Monday, 13 June 2011

Pictures of Flowers, Bugs, Plants etc. in no Particular Order

 Right, so the idea here is to attach some names to flora and fauna and animal tracks and things we see lying around on hikes and outings.


Here we have Trillium, Trout Lily and Periwinkle. They all flower in the spring. You'll see Trillium and Trout Lily in the forest as a natural thing but Periwinkle and its small blue flower has escaped from someone's garden and is considered Invasive. Trillium, of course, is Ontario's official flower and is not to be picked or trampled. Fresh flowers are white and they turn purple or pink as they age.
This is Eastern White Cedar on the Niagara Escarpment. You'll note the tentacle like root system. The trees are growing in thin soil and a windy environment. The wood is springy and pliant. It also is very water tolerant. These trees are obviously the sort that inspire stories of walking trees.



May Apple, Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly (probably Eastern) feeding on phlox and Wild Colombine. May apples are edible when they turn yellow but squirrels love them so yellow ones are hard to find.


Lupins, very hardy and invasive, Hummingbird Moth (diurnal) and ??? (dunno but its pretty)

Eyed Clickbug - if you flip it over then it will snap its body making a clicking sound, jump 30-50cm in the air and get back on its feet (making an audible click in the process OR it will pull its legs in close to its body and impersonate a piece of dried leaf or bark. It locks its legs together when sitting on a stick, making it difficult to casually pluck off and eat. 


 Canada Geese, a Red Oak Tree beginning to grow and a Painted Turtle.