Miscellaneous Bugs

Delved into the growing sort pile today for a handful of miscellaneous bugs from the summer.  Without much ado, here they are:

First, one of my favourite (but one of the most common) spiders of southern Ontario.  Perhaps also the most aptly named:

Black-and-yellow Garden Spider (Argiope aurantia)

Turns out this post is going to have an unintended 'black and yellow' theme.  This beetle is doing his best to mimic a wasp (not terribly convincing I'd say).  Not sure of the exact species on this one:

Long-horned Beetle (Family: Cerambycidae)

Lastly, one of the first butterflies seen in the spring, and one of the last seen in the fall - the black-and-yellowish:

Mourning Cloak (Nymphalis antiopa)

Ok, so it's more brown and off-white, but what can you do.  Hopefully more soon, as the pile is getting scary!

Kyle

Algonquin Weekend

I had the good fortune to merit an invitation to the Camp Arowhon Nature Weekend  last weekend, and had a blast!  Arowhon is nestled neatly into Algonquin Park, which is always an exciting place to spend some time.  Spent much of the time leading walks and socializing, but I did manage to grab a few photos here and there.

Algonquin Park - Teepee Lake morning

Sharp-shinned Hawk (Accipter striatus)

Spruce Grouse (Falcipennis canadensis)

Spruce Grouse was an awesome surprise, as although I have seen it in Newfoundland, I have tried for this bird in Ontario many times without success!  Always nice to conquer a longtime nemesis.

Kyle

Website Updates

Have been working on some updates to the website and they are finally online - specifically in the "Photography" section.  Hopefully I have simplified things and made the section a bit more approachable.  Gone is my never-completed attempt at a full online photo index (a pipe-dream, sadly) and in its place are a few user-friendly galleries.  I have also added a current Stock List, which I will try my best to keep up-to-date.  You may even find a few photos that have never been online before, like this one (I think)!

Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake (Sistrurus catenatus catenatus)

A few more projects in the works, hopefully details soon!
Kyle