August 2010

There is always something to see at the local neighbourhood ponds.  There are the usual Canada Geese, Mallards and Coots.  Sometimes there are Killdeer, Greater Yellowlegs and one day this spring Franklin Gulls which I had never seen before so that was a treat.  Red Winged blackbirds are always present as are other songbirds.  Today, a few pictures from my local retention pond.

Above: Canada Geese goslings       Below:  Mallard Ducklings

Below:  Families of Canada Geese.  They always travel with a goose leading in front and others following behind the goslings. So protective of their young.

Below: Female Red Winged Blackbird & a male Red Winged Blackbird

Enjoy!

~Sharon

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Considered one of the most beautiful butterflies – thus the name “Monarch”.  Monarchs will lay eggs on milkweed plants.  I planted milkweed to attract them and it worked.  The above photo from my garden – a Monarch on a coneflower.  The caterpillars grow and eat the milkweed leaves and then crawl up to a suitable place where they hang in the chrysalis stage.  Right now there are about 15 caterpillars happily chewing on the milkweed plant.  The are four generations each summer and only the fourth lives to make the migration all the way south to a forest in Mexico.  Try “googling” the Monarch butterfly to read about this most fascinating insect, their life cycle and amazing annual migration.

Below:  Monarch caterpillar feeding on a milkweed plant. They grow extremely fast in this stage.

Below:  Monarch chrysalis.  They are a very beautiful green colour with some gold trim.  If you look closely on the right hand side you can see the faint outline of the Monarch’s wing inside the chrysalis.  I will post photos of the developing chrysalis as it develops at a later date and hopefully of the butterfly emerging as well.

Enjoy!

~Sharon

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Painted Turtles are common sights at our ponds, lakes and streams.  The photos today are from a few different areas, Whiteshell, Nopiming and closer to Winnipeg.  Painted turtles love to sun themselves on rocks and logs and if you look carefully you can often see the tops of their heads sticking  up out of the waters.

Enjoy!

~Sharon

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