Autumn lingers

Watching the news makes one realize how winter has unofficially arrived in many parts of Canada with snowy blustery days and even major snowstorms. The closest we’ve come is one night of freezing rain which coated everything but luckily the ice melted by noon the next day. Now the warmer weather has returned and with it fog follows the cooler nights. In the morning the ground is covered in frost before the sun melts it. I love how the grasses and fallen leaves are outlined in ice crystals.

This morning, the sun was shining on one side of the yard and there I found a Periwinkle flower.

Blue Bell still blooming.

White fluffy Milkweed seeds were caught in groundcover.

By contrast, in the shaded parts of the yard, the green foliage, grasses and fallen leaves were covered in a frosty coating; each leaf veins and hairs outlined in rime creating exquisite patterns.

When the leaves are down it’s a good time to examine trees and shrubs for nests and cavities which are so well camouflaged in the summer. There are discoveries to be made such as the now easily seen pendulous Baltimore Oriole nests hanging towards the end of sturdy twigs; I found 3 of these marvels in the yard.  

Baltimore Oriole nest in Birch



 I love birch trees, the tiny twigs and seeds creating stark shadows on the white bark.

Even the weedy brown Mulleins stalks stand tall looking a bit like skinny Saguaro cacti. The birds love to perch on these vantage points in the summer, to catch passing insects on the fly. Now they serve to remind me of those warmer days. I will clean the yard up in the spring but for now I leave all undisturbed, places for winter species to hide and feed during the harsh winter months.

Louise

Mullein stalks

Autumn seeds and fruit

The days are shorter, nights cooler and the chipmunks and squirrels are working non-stop at stocking up their winter caches of food. I’ve been watching a red squirrel zipping up a Black Walnut tree, loosening the nuts, letting them fall to the ground then moving on to the next branch.





After a few minutes he scurries back down and collects the fallen nuts making several trips to his caches. The food has to last till next spring when new foods become available, since red squirrels do not hibernate and need something to eat during those cold snowy months.

There can be several of these caches in a squirrel’s territory, some underground or in tree hollows or in this case a conveniently located tractor shed with a nice gap below the door.






Yep, the shed is right next to the walnut tree, and it is now full of nuts! The squirrel has also dug an exit hole out the back in the dirt floor, in case a quick escape is needed. Since we store the tractor there in the summer only, this is a great place for the cache, away from snow and predators, this is a smart squirrel! I love hearing his chatter and watching his acrobatics in the trees, how can I resist his cuteness!

The chipmunks on the other hand will stay underground all winter and need to store foods in their burrows, which can be quite extensive.

Our whole yard is riddled with these (free lawn aeration!) and we have chipmunks popping up everywhere, chasing each other and scolding from atop all manner of perches. They also love to groom while on these perches, a most adorable creature.

These days, they are busy collecting maple keys which are plentiful, there is no end to the trips they take up the trees, returning with cheeks so stuffed they can hardly run. Of course they also spend a lot of time under the bird feeders, cleaning up the seeds fallen from above.

More plentiful than anything else are the wild grapes. This must be a bounty year for this plant! The vines, draped over fences and trees, are bearing large clusters of blue grapes that are the size of blueberries. Many animals eat these including several species of birds. The grapes will help sustain winter wildlife.



Wild grapes

 Flocks of migrating sparrows and winter seed-eating birds appreciate and depend on the seeds of native grasses. A few years ago I planted 2 native grass species, Little Blue Stem and Big Blue Stem, and 1 non-native ornamental (name escapes me).

 

Big Blue Stem

  
   



Little Blue Stem





Little Blue Stem seedheads



It’s telling that the Juncos and Sparrows eat the seeds of the native grasses but have never touched the seeds of the ornamental non-native grass. If you are planting grasses, chose the native ones if possible, they may not be as showy as some imports but more importantly they will provide winter food for wildlife. They also are adapted to our climate and thrive with little care. The prairie species that I planted are especially well adapted to the dry sandy moraine soil in our yard. An amazing two-thirds of the plant is actually underground, unseen, its long roots extending deep into the soil to find moisture. I never have to water these beautiful plants.

There are plenty of other wild foods such as birch seeds, acorns, berries, cones. All are important for the winter survival of many species.



When possible chose native trees and shrubs that bear fruit or seeds edible by wildlife when doing plantings. These are hardier and easier to care for. You might also get the pleasure of observing wild birds or other species from the comfort of your home, feasting on the bounty in your yard.

Louise





















More fascinating insects!

There is definitely a smell of fall in the air, a spiciness, leaves are turning colours, the daylight hours are shorter and the nights are cooler. I always feel a little sad to see the end of summer, migrants leaving and songbird voices quiet. Sunsets are spectacular right now, something about the light gives more saturation to the red and pink hues.

I have a cast on my foot so have been doing a lot of sitting outside and it’s stunning to see the diversity of insects flying around, and in particular wasps; small parasitic wasps, those that hover, striped, plain, large, and even some bright green ones. Yes, they are at times annoying when food is around but if you ignore them or stay calm and gently shoo them away they are not aggressive and leave. Don’t panic and flail or swat or squeeze them as they might sting in self-defense, and you can’t blame them for that. I have never been stung and we have several species nesting near our deck. Insects are part of the web of life, we need them but they don’t need us, remember this.



Organ-pipe Mud Dauber nest



Some wasps are particularly nice to have around, take for instance the Organ-Pipe Mud Dauber Trypoxylon politum that has built a lovely nest on the cedar shake wall at the back of our house, near the roof, sheltered from the rain. It’s an architectural gem, really looking like organ pipes. I marvel at the design and the many trips carrying bits of mud the wasps must have taken to build it.  These wasps are large and black, are very docile and are not known to sting humans and best of all their main food source is spiders, which we have plenty of. I am pleased to have them living near us and helping keep our spider population in check.

  The Black Swallowtail caterpillars on my parsley survived to the last instar and then moved out to find a place to pupate. I have yet to find the pupae. 

Black Swallowtail last instar



   

Milkweed Tiger Moth

Yesterday I discovered 15 very pretty tufted moths on Common Milkweed plants in the front flower garden.


Milkweed


They are the larvae of the Milkweed Tiger Moth Euchaetes egle. They feed on Milkweed and Dogbane plants and like the Monarch Butterfly, the toxic chemicals from the milkweed are retained in the adult body. However instead of a visual warning of their unpalatability which would not be useful at night, the moths emit a click to deter bats from feeding on them. So much complexity!

Another exciting discovery was that of a large moth that looked like a piece of bark. I noticed it on the brick wall, it must have been disturbed from a hiding spot to end up in the open in the daytime. After some research, it was determined to be a nocturnal Bride Underwing Moth, Catopala neogama. The underwings were not showing but they would be a bright orange-red colour with black stripes. The moth was at least 2.5 inches long and 1.5 inches across and very convincingly looked like a piece of bark from a distance. The larvae feed at night on the leaves of Walnut or Hickory or Butternut and occasionally Oak tree species. We have a large Black Walnut tree near the house so perhaps it was the host tree. This morning the moth was gone, so I am lucky to have seen it.

If you are observant and curious, you will likely come across all sorts of interesting life forms and learn something new.

Louise