Beechwood Wetland Blog

2010-06-06T11:19:00.003-04:00

Here's the video I promised. Watch for the frog leaping to safety and the raccoon suddenly realizing I'm there:

You can tell that's a proper wild raccoon. A city raccoon would have kept coming, stolen my camera and pushed me into the pond.

2010-06-05T20:37:00.004-04:00

I've been slacking off lately at Beechwood, but I made it there for a while this afternoon. After pulling up a load of thistles and Dame's Rocket I spent some time just admiring the simple beauty of things like clover:

(I'm thinking this is alsike clover, but I'll see if I can tell for sure next time I'm there.)

A cedar twig:

Dragonfly:

People may not find them as beautiful as flowers and dragonflies, but I'm intrigued by slime molds. These were on an old stump:

There didn't seem to be as many frogs around today. Do you know the difference between a frog and a toad?

I've also got a video clip for you but I can't get it to load right now. Maybe tomorrow.

2010-05-21T20:19:00.005-04:00

Last year's rosehips are well past their sell-by date:

Some more anonymous yellow flowers:

From now on we're all frogs, all the time at the pond:

A beautiful Tree of Heaven shortly before its untimely death:

(It's the same one I cut down last year. As far as I can tell, it's called Tree of Heaven because it has eternal life.)

A few nice yellow and black bugs:

(Helpful Rosemary has identified that as Propylaea quatuordecimpunctata, the Fourteen Spotted Lady Beetle. That's an awfully big name for such a tiny bug. You can read about them here; click on the relevant picture for specifics.)

This poor lifesaving ring has been trapped below the weir for many days. How do you save a lifesaver? If that's not a Zen koan, it should be.

2010-05-19T18:39:00.002-04:00

I saw this lovely little spring azure on my way to Beechwood today but it refused to open its wings for a photo. (Follow that link if you want to see what a pretty shade of blue it was.)

Purple-flowering raspberry gearing up for summer:

It forgot to shave its legs:

A few ants:

Meanwhile, over at the pond, there's an abundance of pondweed:

Ooh, look!

Frogspawn! Go frogs!!

2010-05-18T12:18:00.003-04:00

It's nice to see more flowers appearing as the season progresses. Here's a Canada anemone:

This is red osier dogwood, a common shrub around here ...

... and a closeup of its flower, with requisite ant (some kind of union rule, I think):

Not all flowers are welcome, of course. This is garlic mustard:

This morning I worked for a while across the path from Beechwood, trying to clear out some of the garlic mustard in the sumacs there. It's looking good as long as you don't raise your eyes and look beyond the immediate area to see the advancing horde:

Field horsetail holding the morning dew:

2010-05-17T21:22:00.008-04:00

I haven't seen any deer yet this year but these tracks by the pond give me hope:

Another sign of life around the wetland:

The wild geraniums are blooming and the ants seem to approve:

2010-05-16T07:58:00.002-04:00

Photos -- check.

2010-05-15T20:22:00.002-04:00

I'm still working on the garlic mustard but at the moment I'm dealing with a brand new (today!) computer and the accompanying adjustments and headaches. This means that for the moment I have no photos to offer you. Until I sort that out, you're welcome to visit Don Watcher's blog to learn more about garlic mustard and many other issues concerning the Don River and its valley. Now, back to my exploration of Windows 7 ...

2010-05-10T06:38:00.005-04:00

The weather was dreadful over the weekend, cold and rainy with hella high winds. I slipped down to Beechwood last night to see how things had fared. This broom was lying by Pottery Road:

I'm worried about the witch who must have blown off in mid-air.

As usual, the trees around Todmorden Mills took a hit:

I didn't find any major damage at Beechwood but the invasives are progressing at lightning speed. I still think I can beat the garlic mustard if I buckle down for the next week or two, but the rest of it, oy.

The wetland gods were obviously angered by my neglect of the place last week, and they sought revenge by trying to take my eye out. A dead branch was hanging down near the path and I was too caught up in searching out garlic mustard to notice it. I got lucky and just missed disaster; there's a scratch on my eyelid but nothing worse. The branch was quickly taken out, as are most things that hurt me. "Now you must die!"

Fungus is going to provide a whole summer's entertainment, I can see. This ...

Has now turned into this:

Not sure of this pretty yellow flower. Anyone? I haven't consulted my reference books yet.

Some random bits of wood:

The pond is looking better after all the rain and the ants were subdued by the cold, so it's promising to be a good week at Beechwood. Garlic mustard removal isn't everyone's idea of a good time but hey, it's better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick.

2010-05-08T10:09:00.002-04:00

Hang in there, O Faithful Readers of the blog, and I shall return one day. For now my energies are being given to my own garden, which was in terrible shape. As Voltaire said, il faut cultiver notre jardin. It's looking a little better now, especially since we finally got some rain, and I'm pleased to see the milkweed and goldenrod establishing themselves so well. (Honestly, if you can't get goldenrod to grow in your garden you may as well pave it over.) The purple coneflower, seen above in a photo from past years, isn't quite as happy, but I've moved it to a sunnier spot where I hope it will flourish.

Not everything in my garden is native, by a long shot, but I try to keep it in mind. The butterflies and bees need as much help as we can give them, and I really like these simple "weeds" that don't require any care.

Stay tuned for new Beechwood reports next week!

2010-05-03T20:28:00.003-04:00

Turtle cam:

Self-portrait:

Yes, I am extremely tall.

2010-04-29T08:33:00.003-04:00

More turtle sightings:

2010-04-27T13:20:00.002-04:00

Still working doggedly at the garlic mustard removal. It's heartening to see that some of the places I've paid special attention to in previous years seem -- for the moment -- to be free of garlic mustard. Marnie's Point is looking good, and the little section across the path from Beechwood, where we planted sumacs and cup plants, is remarkably free of GM this spring. I don't have to go far to find more, though: the greenery in this photo, taken a very short distance down the path, is all GM.

2010-04-25T19:03:00.001-04:00

Sumac leaves opening:

I just can't get enough of these:

Even that ant looks impressed.

2010-04-24T22:29:00.004-04:00

Remember this?

Someone thought it was yummy:

One of these things is not like the others:

So, why did the mushroom go to the party?

2010-04-22T12:56:00.002-04:00

Happy Earth Day! I celebrated in my usual way, by pulling up a load of garlic mustard. In fact, I worked so hard that I didn't stop to take pictures, so I've recycled this one from last year. (Recycling = good.)

I was glad to get back to Beechwood. Cultivated parks and fluffy cherry trees are all very well but I'd rather hang out where the ducks don't swim up hoping for a handout.

In other news, the turtles must be wearing a new disguise because I haven't seen any for a few days. The water level in the pond is quite low, increasing my chance of turtle sightings, but no luck. There's rain in the forecast for the weekend so the turtles should be happy. I'll be happy too; everything's very dry and crunchy underfoot, making it impossible to sneak up on anything lately.

2010-04-21T11:37:00.008-04:00

Special Report

This post has nothing to do with Beechwood, but I wanted to share some pictures I took at High Park this morning. The cherry trees are blooming and people are flocking from far and wide to enjoy the sight. They all look serene as they stroll with cameras in hand. The blossoms only last a week or two, so get out there and experience them soon!

Even the birds at High Park seem serene:

I've seen wood ducks a few times at Beechwood but they didn't let me get close enough for a good shot. High Park ducks, on the other hand, don't mind posing for the tourists:

Watch out for the crocodiles, though:

2010-04-19T20:29:00.002-04:00

I've got a few video snippets for you. First, a swarm of ants. These nests are everywhere; disturb the ground in any way by pulling up a plant or digging a hole and you may find a billion angry little creatures erupting like lava:

Next, a crappy view of the smaller snapping turtle cruising into its hiding spot. It's the black thing in the middle:

Finally, do not try this at home.

2010-04-19T17:43:00.008-04:00

Turtles are much easier to spot once you realize you should be looking for a pile of mud, not an actual turtle. For example, consider this:

"But wait," you're saying, "that really is just a pile of mud." Aha, but check out its tail!

It's a snapping turtle in disguise!

What's more -- there's a second one! If I hadn't watched it swim up to this branch to "hide" I wouldn't have suspected it was really a turtle.

Another kind of shell I found today was this carapace discarded by a cicada:

That was the only shot I took of it. Fortunately the picture turned out, because I paused to adjust my camera and a breeze blew the thing off its perch and out of sight. I took that as my cue to get back to work pulling garlic mustard. I gotta say, things are shaping up nicely after a solid effort over the last few days. I can lick the GM handily. The bad news is that there seems to be twice as much Japanese knotweed as before.

2010-04-18T20:14:00.007-04:00

Usually I take a bottle of water along to Beechwood but sometimes, if the weather's not hot, I get more civilized and have a coffee break:

I was going to say I had another visitor today, but that struck me as arrogant. I expect this raccoon is the resident and I am the visitor:

I've seen several of these over the last few days:

But only one of these:

After a serious garlic mustard session I went over to look at the pond for a while. It's covered with these catkins from the mumble tree:

(Editing to add: I'm going to say those are cottonwood catkins. Apparently people do really interesting things with them.)

Suddenly I noticed something moving through the water:

I stared and stared. Muskrat? No. Beaver? No. Drifting log? No. What in the name of -- oh!

It was a turtle! Yay! While I waited, hoping it would move closer or do something photogenic, I enjoyed the antics of this downy woodpecker:

The turtle didn't do anything but poke its nose above the surface once in a while and eye me suspiciously, so I gave up, but I'll be on the lookout for it over the summer.

2010-04-17T15:10:00.002-04:00

Visitors! I was toiling away at the endless garlic mustard when a couple of fellow stewards stopped by to say hell0. Don Watcher and Cup Plant had been helping with a spring clean-up around Todmorden Mills, and they spotted me as they made their way past Beechwood Wetland on the bike path. Always nice to see some friendly faces. Thanks to all the volunteers who work so hard to clean up the junk others leave behind!

You can tell from their attire that the warm weather has been a bit unpredictable. Today was chilly, windy, drizzly and occasionally sunny, with a couple of brief rounds of ice pellets. Funny sort of day.

2010-04-16T19:58:00.005-04:00

Why it's good to check your gloves before putting them on:

A healthy clump of garlic mustard:

It can't be easy being this GREEN:

Firsts of the season: dragonfly (today) and ant bite (yesterday).

2010-04-14T16:55:00.005-04:00

After a frosty early-morning session of pulling garlic mustard I decided to make a second visit later in the day.

a) to photograph the bloodroot flowers once they'd opened:

(they open up real purty)

And b) because at noon I watched a webcast about garlic mustard removal, sponsored by The Stewardship Network. I didn't learn anything new about GM but hey, a webcast! How cool am I? I was so inspired by being part of a bigger effort to control this pest that I just had to go back and pull another bucketful.

I learned a new bug today, too. This little guy was about the reddest thing I've ever seen:

A quick Google gave me its name -- velvet mite. They're a good thing!

2010-04-14T09:44:00.003-04:00

Bloodroot is another sign of spring:

Who wants a hug?

2010-04-12T11:19:00.002-04:00

Here's a sign of spring: a red-winged blackbird calling.

2010-04-12T10:47:00.006-04:00

After a brief setback in the weather (SNOW the other day, hmpht) we're back to spring conditions.

Today dawned bright and clear so I set off to Beechwood.

High time to make a start on the garlic mustard:

The ants haven't warmed up enough yet to be a problem, but I turned over a brick and found one of their secret hideaways:

Another lurker:

I also discovered a few more pieces for my potsherd collection:

Today's harvest:

An inspector came along to check my work:

Yesterday was the first day I noticed bugs in the pond, too, both underwater and skating on the surface. Everything's gearing up for another busy summer.

2010-04-05T10:00:00.003-04:00

Spring! While a young man's fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love, the pussywillows are turning to catkins:

Last year's cattails have turned to fluffy souvlaki:

I've been trying for days to get a decent picture of these fresh new tamarack needles. Turns out, the trick is to hold your umbrella behind them:

2010-04-02T10:26:00.003-04:00

The weather has turned freakishly warm again and everyone has hurried outside to take advantage of the sunshine and the holiday weekend. It seemed like as Good a Friday as any to launch the guerrilla stewardship season at Beechwood, so I brought in my little container of necessaries to leave in the equipment box. Now I'm well supplied with work gloves, trowels, buckets, garbage bags, sunscreen, and a few First Aid items. I need a new can of bug spray, but I should be all right for now.

I was hoping for some really interesting stuff lurking inside the box when I opened it for the first time, but there were only a couple of these flat grey spiders:

After I stowed my gear I spent some time picking up bottles, cans and garbage. I startled a rabbit (who didn't seem to be carrying colourful eggs) and came across some coltsfoot getting started:

Fungus is always intriguing:

There are cardinals everywhere, not that I'm complaining:

Arriving home again I found a reward waiting, courtesy of a friend:

Happy hot cross buns! Happy Easter!

2010-03-31T10:22:00.000-04:00

2010-03-16T13:13:00.003-04:00

People I talk to insist we'll get more snow before we're done this (non-)winter, but they're just being grumpy. I saw a robin and some redwinged blackbirds today and that's all the proof I need that we've turned the corner. There's just a thin skin of ice left on the pond:

Things are beginning to look alive again ...

... including garlic mustard. I don't know how it dares show its face here after all the hard work that's been done to eradicate it, but there you go:

I think this must have been a very neat rabbit:

As for this, wow. I don't even want to know:

Finally, Don Watcher posted a picture of an "inukshuk" so I thought I'd counter with the Beechwood version:

Happy spring, and stay tuned for a new season of Beechwood reports, beginning soon!

2010-03-16T12:45:00.002-04:00

I'm sorting through some photos from last fall and over the winter. Here's a selection:

Freeze-dried mud:

Varieties of fungus:

2010-03-11T11:09:00.002-05:00

If I get bored with my regular tasks at Beechwood this year I might try a little art project.

This just in: more good ideas for my spare time.

2010-02-22T14:24:00.002-05:00

Hm, interesting. I ran this blog through GenderAnalyzer and it guessed that I'm a woman, but it was only 54% sure, declaring my writing "quite gender neutral." I wonder which words tipped the balance in my womanly favour?

2010-02-14T15:52:00.003-05:00

Happy Year of the Tiger!

(Rare guest appearance by Jaffa.)

Happy Valentine's Day as well. In honour of the holidays I thought I'd do a photography challenge. I was afraid hearts and cupids would be a bit thin on the ground around Beechwood so I decided to search for evidence of tigers.

Not many people have seen the elusive Don Valley tigers, but it's simply a matter of recognizing the subtle signs they leave behind. You may find a bit of tiger fur caught in a tree:

Sometimes you'll see the markings tigers leave around their territory:

I wonder what mysterious messages they're sending to other tigers?

Giant tiger paw-prints are a good indication you're looking in the right place:

A good tracker would immediately spot these tiger droppings on the ground:

Here we see the remains of the fierce predator's meal:

Finally, we are rewarded with a glimpse of those striking orange stripes!

Inching ever closer, we find the tiger cleverly concealed in the undergrowth, barely visible to the human eye:

Don't get too close! Danger!

Tigers. They're everywhere.

2010-02-08T19:34:00.004-05:00

This morning I was all psyched to have a nice walk to Beechwood and take pictures in the winter sunlight. I took a few shots of the ice-fringed rocks in the river, and spotted this male bufflehead all by himself below the weir:

Just as a pair of downy woodpeckers started tapping away at a nearby tree, I discovered my camera batteries had died. Unhappy blogger! I carried on to Beechwood, afraid that deer and foxes would appear around every corner to mock me, but my only company was one of the woodpeckers who came along to see what I was up to. Better luck next time.

2010-02-02T13:53:00.004-05:00

Happy World Wetlands Day! I was planning a trip to Beechwood to mark the occasion, but since I've been laid low by a nasty cold I'll just stay home and show you some pictures I took last year. Enjoy!

P.S. Happy Groundhog Day too!

2010-01-29T12:30:00.002-05:00

Not Far From the Tree is going to try tapping some urban maple trees this spring. Sweet!

2010-01-23T09:25:00.002-05:00

InsideToronto has an article about foxes in the city. I have yet to see a fox, but I've heard reports from others who have.

(Apparently "fox" is an acceptable plural for "fox," as used in the article, but I disapprove. And now that I've stared at the word "fox" for a while, it looks meaningless.)

2010-01-17T14:35:00.006-05:00

I see I have some new followers -- welcome! (Imagine me having followers! Life is funny.)

It's grey and soggy out there, with only traces of snow left. There's an insane amount of salt on the sidewalk going down Pottery Road:

Some people like found poetry but me, I like found sculpture:

The wetland lived up to its name with lots of semi-frozen puddles that aren't there usually:

Someone's been nibbling on this grass:

The edge of the pond:

I found this earring on a sidewalk on Broadview, and put it in what I hope was an obvious place in case the owner comes back to look for it. Pretty!

I know I promised a review of some Beechwood-y things I got for Christmas, and I'll get to it, I promise. Soon.

2010-01-01T12:03:00.009-05:00

Happy New Year to my Beechwood blog readers! I wandered down to the wetland this morning to see what was happening. Actually we were getting big fluffy snowflakes and the ground was icing up precariously, so I picked my way rather carefully. There were a few dramatic skids but I stayed upright the whole time.

Aw, someone decorated this river-side tree with tin stars:

A squirrel must have tucked this walnut away for safekeeping:

The pond is freezing over but I'm going to hold off on putting out my ice-fishing hut just yet:

Garlic mustard waiting to be pulled out in the spring:

There wasn't much action today. I saw one rabbit, two cardinals and a chickadee. Here's a crappy shot of the male cardinal:

With a lot of the taller vegetation wasted away, some areas are more accessible than during the warmer months. (Just don't trip over the dog-strangling vine.) I wandered around to the back of the pond where I don't normally venture and discovered a nice Eastern wahoo. At least, that's what I think it is; if someone wants to correct me, I'll try to listen to reason:

The Eastern wahoo, Euonymus atropurpureus, is a shrub I normally notice in the fall when its eye-catching fruit ripens. Here's some I photographed elsewhere in October:

Isn't that stunning?

Edit: Steve S and Native Plant Girl have set me straight: this is probably not the wonderfully named wahoo but an invasive relative, Euonymus alatus or Euonymus europaea. (Don't we get enough of invasive relatives at Christmas?) I'll keep an eye on this lovely shrub and decide what to do with it in the spring. Be sure to check out the comments on this post or visit Native Plant Girl's blog for more details. Many thanks to my intelligent readers who help me out!

I'll post again soon with a review of a couple of Beechwood-inspired gifts I received at Christmas. For now, I wish you all a happy, healthy new year!

2009-11-25T09:09:00.001-05:00

Deer captured in downtown Toronto. Seriously, they had to taser it?

2009-11-23T13:50:00.003-05:00

Anyone pining for a Beechwood update should check out Don Watcher's blog today. I will get back to Beechwood myself at some point, but for now there seem to be a lot of other things to do with my time. Also, don't be alarmed but I've had to turn on the word verification feature for comments, as the spam was getting to be a nuisance.

2009-11-04T15:00:00.003-05:00

Today I was seeing red:

(Birders will recognize the silhouette of a cardinal there.)

2009-11-03T21:12:00.005-05:00

Sometimes it's fun to set a little photography challenge to keep life interesting. Today I decided to focus on all the yellow things I could find as I walked in the valley. Here's a selection:

2009-10-27T11:03:00.005-04:00

A view of the pond in October. The vegetation is dying down quickly now.

Look how big this leaf is! (Fairly normal-sized foot included for scale.)

The big dead tree on Marnie's Point continues to provide a home for all sorts of living things.

2009-10-21T13:47:00.001-04:00

"Nature is, above all, profligate. Don't believe them when they tell you how economical and thrifty nature is, whose leaves return to the soil. Wouldn't it be cheaper to leave them on the tree in the first place? This deciduous business alone is a radical scheme, the brainchild of a deranged manic-depressive with limitless capital. Extravagance! Nature will try anything once ... This is a spendthrift economy; though nothing is lost, all is spent."

from Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard

2009-10-16T05:31:00.002-04:00

Green spaces improve health!

2009-10-13T22:06:00.001-04:00

2009-10-12T15:34:00.004-04:00

Some snaps from Thanksgiving weekend:

Turkey vultures migrating:

Hairy woodpecker:

A late, well-worn butterfly:

A bookend to the frost we had on Victoria Day:

2009-10-04T12:29:00.000-04:00

2009-09-30T13:25:00.002-04:00

2009-09-29T12:47:00.004-04:00

I was crouched by the pond today, musing that I had yet to see a turtle in it, when something drifted into view:

Oh! I was thrilled! I was -- wait ... it's ... dead? I watched it hang in the water for a long time without moving as I wondered whether our pond is actually as healthy as I'd hoped. Finally the little turtle stretched out its wee legs and lazily turned over.

Whew! I found a second one nearby doing the same kind of thing. I'm guessing this is a form of camouflage: maybe if it looks enough like a floating leaf, it can escape being eaten. The great blue heron was also at the pond, hoping for a tasty turtle snack. I could only find two baby turtles, but I'm assuming there were many more to begin with and some have fallen victim to herons and other dangers.

This one put on a mad burst of speed:

2009-09-22T10:52:00.005-04:00

2009-09-20T15:10:00.003-04:00

Yellow Jewelweed:

And Spotted Jewelweed:

Bees have to really commit themselves to reach the nectar:

The seedpods are excellent fun because they pop open at a touch, spewing seeds and little green springs all over. I've read that you can eat the seeds so I tried one this morning. I found it quite pleasant, but I'll save any more I gather for smuggling to Beechwood and planting.

2009-09-19T06:53:00.003-04:00

As fall approaches I find myself wandering through -- or past -- Beechwood without actually doing any work. I accomplished a lot over the summer and now I think I'll just admire things before winter arrives. The insects are still very active:

A cardinal wonders what I'm up to:

A sedge extends its seeds over the pond:

2009-09-14T13:09:00.001-04:00

Oh, little rose tree, bloom!
Summer is nearly over.
The dahlias bleed, and the phlox is seed,
Nothing's left of the clover,
And the path of the poppy no one knows.
I would blossom if I were a rose.

Summer, for all your guile,
Will brown in a week to Autumn,
And launched leaves throw a shadow below
Over the brook's clear bottom, --
And the chariest bud the year can boast
Be brought to bloom by the chastening frost.

- Edna St. Vincent Millay

2009-09-13T19:12:00.005-04:00

That's our great big bur oak. It has a lot of dead branches but it seems to carry on.

I didn't intend to wade into the muck today but I spotted an Argiope aurantia on the Islet of Langerhans, so what could I do? They're too impressive to ignore.

Did you notice what she's planning to have for dinner?

We could use some rain any time. The pond is losing all its pondiness:

I spotted the Loch Ness monster lurking in the scum:

In places it looks more like a tar pit than a pond:

The crazy clump of cattails is going strong:

Back on dry land, I went over for a closer look at the bur oak and -- wouldn't you know it? -- found another argiope spider:

Elderberries: who's ready for pie?

2009-09-12T13:03:00.002-04:00

Knotweed day! See all those seeds ready to find a new home? I decided to deal with the regrowth right away, along with a few bits I'd missed around the pond. As I worked a couple came along with their dogs and asked about what I was doing. They were curious about poison ivy too, so I walked them down the path a bit farther and pointed some out. It's good to have a working knowledge of it!

2009-09-11T17:29:00.008-04:00

The pond's water level is dropping as the dry weather continues. I could easily cross to the Islet of Langerhans now, although I'd still want my spiffy boots in that mud:

There's still lots of raccoon activity around the pond:

Boneset (white) and Joe Pye weed (pink) pose with some goldenrod beside the pond:

I found this mass of roots beside the pond too. Not quite sure of the reason for it:

Remember the lovely blue flags?

This is what they do in the fall:

The offshore butter-and-eggs tried to spring up again without my noticing, but I'm not that easy to fool:

The wild grapes look just about ready. If I were more ambitious I'd try making jelly, but I guess I'll just leave them for the birds:

There's more boneset in the north half of the site. In fact, there's a very large patch, so if your bones need setting, drop me a line. Can you see the purple-flowering raspberry hanging in there at centre left?

A closer look at the boneset:

Some dog-strangling vine demonstrates its talent for climbing trees:

Here a seedpod has split open to free the fluffy seeds:

In general there's an air of winding down and the beginnings of decay. The flowers that are left are looking a bit worn:

More fluffy seeds ready to take to the air:

The damage from insects and blights can produce its own kind of beauty:

Spot the grasshopper hiding in this picture!

2009-09-10T20:50:00.005-04:00

The first thing that caught my eye on the way to Beechwood today was an addition to the big figure 8 that's been on the bike path for a while. It now features a couple of bright yellow embellishments:

I assumed it was just kids having a laugh (hey, it made me laugh) but later I saw a surveyor at work further along the path, and I couldn't help noticing the fresh markings he'd made on the pavement. In bright yellow paint. Hm.

Remember the patch of Japanese knotweed across the path that was cut down a little while ago? As expected, it's staging a comeback:

I'll try to knock it back once more before the end of the year. Today I got rid of some more tansy -- I'm feeling pleased with the amount of tansy I've dealt with this summer! -- then amused myself by removing some dog-strangling vine. I didn't dig it up, just pulled off what I could, even painstakingly unwinding it from a young sumac; this won't make much difference to the big picture, but at least those particular seedpods won't be spreading their fluff around.

I discovered another empty nest today. It doesn't look very comfy:

One problem with having the goldenrod rising all around and above me: ANTS!

Here's a stinkbug on a cup plant. Honestly, can't we find a better name for these guys? They're such a cool shape.

And have I mentioned the spiders? Can you stand a few more?

They like to build webs around/in the holes in the fenceposts. There's one lurking here at the base of its large, complex home:

2009-09-08T15:34:00.011-04:00

I've fallen behind on my blogging and the pictures are piling up. The insects get most of my attention lately; if I'm not brushing off ants I'm recoiling in horror from the giant mutant spiders hanging at eye level:

This one had caught a nice snack and was wrapping it up for later. It spun its prey around and around very quickly as it wrapped it in silk:

I don't know this one but I'm staying away from the pointy bit:

(Does that flaking paint on the equipment box look like a map to you? I think this bug is heading off to invade Russia.)

It's grasshopper season -- they're everywhere!

Getting back to the flora: an area of Marnie's Point has been invaded by powdery mildew. It looks as if someone threw a bucket of whitewash on the plants:

We've had a surprising lack of thunderstorms and rain lately, so I was fetching a little water from the pond to pour on something I planted earlier in the year. My first dip of the bucket caught a little tadpole, which I watched for a few minutes before I put it back. I think our pond must be pretty healthy to have all these frogs and tadpoles.

The cup plant leaves are fading and going brown like banana skins:

This is what's left of the grand flowers:

There's more colour coming along to take their place, though:

2009-08-30T17:05:00.001-04:00

2009-08-28T13:17:00.002-04:00

Another load of tansy joined the rest of the outcasts on the pile today:

This just in: leafcutter bees like sumac too.

The results of the after-storm cleanup across from Todmorden:

Have I mentioned that the goldenrod is covered in bees?

2009-08-26T18:14:00.009-04:00

It rained this morning, but what an afternoon! I baked in the sun as I dealt with more knotweed and the odd Manitoba maple and tree of heaven. A swarm of tadpoles caught my eye:

Here's some white turtlehead:

One nice thing about being at Beechwood on a summer afternoon is the variety of dragonflies. This is a common whitetail:

A couple of blue ones:

Ooh, a red one!

On the way to Beechwood I found some goldfinches enjoying a patch of bull thistles:

The roses are turning themselves into rose hips:

Some plants put their energy into developing various burrs and stickers that attach themselves to me anywhere they can. This is how my gloves looked when I was finished today:

Can you stand looking at more bugs? I can't resist the goldenrod full of busy bees:

And one more spider:

2009-08-24T20:35:00.009-04:00

Normally I'm not the type to get excited over footwear, but I think these are pretty spiffy:

They allowed me to get over to the little islet (which I think I'll name the Islet of Langerhans) and clear out the purple loosestrife lurking there. The boots could stand to be a bit taller, but as long as I squelched fairly quickly and didn't linger in one spot, I was fine. I'll just confine my pond incursions to dry spells when the water level is lower.

(Boots made in Canada and bought at Canadian Tire.)

The loosestrife joined more knotweed on the pile:

Some other things I saw around the pond:

I can't quite figure out those tracks. The smaller ones look like raccoon prints, but there were a couple of really large, deep ones that puzzled me. I didn't see any others in the area. Perhaps a large creature swung down on a bungee cord, snatched a raccoon, and pushed off again. (It's really not hard to solve these little mysteries if you just think it through.)

Seed pods formed by a ... plant of some kind:

It was a day of strange fruit. First, on the bike path:

I can just hear the local ants: "This is fantastic! What is this?!" Then, in the pond, a nice example of Rondus wimbledonii:

Finally, a few more bugs to admire:

Don't get close to the pointy part on this one:

This is a beetle pretending to be a scary wasp:

2009-08-23T10:51:00.004-04:00

Today was a repeat of yesterday, but without the mink. I cut a lot of knotweed and yanked out a few other bits and pieces around the edges of the pond. I found more turtlehead and more buttonbush, more water plantain and lots of sedges to admire, and freed up some space for things like maple trees:

Some butter-and-eggs and thistles had cleverly moved off-shore in an attempt to evade me, but my jurisdiction reaches that far and I was able to pull them out by the roots:

Two black-crowned night herons, one adult and one juvenile, were watching over the pond when a great blue heron arrived with a mighty croak. (Scared me half to death.) The adult night heron wisely moved over and made room in the big dead tree:

Here's the young'un:

The goldenrod is really coming on strong now:

The cup plants are still holding their own:

I found another cicada. (Or the same one? Hard to tell.)

There are elderberries ripening:

I must admit I've never seen the appeal of elderberries, but I know people who love a nice elderberry pie. Another fruit I don't enjoy is blackberries, which I've realized is probably what we have growing at Beechwood, even if I thought they might be dewberries. (I've never encountered blackberries growing before so I wasn't expecting them, although it seems pretty obvious now.) I tasted one this morning and it fit with my very limited experience of eating blackberries: they don't taste like much of anything. I just don't get the point.

2009-08-22T16:30:00.009-04:00

More artwork, this time created by some kind of leaf miner:

There was a welcome coolness in the air this morning, although the dampness remains, and I got a lot of work done before it got too hot. I cut down a bunch of Japanese knotweed and pulled some of the usual tansy, Queen Anne's lace, and thistles. The knotweed's showy flowers are helpful in giving away its location:

It was too early, cool and damp for this bumblebee to be up and about -- I had to give him a few minutes to collect his thoughts and move on before I cut down the knotweed he'd been resting on:

More insect life:

Here's a funnel web spider in its complex home:

(Aha, researching funnel web spiders has just given me the name of the Unnecessarily Long spiders I saw the other day: they're really called running crab spiders.)

Bugs are interesting but my favourite sighting today was a mink running across the path as I arrived at Beechwood. That's the second time I've seen one there -- they must like hunting in the pond.

I was afraid all our turtlehead had disappeared, but no, here it comes!

I love that flower. We have it in that lavender colour and also in white. I'm also finding more great blue lobelia around the site. It's very encouraging to see these things doing well.

I keep heading for purple thistles to pull them up, only to discover they're really purple asters starting to bloom:

I'll be darned, these dewberries are actually ripening into a dark purple/black as promised:

Stay tuned for a taste test soon.

2009-08-21T09:50:00.008-04:00

Parts of Ontario were hit with severe storms last night, causing a lot of damage and killing at least one person. It was certainly stormy right here in mid-Toronto but I don't see much damage in my immediate neighbourhood or around Beechwood. The willows across from Todmorden Mills took a hit, but that happens all the time. Willows are beautiful, flimsy things.

I encountered a creature with striking markings. Can you guess what this is?

Time's up! It's a giant garden slug:

With keys to show size:

Blech!

A black-crowned night heron studying the Don River:

The storm, little birdie feet and a yellow heart-shaped leaf created some artwork beside the river:

2009-08-19T10:49:00.008-04:00

The mini heatwave is over and I got back to business at Beechwood this morning. I cut down some Japanese knotweed around the pond, pausing to admire the nice healthy cattails:

And these Siamese cattails:

And then it all went horribly wrong:

This is water plantain growing at the edge of the pond:

I'm not familiar with these, but I've decided they're dewberries:

Perhaps swamp dewberries? Whatever they are, they're doing well this year.

If you've lost your phone, check under the big sign at Todmorden Mills:

Now, if you're squeamish about bugs at all, you're done reading right here. Have a nice day! The rest of you, come with me and check out the big gross creepy things I found today.

There were some Unnecessarily Long Spiders lurking in reeds beside the pond. They'd move around to hide from me (the way a squirrel moves around a tree trunk), then stretch out long and pretend to be reeds:

(I suspect Unnecessarily Long Spiders may not be the correct name here, but hey, my bug, my rules.)

I transported the knotweed stems I'd cut in an old sheet as usual. After dumping them on the reject pile I found I'd also been carrying this:

It's probably not called the Soda Cracker Spider.

The next insect wins in the size category, as well as Most Docile. Oh what the heck, I'll give it Best in Show. Here's a cicada that allowed me to uproot its plant and carry it over to the equipment box for better light and posing. (Yes, it was alive.)

2009-08-16T17:57:00.007-04:00

I set out early to beat the heat, and admired the morning sun breaking through the mist:

When it's hot I just wander around stupidly, looking at things but not accomplishing much. I did notice some Japanese knotweed coming into flower; I think I'll make cutting it back my focus this week.

I spent some time gazing over the pond, which has come to life with little ... somethings ... breaking the surface:

The great blue heron was there too, but he flopped off as I approached. There's a tiny island in the pond:

Uh-oh, what's that in the middle?

Purple loosestrife. Perhaps it's time for me to buy a pair of rubber boots and wade over there.

I saw another one of these guys, identified by a friend as Japanese beetles and reported to be "Veryveryvery bad" (for damaging plants):

Doesn't this tree have interesting bark? I've decided it's an American sycamore (American plane-tree, buttonwood, buttonball-tree):

Here's its leaf:

More spiderweb effects:

Hard to see? Have a closer look at the twin webs:

Mandatory cup plant shot:

2009-08-14T10:58:00.005-04:00

I'm back on my feet, just in time for a week of actual summer weather. This summer has been very good for me so far, never getting too hot for me to go outside and play, but now the temperature is creeping up and the humidity is closing in. Early mornings are still pleasant, though, and I headed to Beechwood for the first time in five days.

The heron was right where I left him on Sunday:

Still preening:

Still scratching:

Throwing in a little yoga for good measure:

Even the fence looked good in the morning light:

I walked right to the far end of the site, where I don't often visit. It has issues, including a large section of common reed as well as the usual suspects. Dog-strangling vine is flowing down the hill like lava, threatening all in its path:

I noticed a bit of DSV near Pottery Road that had been nibbled by some kind of bug, but I don't think this amount of damage will have much effect:

The goldenrod is beginning to flower:

A plant, a bug:

Sumac details:

'Tis the season of giant spiders in giant webs strung between the trees. If you're lucky you notice them before you walk through them. If not, it's the spiderweb dance for you!

2009-08-11T15:54:00.002-04:00

Two reasons not to go to Beechwood:

1. getting over a bout of food poisoning

2.

2009-08-09T19:39:00.004-04:00

Another day, another earth-shaking thunderstorm, ho-hum. In the late afternoon, encouraged by a deceptively cool breeze, I went to Beechwood. The heat wasn't bad but the humidity, whew. I might as well have been at the bottom of the pond. I pulled a small amount of tansy and QAL, but welcomed the chance to quit when a great blue heron croaked and flapped to the top of the dead tree.

Herons know they're cool:

Look at that bill! Yikes! The bird settled in for a lengthy grooming session ...

... punctuated by bouts of scratching. Scratch, scratch, scratch:

2009-08-07T10:03:00.004-04:00

I took advantage of another fine morning to remove purple loosestrife and soapwort, then returned to the everlasting tansy. There's no way I'll clear it all out, but I had one of those days where I look around and realize that things are in pretty good shape overall, so I'm happy.

Tansy in full bloom at one edge of the Beechwood site:

I saw some downy woodpeckers and a rabbit today, and the flock of cedar waxwings that's been busy around the pond lately was still swooping from perch to perch. I haven't had one run into me yet, but sometimes they come close.

Apples are ripening and I'm starting to see Vs of geese. Summer is fleeting!

There's spotted jewelweed growing elsewhere in the valley. Hm, I have a feeling that some seeds may accidentally fall into my pocket and end up at Beechwood.

The heap of ousted plants just sits there across the bike path from Beechwood, composting away. I hope it's not cooking up some kind of mutation in there, resulting in an unbeatable garlic mustard/tansy/thistle hybrid.

2009-08-06T11:53:00.005-04:00

It's another beautiful summer day at Beechwood. Time to kill some stuff! I made my way to Marnie's Point through a thick tangle of goldenrod and vines. It's hard to hurry anywhere on the site at this time of year. First up was the purple loosestrife:

That was heavy! There's another clump waiting for me at the south end of the pond, and I'm seeing more and more along the riverbank.

Then I cut down some Japanese knotweed. It wasn't as bad as I'd feared. Maybe there's hope that we'll really get rid of it some day? It can hardly find room to grow now amongst all the healthy native plants.

(Actually, I didn't quite get all the knotweed growing out over the pond -- no boots! I got the worst of it.)

The grapevine swarming over the dead tree is producing lots of grapes:

I had to get tough with some butter-and-eggs too. It's starting to get ideas. The soapwort is also making a move, so I'll deal with that soon (unless the bugs get it all).

Across the path is a strip of cup plants and sumacs that we worked hard to plant a couple of autumns ago. This is meant to act as a buffer between Beechwood and the rest of the invasives-filled valley. I spent many days there this spring, clearing out garlic mustard and Dame's Rocket. It's looking really good now. The sumacs were chewed down by deer again over the winter, but they've bounced back and some are taller than I am. It's wonderful what plants can do if you give them a chance.

2009-08-05T11:47:00.004-04:00

We had another of our usual thunderstorms with heavy rain yesterday, but the sun returned today to dry up the puddles. I decided it was a good day to cut down some burdock and Japanese knotweed. But wait!

Somebody beat me to it. This stand of knotweed across the path has been cut down, probably by city workers. Or is there another guerrilla steward at large?

After pausing to admire some evening primrose ...

... I slaughtered a load of burdock and a bit more knotweed. I'm going to let things dry out for another day before I head over to Marnie's Point to cut the knotweed there, and to dig up the loosestrife that's trying to get established.

This helpful grapevine is doing its part to conquer the alien invaders:

A nice little fungus on an old log:

I finished by removing some of the ubiquitous tansy, then headed for home. Near the weir north of Pottery Road I ran into an old friend:

And what's that movement in the bushes? Ah yes, you never find just one deer:

It was good to see them again. I was beginning to wonder if I'd hurt their feelings. I wonder if these are the first two I saw in the spring? Hard to say, but they act the same: the big bold male with his smaller, timid sidekick.

Nomnomnom ...

Some video:

2009-08-04T12:45:00.004-04:00

I sure hope y'all like cup plants.

I've been working on clearing a variety of the lesser pests around Beechwood: Queen Anne's Lace and a few thistles still, as well as armloads of crown vetch. Where did all that crown vetch come from?! Things sneak up on you if you're not watchful. I've also found a bit more purple loosestrife to deal with, and I see that the burdock I cut back earlier has re-sprouted great quantities of burrs. I'm planning a trimming day to deal with those and to tame some of the Japanese knotweed that's looming large.

The Canada anemone has formed seedheads too:

When I was clearing garlic mustard from Marnie's Point in the spring I kept finding what seemed to be tiny spruce trees. This one's coming along nicely:

Legend tells of a secret patch of Great Blue Lobelia hidden somewhere in the heart of the Beechwood wetland:

Joe Pye Weed (pink) and boneset (white) beside the pond:

Across the pond I saw a mama raccoon with three (or more?) little ones, dabbling in the water:

I've seen squashed snakes on the path before, but I think this is my first live snake sighting at Beechwood:

I have no quarrel with small, well-mannered, harmless snakes like this little garter snake. (The frogs may disagree about the "harmless" part.) I didn't expect to find one two feet off the ground in a dogwood, but what do I know?

Oh no, Mr. Bill!

2009-07-30T19:34:00.007-04:00

The rain ended at last and we had a warm humid day. The buttonbush kept cool in the pond:

It produces these cool spiky flower-bombs:

Also in the pond was a great blue heron, but I didn't get any good shots:

They're pretty great, all right. What a weird-looking bird.

The meadow-sweet is really taking off these days:

This is red baneberry:

Red baneberry leaves:

At first I assumed these were unripe red baneberries (growing in the same spot), but now I think it's white baneberry, with thicker stems:

(Although I've read that red baneberry can also have white berries. Where's the sense in that?)

This is a ... bird:

Yep, definitely a bird. A juvenile ... bird.

I've posted photos of goldenrod galls before, but look at this poor thing. It's gone condo!

2009-07-30T06:53:00.002-04:00

If you're interested in Toronto's fruit trees, sign up for Not Far From the Tree's second Edible Tree Tour. I enjoyed last year's tour of the orchards at Spadina House and other edibles in the Casa Loma area.

2009-07-29T11:26:00.005-04:00

I just made an interesting discovery as I was re-reading the blog post about my very first stewardship evening, back in 2006: I saw a snapping turtle that night, June 12 -- the same date I saw one this year. They're consistent!

My Beechwood outing was curtailed this morning by another storm. I don't mind rain, but when that first rumble of thunder sounded, I skedaddled. That's no place to be with lightning around. Before it started I saw a Monarch butterfly with a damaged wing, trying to dry out:

I don't know what it did when the latest downpour started. Maybe just closed its eyes and dreamed about a nice sunny day?

2009-07-27T16:42:00.025-04:00

I'm posting a ridiculous number of pictures today, so you might want to get yourself a snack or something to drink before you go any further.

The river was surprisingly calm today after a few days of heavy rain. Some of the local residents took the opportunity to get the family out on the water:

There was evidence of high water over the last few days. Here's the view yesterday from the Pottery Road bridge, looking down at the Don River and its waterlogged bank:

More soggy vegetation:

See all the debris caught behind this dead tree? That wasn't there before the heavy rains:

My cup plant runneth over:

I've seen a lot of things along the bike path, but this is a new one:

Someone just left their little pail of yellow plums. Why? Then the rains came and a snail moved in. There's a story here somewhere.

There's no shortage of fruit around here. On the Todmorden property you can find mulberries ...

(Don't eat that one -- it's not ripe yet. Wait until they're deep purple.)

... pears ...

... and a variety of apples:

(Are those crabapples? What are those? They're so big!)

I'm wracking my brain to think of a nursery rhyme or fairy tale about the three little snails who went out on a limb:

Empty nest syndrome:

At Beechwood I declared war on Queen Anne's Lace, and uprooted a good quantity.

The jewel in the crown:

Afterwards I wandered along the bike path and couldn't help noticing how much bugs like the stuff:

(Do those stripes look pink to you?!)

Oh for heaven's sake, you guys, get a room:

Voyeurism:

There were some of those lovely beetles I saw on the path last week:

Whenever the camera got too close this guy would raise a leg menacingly. Talk to the hand! If I was really pushing my luck he'd raise two legs. Eek, run awayyyy!

Earwig lurking:

Meanwhile, over at the murky pond, there were frogs on lily pads:

Ah, I never get tired of the classics. But wait, what the heck is that?!?

I didn't see it at the time because I was holding my camera blindly out over the pond, trying not to scare the froggy away. Here's a closer look at the thing:

What is that?

2009-07-24T12:38:00.007-04:00

After yesterday's healthy rainfall the Don is running fast and muddy:

It was wet going but I was glad I'd slogged over to the pond, because the muskrats were out enjoying a break in the weather:

Prepare to say, "Awww ..."

And again ...

Bye!

Anonymous moth:

Purple coneflower by the pond:

Now for a few updates: an anonymous commenter has identified that pretty little bright pink flower as a Deptford Pink, and thinks the hummingbird moth is actually a bee fly. (There are just too many nouns in there for my poor head to sort out.) Don Watcher says my busy beetles are Soldier Beetles and the bee-thing is a wasp or a hornet.

Many thanks to all who suggest IDs here. From now on I'm not even going to attempt to identify anything. I'm just going to say, "Look! Pretty!"

Finally, I'd like to welcome my new blog followers. I can't tell who you are because the Blogger widget is broken and isn't showing me my Followers list. (I checked their Help forum and others are having the same problem -- may have to do with IE 8. So annoying.) Whoever you are, thanks for reading!

(Edit: the Followers list is back! Welcome et bienvenue a tous!)

2009-07-23T07:35:00.008-04:00

We had rain recently so I decided to buckle down and remove some invasive stuff while the soft ground made pulling easier. The tansy flew, the Queen Anne's Lace succumbed, the thistles surrendered ... and then I set a new personal record for ant bites, and I gave up and went home. If one of those little demons crawls into your shirt and panics (or, more likely, goes on a suicide mission to inflict as much damage as possible), you're in for a bad time. Now I'll be trying to ignore the itching for a few days.

A baby snail is a much friendlier creature:

I realized earlier this season that I've seen snails everywhere my whole life and I know very little about them. I turned to Wikipedia, usually a good first step for quick research, and found the snail entry extremely interesting and informative.

The tansy is forming flowerheads now:

These will soon turn into bright yellow buttons, taunting me from every corner of Beechwood:

Taunting me, I tell you!

The cup plants are beginning to provide a more welcome splash of yellow everywhere:

That "cup" feature still works perfectly:

We're expecting a lot more rain over the next few days, so stay tuned for some soggy posts from your watersoaked wetlander.

2009-07-20T17:08:00.005-04:00

I think I've entered my summer dormant period: pictures are being taken but not much work is getting done here at Beechwood. There are too many distractions in the form of insects and flowers.

Katydid:

Hoverflies are not bees. Some hoverfly larvae eat aphids. Yeah!

This one is a bee. See how it has four wings rather than two? No, I don't either. Maybe it's something else entirely.

I'm not sure of the common name for these bugs, but I believe the Latin term is in flagrante delicto:

Never mind all those confusing insects, let's just admire a Black-eyed Susan:

Here's a ripe purple-flowering raspberry, moments before it was eaten by the photographer. I can confirm what all the sources say: they're edible but not really worth your while. Pretty but insipid. Shallow, too: that red berry looks big but it's just a thin layer over a big core.

This cutie-pie was catching bugs on the pond the other day. After some research and consultation I'm going to say it's an Eastern Wood-Pewee -- a new one for me! Or maybe it's a Least Flycatcher. See why I don't get any work done?

2009-07-19T20:58:00.006-04:00

Another update: The keys are gone! I hope they ended up in the right hands.

Q: Can you guess what this picture shows?

Here, try a side view:

A: These are the seeds that develop from a cow parsnip flower.

Here's a nice little beetle -- no idea what kind:

(That's my skin! Now you'll be able to recognize me on the street.)

I posted a picture of "a little bee" recently. No doubt you all had a good laugh, knowing that of course it's not a little bee at all -- it's a hoverfly. As punishment for not telling me, you must now endure a set of hoverfly pictures:

And what is this rare, exotic bloom that's attracting them? It's a sow thistle, common as dirt around here.

2009-07-19T10:16:00.003-04:00

There was a man putting up posters in the valley this morning, and I took one to post here in case any local readers can help find this missing man:

The text isn't reproducing well so I'll just repeat the details:

Robert James Crouse, 31, was last seen on Saturday, July 11, 2009 at 2 a.m. at his home in the Dundas Street East/Coxwell Avenue area.

He is described as white, 5'8"-5'9", 160-165 lbs, with brown hair and blue eyes. He was last seen wearing green pants and a black sweater with a "Fed-Ex" logo. He usually wears glasses but was not wearing them when he left home. He was last seen wearing roller blades.

Police are concerned for his safety.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 416-808-5500, Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477), online at http://www.222tips.com/, or text TOR and your message to CRIMES (274637).

*********

Update on August 19: I checked online for news of this man, and found that his friends' worst fears were realized. My condolences to everyone concerned.

2009-07-17T20:30:00.009-04:00

More photos of this'n'that today.

Chicory, up close and personal:

A little bee on a bull thistle in bloom:

Graphocephala coccinea, the red-banded leafhopper, on a cup plant. These colourful bugs visit my garden sometimes too.

I don't think we can blame this damage on leafhoppers, though. A lot of the cup plants have been munched, and I'm pinning it on the deer.

There were more frogs plopping into the pond today, as well as one big splash and ripple that I think must have been a muskrat. These are muskrat tracks in the mud:

Purple-flowering raspberries in varying stages of ripeness:

2009-07-16T07:33:00.010-04:00

Lots of pictures to get to today. Above and below you see some blue vervain in a field of Blackeyed Susans. Some days it's hard to get any work done because I have to stop and marvel at everything.

A few updates: the keys were still on that rock a few days after I first saw them, so I've hung them on a utility pole with a bit of red ribbon. I think I need a bigger ribbon or something to draw attention to them, in case the owner comes by again.

One of my comrades in guerrilla stewardship, perhaps galvanized by my threat of an SOS pad, has cleverly removed the silver paint from the signs with a product called Goo Gone Painter's Pal. Excellent work!

Alas, the yahoos have added new black-markered tags to the signs. I'll keep scrubbing with Vim and vigour.

I've been finding a lot of these white-and-brown downy feathers around the pond for the last couple of days, along with a longer wing feather. I fear there may have been an unfortunate duck incident.

The frogs are certainly flourishing in the pond:

I don't often spot them out of the water, but the minute I start to walk beside the pond there's a flurry of little plops as they leap to safety. Then they stare at me, and I chat to them.

I found this little stash beside the pond. For a moment I thought I'd discovered some wee eggs, but no, they're berries:

This seems a bit excessive:

This butterfly is a Little Wood-Satyr:

I photographed one a couple of years ago too, but didn't know its name at the time:

This little hot-pink beauty is growing beside the path on the way to Beechwood ...

... and this beautiful thing was right on the path:

Mulberry trees are dropping their fruit on sidewalks all over town. This public service announcement was fastened below a tree on Pottery Road:

(A few items, "cheep" and "organic," have been added since I took that photo. If you have more suggestions, get over there and add them. Take a pen.)

2009-07-13T15:18:00.010-04:00

It was a great day to be at Beechwood -- sunny but not hot or humid. There were lots of cedar waxwings, chickadees and cardinals around to keep me company. The waxwings have been busy around the south end of the pond for a while now, and I keep trying to get a good picture of one. This morning's attempt was the best so far, but I'll keep trying. They're beautiful birds but to me they always look a little angry:

Walnuts! Growing on a walnut tree! I guess that's not so unexpected, but it's nice to see:

Normally sumac flower panicles grow upwards like this ...

... but I guess this one's trying for a different angle on things:

There was some serious bug activity going on. Here's another type of damselfly:

A beetle:

I noticed another ladybug pupa. Love that accordion look!

I found a tree covered with these awesome, shiny little beetles. I don't know what they are, but I'm calling them Hematite Beetles. (I Googled that just in case, but no.)

I don't think the tree finds them quite as awesome as I do:

Finally, my favourite bug of the day: I was near the pond when I saw a golden-orange fuzzball hovering above some Blackeyed Susans. Hummingbird moth! It hung in the air for quite a while, seemingly motionless, deciding which flower to land on.

Closeup:

Alighting:

I took a very short video of it:

Coolest. Bug. Evah!!

2009-07-12T14:26:00.008-04:00

Another day of death and destruction in the Don. The first, and worst, discovery of the day was a mink that had been killed on Pottery Road. What a perfect, sleek thing a mink is! It was chocolate brown with a lush tail and just a few white hairs under its chin. I wish I'd examined it more carefully but all I could see was the shocking crimson blood from its mouth and nose. I couldn't bear to think what it would look like once a few more cars had connected with it, so I walked on until I found a plastic bag (sadly, that doesn't take long) which I used to lift the body into some grass by the side of the road.

As for the destruction, that was just the usual assortment of tansy, thistles, and Queen Anne's Lace. There's a reason QAL is also known as wild carrot:

Amongst the alien intruders is some white yarrow, which is a native plant. Thank goodness.

A closer look at the flowers:

The leaves are very fancy too:

A cabbage white butterfly:

A damselfly (they hold their wings parallel to their sides when they're resting, unlike a dragonfly):

They eat mosquite larvae. Keep up the good work!!!

Another look at that mystery flower:

And another one I don't know:

That one grows on a tall stalk. It's not in my field guides so I've turned to the internet, but it may take me a while to get an I.D.

Oh, and a coincidence: I got home today and discovered I'd taken ninety-nine pictures again! Clearly I'm channeling Wayne Gretzky.

2009-07-11T08:04:00.000-04:00

A glimpse of those poor ants scrambling their eggs:

2009-07-10T21:32:00.013-04:00

I couldn't quite force myself out of bed at the crack of dawn today, so I went to Beechwood in the evening instead. It's a different feeling -- more people going by, more heat, no dew, different light altogether. The ground is quite dry and hard at the moment so I didn't accomplish much in the way of pulling plants, but I wandered around and took lots of pictures. (Ninety-nine, in fact. If I'd noticed that I'd have taken one more.)

I saw marvellous things. When I opened the equipment box I discovered black ants had laid a million eggs in a couple of little niches, and the ants were suddenly in a great panic to move them away from this unexpected human threat. I apologized as best I could, but they didn't stop.

See -- black ants! Not those evil little red ones! Last year in early June I found a swarm of flying ants in the same location. Relatives?

Continuing with the bugs, I saw a ladybug larva:

(It's on my hat there.) This is the larva of the "multi-coloured Asian ladybug." Very close to it I found a ladybug pupa:

I don't know what this is, but isn't it stunning?

Have a closer look at that flower:

Apparently it sends out some little purple flowers later:

I'll have to go back and take better pictures of that stage. There were several of these in one place.

A butterfly enjoying the sun:

Back on Marnie's Point, I pulled up that thistle and a few other things. Hm, the loosestrife seems to have had its flowers mysteriously cropped. Perhaps a local expert came by to offer a diagnosis? Inquiring minds want to know. I also saw some butter-and-eggs:

Isn't that delicate? Isn't that exquisite? You know what's coming, right? It's an alien, and I'll have to think about removing it. Later.

This goldenrod had a lot of gall:

A cup plant's flower bud nestled like a green marble in those leaves:

I like the reddish edging on the leaves:

Most are still at that stage, but for some reason this one has raced ahead of its friends and opened already:

I ended my evening by scrubbing more graffiti off the signs. This was just proper graffiti that was no match for Vim and a wet rag. I discovered the other day that an SOS pad takes the silver paint off without apparently damaging the finish, but it's very slow. Next time I have six hours to spare I'll get right at that.

Finally, a public service announcement: if you've lost your keys, they're sitting on one of the rocks that mark the Beechwood wetland area. Someone must have found the keys and put them there, but I'm not optimistic that the owner will notice. Maybe I could tape a colourful sign on the rock?

2009-07-08T09:45:00.008-04:00

I wandered over to Marnie's Point this morning for a look-see. It takes a lot more effort to get around the site now that things are growing thick and fast. There aren't any convenient gravel paths or boardwalks at this wetland! I don't mind stomping on the invasive stuff, but I try not to inflict too much collateral damage on the plants I want to encourage.

Some things are doing very well on the point:

(Uh-oh. I'll get that one later.)

Oh crap, another loosestrife:

Swamp? Purple? This stalk looks like swamp loosestrife:

Andy's wildflower pages are often helpful, but having looked at the two pics of purple loosestrife on that page, I still can't make up my mind. The flower spike in the first shot looks quite dense and even, and in the second there seem to be those separate rings of flowers. His pictures of swamp loosestrife show those rings quite spaced out. Hm, what to do, what to do. Kill the evil alien purple loosestrife or cherish the attractive native swamp loosestrife? I think I'm probably dealing with purple loosestrife here, and will go ahead and uproot it unless I get a last-minute call from the governor.

Something's eaten the tops off a few of the cup plants:

Broad-leaved arrowhead in the pond:

Aren't those leaves cool? According to Wetland Plants of Ontario, "The seeds and tubers (especially the tubers) are valuable food for waterfowl and marsh birds, such as canvasbacks, mallards, scaups, teals, wood ducks, geese and rails. Muskrats and porcupines eat the leaves and tubers."

Joe-Pye weed is beginning to bloom beside the pond:

Dig that crazy grapevine:

There's also some viper's bugloss on the point:

Same old story: it's a joy to behold but it's on my list of alien plants, so it must go. Look at it batting those long eyelashes:

Another crowd favourite that's actually an alien is Queen Anne's Lace. I like the way they're tinged with pink in the beginning, before ending up as the familiar white flower:

2009-07-07T09:42:00.007-04:00

It was a mixed bag today: mostly motherwort (eek, it's taking over the whole northern part of the site), a few thistles, and a bit of tansy. I topped some burdock and some mullein. I made the mistake of taking a few minutes to survey the corner by the phragmites, and discovered a wasteland of tansy, DSV, and motherwort. And burdock, and mullein, and ... I guess I'll just write off that whole part of the site for this year and focus on clearing what I can from, say, the bur oak down to the south end.

The northern part does have a good berry crop going on, though. I'm glad we don't have bears in the area.

This cardinal worked hard to pry something off the path:

Then he decided he's really a water bird at heart:

A bull thistle in bloom:

And a Canada thistle for comparison:

An adorable little fungus growing on a dead branch of the bur oak:

There was a great blue heron in the pond today, along with several ducks. And oh, look:

More loosestrife. The funny thing is, I do think this one is purple loosestrife. Compare its flowers ...

... to the ones I pulled out last week. I think this one is swamp loosestrife:

2009-07-06T10:48:00.001-04:00

Sometimes I wonder if this sort of thing is happening while I'm taking pictures at Beechwood.

2009-07-06T10:01:00.004-04:00

Ah, milkweed, I never get tired of you.

I had one more round of thistle-pulling this morning and now feel I've pretty much conquered the worst of it. In that one little area. For now. I've read that the seeds can remain viable in the soil for 22 years. *needs to go lie down for a minute*

Most of it was Canada thistle, which is pretty wimpy as far as thistles go, but this morning I tackled some bull thistle. This is a beefier thistle, and takes its job pretty seriously. The prickles pierce leather gloves as if they weren't even there. The flower heads are much bigger than those of Canada thistle:

Add a few ornaments to this one and you'd have yourself a nice Christmas tree:

Canada thistle spreads via its root and its seed, but bull thistles spread only by seed, so I can just cut the flowers off any more I come across without pulling up the whole plant. I just wanted to show off this big one.

A few updates:

- nail polish remover had no effect on the silver paint

- a couple of Beechwood stewardship alumni returned to pull some tansy the other day. They claim to have missed the smell of it. :/ Unfortunately, they didn't quite get it all, so I'll be continuing my efforts. All visitors welcome here at Beechwood, especially if they want to uproot stuff!

- we're beginning week three of the garbage strike. The pile near Beechwood that I mentioned earlier remains unchanged, but this has appeared at Pottery Road:

2009-07-04T12:51:00.005-04:00

More tags, but this time Vim didn't do a thing on the thick, silvery paint. Neither did an alcohol swab. Any suggestions? Maybe something grittier? Sand?

I spent a solid hour and a half just pulling out thistle after thistle, with some motherwort for variety. Thistle on the right, motherwort on the left:

A lot of the thistles are about my height, or maybe a little taller:

See how they're beginning to flower? I got here just in time. I carted them off by the sheetload. ;)

After:

Better, but I'm not done yet.

(It was hard to capture that in pictures. Trust me, there's a lot of thistle added to that compost pile.)

Daylilies with motherwort and grapevine:

The lilies aren't supposed to be there either, but I have bigger fish to fry at the moment.

2009-07-03T16:08:00.002-04:00

I see that Rick Bébout has died. I didn't know him, or anything about him, but I came across his history of the Don River very recently, and enjoyed reading it. You might too.

2009-07-03T11:08:00.008-04:00

There's always been poison ivy alongside the path on the way to Beechwood, but I haven't seen any on the site yet. Today, however, I found some getting dangerously close.

I pulled tansy and Queen Anne's lace for an hour or more, stopping to talk to several people who wondered what I was up to. This peachy little moth was resting on a tansy stalk:

Looks like a leafcutter bee (or a bunch of them) has been busy. I saw several little roses like this one:

After I'd hauled away a few loads of tansy I decided I'd wrap up my visit by having a look around the site. I've spent so much time in one spot lately, working on the tansy invasion, that I have no idea what's going on anywhere else. (Beechwood doesn't seem like a very big place when I describe it to people, but just try to keep on top of it by yourself!)

Near the equipment box I spied a few motherwort plants (wonderful pictures on that page, go have a look) and thought I'd pull them out while I had a moment.

This one was engaged in a struggle with a grapevine:

Motherwort is not a big problem at Beechwood, but it doesn't hurt to stay on top of these things. It's easy to pull, with the roots coming out smoothly along with a clump of earth. I pulled the few I saw, then looked around and saw a few more. That led to a few more, and another little clump over there, and oh, there's a whole stand of it, and that brought me to the base of our big old bur oak, where I discovered a whole forest of thistles. The number of thistles was unbelievable, unimaginable, unprecedented, ungodly, unheard of ...

I fell to work at once and pulled steadily for half an hour or so, making only a small dent in the thistle patch. This is a particularly ant-infested area, making invasives-removal even better exercise than usual due to the amount of dancing around and foot-stamping required. I hauled a few bedsheet-loads of thistles to the dumping pile and resolved to return another day. I also found a number of burdock plants here, so I'll be cutting the tops off those to keep them from reproducing. The tansy will just have to wait a while, as will my walkabout to see what's going on everywhere else.

Another plant I've tackled lately is crown vetch:

As usual, this is a lovely thing, but if you let it get established ...

We don't have much at Beechwood but I've noticed more this year than in the past, so I thought I'd better deal with it now. The plan was to spend a few minutes pulling it out before I got back to my "real" work. Ha! I spent one whole visit ousting crown vetch and there's still more waiting for me.

On my way home this morning I noticed the mystery steward has been to the Pottery Road hill again. Some more DSV has been removed and this burdock has been topped:

Way to go, mystery steward!

2009-07-01T10:08:00.010-04:00

Happy Canada Day! The weather is nicer than predicted, so I took advantage and got some work done at Beechwood. A few cedar waxwings were also working, flying back and forth with bits of nesting material. The kingfisher was rattling around as usual, but it left when I went over to the pond to evict a lone spike of purple loosestrife I'd spotted:

Such a beautiful thing:

Such a tragic end:

But now, a confession: having got home and looked up some info about purple loosestrife, I'm afraid I may in fact have uprooted a nice specimen of the native swamp loosestrife in my stewardship zeal. *Hanging head in shame* Any experts care to weigh in here?

While I was by the pond I pulled a big armful of thistles -- they sure do love that pond -- as well as a load of ... anyone? Yes, more tansy. It may keep me busy for the rest of the summer.

This ant was exploring a black-eyed Susan ...

... while these were cleaning out a snail shell left on a fencepost, probably by a bird:

A bumblebee getting acrobatic on some cow parsnip:

This cow parsnip is under attack from dog-strangling vine: