We attended to some neglected dental issues in Parry Sound, and on the way back we took our mind off of some discomfort by stopping to view some scenes,  some close-up and some further away.

Thistles attract a wide variety of bugs — in addition to Goldfinches when the seeds are mature.

A hoverfly is leaving this Chicory blossom just as the shutter clicked …

This very small dragonfly posed for several minutes before resuming its foraging for flies.

Yellow Pond Lily or Spatterdock has been blooming for at least 6 weeks and continues to provide food and habitat for a wide variety of wildlife, including these beasties:

This might be a bald faced hornet:

Tamarack cones are maturing and will soon release their seeds to the wind.

(Laricina is Latin for larch-like. Tamarack comes from an Algonquin word, akemantak, meaning “wood used for snowshoes.”)

The berries of the northern wild raisin are ripening, good food for ruffed grouse especially.   Last year with the loss of the blueberry and chokecherry crops these berries were eaten by bears very early in their cycle.

After another day of gentle rain the fungi and lichens, including these complex British Soldiers were fruiting.

And, finally, two scenes along Skerryvore Road, off of Shebeshekong Road.

Mary Holland just wrote an interesting article about Great Spangled (and other) Fritillary Butterflies.  Violets, eh?   Every plant has its relationships.