A warm day in the swamp

White Admiral
The Yellow Flag is like the Blue Flag (yesterday), but I only find them out in the swamps. So you use a long lens or wade into the muck and mire. I use the lens.
This is a wider view of the Yellow Flag.

Up close ...

Garter snakes are fairly easy to photograph. They are not very skittish and so stay still while you take their picture. This guy was on the bridge sunning himself when we met.
Collecting nest material.
A Wild Blue Flag, a Iris type.

Along the way ...

Driving home I saw this cat on the stump hunting and just thought it was a funny picture.
The snapping turtle was laying eggs along the trail in the rocks of the railroad bed. A difficult place to dig. I think I have a picture of her last year at about the same spot.

Swallowtail and cobweb

The Tiger Swallowtail hangs on to grab a little lunch.
Natures air filter.

Common Whitetail

I think this is a Common Whitetail dragonfly female, but the wing spots aren't quite right so I might be wrong.

A nice day for July

It is so hot that the rabbits just lay down to eat in the shade.

Solomon's Seal

The ant on the False Solomon's - Seal.

Mayapple and Chippy

The Mayapple is also know as the Mandrake after the magician. It seems that they are quite poisonous until the fruit is ripe, then become edible. Just learned that. This Mayapple won the staring contest with Purple Trillium.
Chipmunk up a tree.

Here and There

This American Kestrel was hunting in the same field as the resident Red Tail Hawk
Where are the wings? Ok bad joke. These guys were just laying around in the warm afternoon sun.
The Sundew has a head of about 3/8 in. long. The "dew" on the spikes is really a sticky secretion which catches insects providing food to the plant. Way cool!
The Yellow Ladyslipper is another swampy forest dweller.

Took a left to Niagara Falls, Oh Canada

The Butterfly Conservatory and the park area around it.
This is the Mountain Bluet which I have been trying to identify for over a year when I took a picture of it. I finally have the answer.

Take your camera!

Monday ...

The Goose family are just hangin' in the beaver pond. Swimming and growing. Some other Geese, without a family, were squawking and trying to distract us away from the family. Maybe aunts and uncles.
Wild Geraniums(?) hiding in the woods.
The May-apple/Mandrake flower.

A May Sunny Day

Red Tail blazing
Baltimore Oriole enjoying the sun.
American Goldfinch looking for luv.
The trees are bloomin.

Admirals and water

The Red Admiral shows his Red strips and the duller under side of his wings. They were every where today, but very shy so the pictures were tough to get.
I guess we have had more rain than I thought because this creek was flowing where it had already dried up from the spring runoff.

Dears

The first dear is the Yellow Warbler
Then this buck showed up on the path.
These deer were in a field not far from the path, but I also saw some others on the way down here. I don't know what has brought them all out, but they are around.

Yet another Jack-In-Pulpit

It has misted all morning. Therefore I had to go out and find some pictures of the Jack-In-Pulpit . I tried using 2 flash units instead of just 1. I think it has helped.

Woodchuck and duck

The hansom lad hiding behind the iron bar watches for problems as his mate feeds on the dropped food from the bird feeder above.
The Woodchuck was flushed by Grenville. It then ran across the path and made good his escape in the brush on the other side.

Hiking a side trail

This Jack-in-the-Pulpit has a bit more colour therefore it must be a different denomination ... probably Lutheran.
The Mayapple/Mandrake has started to bloom.

Dogwood

The Dogwood tree was gently waving in Gale Force 1 breeze.

Back to Ganondagan

I have included the sign because I play loose and free with the spelling.
The Mayapple or Mandrake blossoms are just coming out.
The Jack-In-The-Pulpit hiding in the woods.

The Hare Lilac

May be a rabbit Lilac?

Keep your head low ...

Keep you head low we'll sneak out this way.
Fringed Polygala
Mrs Mallard on the calm water.

Please turn to phslam...slam...salm...huh...page 123

Bully pulpit