20171007-09 Horned Lark, Painted Lady, Clouded Sulphur, Monarch

We photographed our first Horned Lark and have been enjoying the last of this season’s butterflies flitting about in the warm sunshine.   Some examples:

This is my first photo of a Horned Lark —- standing on the bottom of an overturned boat along Riverside Road.  I didn’t hear it sing and first thought it might be a White Throated Sparrow, which are commonly found in that location.  Compare the above with this Audobon photo.

This Painted Lady was one of several that were nectaring on the blooming clover (in preparation for their debatable migration to the Southern States).  We enjoyed a very heavy influx of Vanessa butterflies this year, mainly due to 2017 warm winter and spring.

We have been seeing lots of

V. atalanta

V. virginiensis

and V. cardui , these Painted Ladies.

On October 11, I saw at least 20 female Monarchs nectaring on the red clover, Trifolium pratense,  growing along Riverside Road in Britt.   I suspect that they are in reproductive diapause, heading southward.

We also saw lots of Clouded Sulphur butterflies …

Feeding on red clover …

and flitting about …

The Clouded Sulphur is one of several common Ontario Butterflies that overwinters in its chrysalis stage.

Anje’s Canna Lilies are still blooming …

And the ivies are still growing around the windows of the old LBI:

And the house at the end of the road is enhanced by the Sugar Maple at its entrance.

Last year we had our first snow at the end of October.  The end of October is only a few weeks from now!  Time flies.

20171007 McDougall Township loop showing autumn colours

We left Bowes St, Parry Sound, went east along McDougall Road, then North through Hurdville, to Waubamik, up The Bunny Trail to Boundary Lake and back along Hwy 124 to return along Hwy 69 with a stop at Site Nine.

McDougall Township was named after William McDougall, one of the “Fathers of Confederation” and is one of the three (Seguin, McDougall, Carling) large rural townships bordering on Parry Sound.

Here are some of the fall scenes visible from the car:

Haines Lake from McDougall Road …

Looking north from McDougall Road, west of Deer Run Golf Course….

McDougall Road, east of Deer Run Golf Course.

Further West on McDougall Road … before the Hurdville Turn-Off.

Road off of the Lorimer Lake Road …

Looking West from Bunny Trail…

Looking northerly at the CNR level crossing of the Bunny Trail

Looking westerly near the boundary with Whitestone Township, south of Stibler’s Road…

On the way back, looking easterly …

Looking east from  Lorimer Lake Road…

Looking northerly from the Site Nine Road off of Hwy 69…

The intermittent showers gave us some damp leaves, making them a bit more “showy” than dry leaves.

Good information on colour formation in leaves.

20171004-05 Trip to Powassan

We made a presentation to nature photographers in Powassan and met some new friends.   Click on “20171004 Powassan, End of Summer Sights” under “Presentations” on the right hand side of the above Brtthome’s Blog title block.  Here are some of the sights we saw on the way there and on the way back.

Balsam Creek Rd, eastbound…

Shed roof architecture …. exposing solar panels to the south, where Sun is behind those clouds …

Alsace Rd on the way to Commanda …

Commanda Heritage Centre,  at the corner of The Old Nipissing Road and Hwy 522.

You can see a bit of roof behind the right hand second floor balcony.   This is what it looks like up close…

Near Bear Valley …

Looking south between Ess Narrows and Hwy 69.

Near Pakesley

  We enjoyed a very nice time in Powassan!

20170924-30 End of September sights

Here are a few photos of what was seen over the last few days …

Milkweed pods are ripening to reveal and to disperse seeds attached to filmy “parachutes”.

Some pods still have Large Milkweed Bug nymphs (and an adult) feeding on the (immature) seeds contained inside the pods…

This year a few Common Yarrows are found very late in the year.

Many leaves are changing colour as the green-light-reflecting-chlorophyll is being modified by the plant as it maximizes its energy reserves (remobilization) for approaching winter.

Raspberry leaves …

Leaf from Large Leaved Aster

Traces of yellow and green remain along the inner veins as this process proceeds on this Red Osier Dogwood leaf…

I am beginning to realize that grasses and sedges also go through similar processes to recover as much nutrient as possible each autumn.  This mixture of grass, rush, sedge  and leatherleaf is much yellower than it was last month:

Good article:   The Science of Color in Autumn Leaves

According to Mary Holland spiders are now preparing for winter in New England.