *

Saint Johnswort, Common *

Scorpion-Grass, Blue *

Shepherd's Purse *

Silverweed

Smartweed, Nodding

Smartweed, Water

Snakeroot, White

Snapdragon, Dwarf *

Snow-On-The-Mountain *

Snowberry

Sow Thistle, Common *

Sow Thistle, Field *

Sow Thistle, Spiny-Leaved *

Speedwell, Persian *

Speedwell, Slender *

Speedwell, Thyme-Leaved *

Spurge, Leafy *

Spurge, Petty *

Storksbill *

Strawberry, Field

Summer-Cypress *

Sunflower, Common *

Sunflower, Tall (Giant)

Tansey *

Tearthumb, Arrow-Leaved

Teasel *

Thistle, Bull *

Thistle, Canada *

Thistle, Nodding *

Touch-Me-Not, Pale

Touch-Me-Not, Spotted

Trefoil, Birdsfoot *

Valerian, Garden *

Vervain, White

Vetch, Cow * (Tufted V.)

Vetch, Narrow-leaved *

Violet, Canada

Violet, Common

Wall-Rocket, Narrow-Leaved * 

Wallrocket *

Watercress *

Witch Hazel

Wood Sorrel, Creeping

Wood Sorrel, Yellow

Wormwood, Sweet *

Yarrow, Common *

The * means that the plant is not native.

Tiny Spiders and Tiny Webs

            I have no idea how many tiny spider webs I have noticed in the grasses and low plants over the years. They seem to be most numerous in the fall or I seem to notice them more in the fall. 

            Anyway, this morning I had a closer look. There seem to be tiny spiders  under the webs. How could I have not noticed until this morning. I took several photos. This one seemed to be the best.

            I believe it is one of the "Sheetweb Weavers," and   possibly the spider called the Filmy Dome Spider (Neriene radiata).

The Three-Generations-Run

            I have been waiting, and hoping, for years for a three-generation-run. Sunday, September 20, 2015 was the day. Fleur-Ange and I drove up to Kingston, where my daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter live last Friday in preparation for the Sunday run. Sunday was the Terry Fox Run in Canada and we had, as I remember, 5 different Terry Fox Runs in the Kingston area to choose from with distances of 2,3,5, and 10 kilometres to choose from. Rosalee, my granddaughter, made the choice of a 5 kilometre run. That run was on Howe Island.

            Howe Island is the fourth largest of the "Thousand Islands" group that is at the end of Lake Ontario and the beginning of the St. Lawrence River. The island is almost 13 km long and 5 km wide.  At the western end of the island is Spithead Road with a loop at the  end. It is almost exactly 5 km to run to the end of the loop and back to the start. (It's in yellow on the map below.)

            

                                Danielle, Eric, Rosalee, Dean before the run.

            My granddaughter, Rosalee, and I left Danielle and Eric behind early in the run but Danielle was determined to catch up.

            Danielle caught up with us just where Fleur-Ange was taking photos at about the 3.5 km point in the run. Danielle stayed with us for about a kilometre but dropped back as Rosalee put on a burst of speed at the end of the run. I was just able to keep up with Rosalee until the last ten metres when she put on a final spurt that left me a bit behind her. (Actually, we had passed the 5 km point according to my Garmin but she did not know that.) My Garmin sports watch recorded us as finishing the 5 km at 35:37.0 in a pace of 7:07/km. I think that is an excellent run for a 7 year old and not too bad for a 72 year old either. Danielle came in about 45 seconds behind us. 

Two Evening Photos

            We had two interesting evenings over the past two days. On both days there was a lot of cloud until almost sunset then the clouds parted in the west to let the sun through.

            This first photo is from our west field, looking east across the meadow. Right now the "meadow" is full of goldenrods and was mostly caught in the shade of trees on the west side of our property but the trees near the house and barn were catching the late evening sun and really standing out due to the clouds in the east.

            The second photo is from the Waterfront Trail in Hamilton looking east across part of the Hamilton Harbour. We were lucky enough to get two parts of a rainbow, north and south sides, without getting caught in the rain.

Flowers

            I have been enjoying the colours of some of the fall wild flowers during the past couple of days. In this first photo, from our east field, one can see goldenrods in the far ground that are often blamed for allergies in this fall season. In the foreground are some green spikes that are the flowers of  Common Ragweed. The pollen from those flowers are the real cause of many allergic reactions. According to the literature, the pollen can travel up to 160 km (100 miles) so pulling it out of  your yard will not make much difference to your allergies.

            This second photo is a very close up photo of a Moth Mullein. It can start blooming as early as the middle of June but sometimes continues until October with the odd flower still showing into November and December if the late fall and early winter are warmer than usual.

Early Morning Photos

        Although I seldom use anything but "manual" for my photos, the Nikon Coolpix P7800 has a great night photo automatic setting. I used it this morning for two photos:

Moon and Venus

Orion

It Started With a Grapevine

(Hello Pablo!)

Lost Flickr Account

        Today, on a whim, I thought I would put a photo up on my long ignored Flickr account. It appears that I cannot get into my account any more. When I tried to get a new password, Flickr also gave me a new, unwanted, name. I heard, earlier this year, that I had paid for another year of Pro account and went in and deleted that pro account but was told it was good for another year and so I did not get my money back. So now I have an account that I cannot access. Given that I did not like what Flickr had done to my account and now that I cannot get in, I guess it is officially all over.

        Following is the photo I was going to put up on  Flickr and which I have already put up on my  Facebook page. (Wonder if I should look at the other photo account that I started and then ignored. What was it called? Instagram maybe?)

        The photo is of a Katydid that I found in our east meadow this morning. I don't know what kind of Katydid it is and am not sure if it is in full adult form yet. It was found on a Tall Goldenrod and I tried to photograph it there but it kept moving so I collected it on my hand to see if it would stay there. It did and I took several photos before putting it back on the goldenrod.

        Will I be putting up more photos on this blog? Will I write more? Time will tell. I do mentally put up blogs everyday but somehow the mental and the physical don't often happen together as is obvious as there has been nothing on the blog since April.

Early Morning Sounds and Spring Flowers

5:30 a.m.

Darkness

Filled with sounds

Spring Peepers

Wood Frogs

Leopard Frogs

American Toads

Woodcocks

Robins

Wild Turkeys

And our Rooster

Round-Lobed Hepatica

Anémone d'Amérique

Anemone americana

Beaked Hazel

Noisetier à long bec

Corylus cornuta

Bloodroot

Sanguinaire du Canada

Sanguinaria canadensis

Flowers and Butterflies At Last

            On Friday, I found 23 species of plants in bloom. Thirteen of them were cultivated and growing at various locations in the Royal Botanical  Gardens in Hamilton/Burlington. The others were growing either as wild or as cultivated species that have become naturalized. Today, Saturday the 11th of  April, I found our Silver Maple in bloom and, as the dog and I walked in the early afternoon sunlight, I also saw two butterflies. Both butterflies were quickly on the move and i did not get a good look at either of them but just enough to be fairly sure that they were the Mourning Cloak and the Question Mark as both are usually found early in the spring in our area as overwintering species. I also heard and saw an Eastern Phoebe in our yard today. They have been in the area for a week or more but just not on our property.

            Below are photos of some of the flowers that I have seen in the past two days.

 Slender Speedwell (Veronica filiformis)

 Silver Maple Tree (Acer saccharinum)

Christmas Rose/Red Hellebore (Helleborus atrorubens)

Ruby Glow Witch Hazel (Hamamelis x intermedia 'Ruby Glow')

Friday's Photo

Last Friday, Fleur-Ange and I took a late afternoon walk down by the Grand River. We saw three Turkey Vultures in a tree top just across the pedestrian bridge that is near Hardy Road. At first we did not know what they were. We were hoping for Eagles. We crossed the bridge and had a closer look with the binoculars. Sigh. Just Turkey Vultures.

On the way back across the bridge we saw some Canadian Geese on one of the small islands in the river but while looking at them, Fleur-Ange noticed something brown a couple of metres away from the geese. It was a muskrat that had come out to sun itself. It looked at us briefly then curled up to sleep in the sun some more while I pushed my camera's zoom to the limit. Results are below:

April 5 Sounds of the Morning

Sounds of the morning:

1 Cardinal

1 Rooster

1 Wild Turkey

1 Car

1 Song Sparrow

1 Woodcock
The clock strikes six

Birthday Report and a few Photos

        I am not sure why it is so difficult for me to keep blogging and not just think about blogging but it seems to be that way these days. If I had a blog written for everyone thought about, there would be a lot more.

        On with this one:

        I recently had my 72nd birthday and was overwhelmed with birthday wishes from Facebook and from interactions with friends in various places. There were almost 90 well wishers on Facebook and quite a number of personal encounters with the birthday song coming several times. As I said, overwhelming.

        There is a frog exhibit at the Royal Botanical Gardens that started a week ago last Saturday that will go on until April 12th. I stopped by last Friday, when I was in for my regular herbarium volunteer work and managed get a couple of photos. It was difficult as there were many children rushing about with parents or grandparents in tow trying to see everything as quickly as possible. I would almost get a frog in my camera viewfinder only to find the back of some child's head appear. I shall try again next Friday but for now here is a Black and Green Poison Frog (Dendrobates auratus) that is native to Central and South American rainforests.

        Meanwhile, outside in the gardens, I looked for wild flowers that were surviving the cold and snow. There were several Groundsels that were showing colour but none that looked like they were really blooming. On the other hand, down in the Woodland Garden section I did find the Brevipetala Witch Hazel almost in bloom. It is a cultivated shrub that often blooms mid-winter.

        Below are a few other photos that I have processed in the last week or two:

Flower in the RBG Mediterranean Garden

Venus &  Mercury in the evening sky

Another sunset photo

Mourning Dove

        Fleur-Ange alerted me to the Mourning Doves outside our breakfast window this morning. We both took several photos. This was the best of mine. Nice bit of sunshine on fresh snow as the background and lighting!

Photo or not to Photo

        I have had a couple of requests, from Facebook people, to put some of my photos on one site where they do not disappear like they do on Facebook. So far I am just thinking about it and one possibility would be to do a new blog with just photos or maybe with photos and information about the photos.

        Meanwhile, here are a  couple of photos that I have had on FB during the last few days.

        Comments would be welcome.

Iced Asparagus

From a wild asparagus that I did not eat in the spring

nor

cut down in the fall.

Willows and a Cottonwood

Light catching trees in our east meadow

not too many minutes after sunrise.

Disk Florets

 Found on a New England Aster

still blooming on January 2, 2015.

Male Downy Woodpecker

On our bird feeder just outside our kitchen window.