Further to my recent post about frogspawn, I'm happy to report that it has all hatched out. Hundreds of juvenile tadpoles have wriggled free of the 'jelly' and can now be seen feeding on it. They have been joined by a pond snail which is also tucking into this nutritious substance. The red caterpillar-like things are catkins from the silver birch and poplar trees that overlook the pond.
#frogs #tadpoles #pond #pondlife #ponds #gardening #wildlifegardening
What a beautiful bug! Check out those striped legs!
First time this species has been seen in my garden. It's common in North America, though.
Looks like it flew out of a Beetlejuice movie. I would have named it the stripy-leg bug, but someone named it Orange Assassin Bug. (Just because it has a fang to repeatedly stab other insects.)
I have probably increased the total amount of insects through my #gardening with native plants so that these predators will be more common.
A Tiger Swallowtail has recently emerged at a time when there are few preferred #wildflowers for it to feed on. Luckily, a #NativePlants gardener planted Carolina Jessamine years ago and it already has cascades of yellow flowers.
So the gardener gets to enjoy the flowers and the #butterfly.
The neighbors, however, must treat traditional lawns with chemicals to kill weeds.
#Blueberries are awakening!
It's my first Spring with these shrubs. Very exciting. I wonder if the Mockingbird I caught eating them last summer remembers.
#Gardening ##NativePlants #WildlifeGardening #BiodiversityGardening
Latest photo of #HopeGarden, a #wildlife #ForestGarden. Needs some plants!
A small flock of white- winged crossbills descended on my spruce trees just now, gorging on spruce cones. A first for the garden (and me). The photo isn't the best, but here is one of the males. The windchill outside is -37°C.
A little while ago I looked outside and lo and behold, a Grey Partridge in my little city garden! For awhile it was digging and scratching and picking, apparently going after the native grasses I planted (and didn't mow in the fall) under the snow. Good wildlife gardening practices brings in the creatures! It is still there, having settled down for a siesta in the snow.
@loren , I noticed some activity in the spruce trees earlier today. Grabbed my camera and discovered it was a Golden-crowned kinglet, a first for mee and for the garden. I guess they are passing through from their breeding grounds up north. All the other passerines have been gone for a while. The photo isn't the best, but it was cool!
New bird for me today! A Townsend's Solitaire visited a neighbour's tree.
A new lacewing species for the garden - a golden-eyed lacewing. They are a natural pest control. Host plants include the aster family, sunflowers, and coreopsis.
The first Nashville warbler of this migration season stopped by in the garden this morning.
Late in the year, but a new hoverfly species for the garden, visiting my yellow giant hyssop. Eurasian smoothwing.
I am working from home today as I have a lunch meeting.
While working away, I looked outside, noticed a bird, grabbed the camera (always close to the back door), and took photos - and then realised it is a brand new species for the garden and me, and one which is uncommon in Saskatchewan. A varied thrush. Magnificent bird.
The yellow-rumped warblers are back, fattening up in the garden before the journey south.
A new bee species for the garden, the first this month: A red-belted bumblebee, and a queen no less, indulged in my hollyhock .
A new dragonfly visited the garden this afternoon - a black meadowhawk (Sympetrum danae).
I was taking a photo of my bog goldenrod and caught the sweat bees in an absolute nectar orgy. I just love their outsized, ant-like antennas!
