Sweat Bee
One flower that does really well in my garden in the late summer is the aster. I purchased a plant from a local nursery a few years ago, and although I don’t remember which type it is, every year it comes back and produces a bounty of small, purple flowers. It has spread over the years, turning my back garden into an untidy mess of green and purple each September; and this year I even noticed a few plants growing in my lawn!
Asters provide a wonderful source of pollen and nectar in the early autumn when few plants are flowering. In fact, the nectar provided by late-blooming flowers helps to ensure that bee colonies are strong enough to endure the winter. Other insects that benefit from the asters are beetles, butterflies, moths, wasps, hover flies, and sweat bees, such as the one shown to the right. I usually spend some time checking out the various visitors on the flowers each autumn, but for some reason this year I never made the time. Then one day just after the September equinox I happened to notice a large number of insects buzzing around the flowers when I came home from work. I went out with my camera to have a look and was surprised by the bugs that I found!
On Sunday I went to Shirley’s Bay and spent the entire morning there. A juvenile Long-billed Dowitcher, six American Golden-Plovers, two Bald Eagles and 28 Great Egrets had been observed on Saturday evening around dusk, and I was hoping to find the dowitcher for my year list. However, it was gone on Sunday morning, and so were all but one of the American Golden-Plovers; a single bird was standing on the sandy point just beyond the cattails. In fact, the only other shorebirds present on the mudflats were two Killdeer. Water levels had begun to rise again, and the mudflats were noticeably much reduced. 
I’m glad I took Tuesday off for it turned out to be the most spectacular warbler day of the season. I started off at the Rideau Trail, expecting only four or five species, and ending up with 12! I came across a large flock in the trees between the hydro cut and the boardwalk, and spent almost an hour watching them. The usual American Redstarts, Black-throated Green Warblers, Chestnut-sided Warblers, Magnolia Warblers and Black-and-White Warblers were present, as were one Common Yellowthroat, one Nashville Warbler and less common species such as Blackburnian Warbler, Tennessee Warbler, and two Bay-breasted Warblers. 
The following day I visited Jack Pine Trail. I decided to go later in the day in the hopes of seeing some different species; however, there were few birds to be seen, with only common species such as Blue Jays, chickadees, robins and Cedar Waxwings along the trails. Fortunately, there were plenty of butterflies, dragonflies, and other unusual insects around to make up for the lack of birds. Common whitetails, Twelve-spotted Skimmers and White-faced Meadowhawks were the most abundant dragonflies, while Eastern Forktails were the only damselflies I identified. In the butterfly department, Cabbage Whites, Northern Crescents, a single Viceroy, and two skipper species – Least and Dun Skippers – were present throughout the conservation area. I also found two Eastern Tailed Blues in different areas, a species I had not encountered here before.
I went to Hurdman Park twice in my first week back to work after my holiday; I hadn’t been there in a while and I was curious as to whether much had changed since I’d been away. During my visit it became clear that summer is definitely waning here in Ottawa – the birds are no longer spending energy on singing and defending territories. I heard a cardinal, a couple of Song Sparrows and a Red-eyed Vireo singing, but the Warbling Vireos, Yellow Warblers, American Redstarts, Least Flycatchers and Common Yellowthroats have already ceased. I noticed one redstart foraging in the woods along the feeder path, but saw none of the usual Eastern Kingbirds, Red-winged Blackbirds, Baltimore Orioles, woodpeckers, nuthatches or Yellow Warblers. I assume that the chicks have all fledged and the birds have left their nesting areas in search of more abundant food sources in order to prepare for the long journey south soon to come.
I’ve been seeing lots of moths in my garden lately. Some fly out of the flower bed and land on the fence while I am watering the garden; others I’ve found nectaring on the flowers. It’s nice to know that even if I don’t see very many butterflies in my yard, other members of the Order Lepodoptera have found it to their liking!
I’ve been taking a lot of pictures in my garden lately; June is a great month for seeing lots of different insects! Although my butterfly garden hasn’t attracted any hummingbirds or interesting butterflies yet (i.e. any species OTHER than the common, non-native Cabbage White), it has attracted a lot of other pollinators such as hover flies, fruit flies, bees and moths. Of course, these insects attract other types of insects….the predators that feed on them, rather than the pollen or nectar of flowers. As usual, there are lots of different types of spiders in my backyard, including a couple of very small orbweavers. I hope they grow large and fearsome like the 
My flowers have been slow to bloom so far, but when I returned from my trip to southern Ontario I was delighted to find that most of the Columbine I had started from seed last year was in bloom. I was thrilled with the colours that had blossomed: purple with a little bit of yellow in the center, white with purple stripes, red and yellow, pale pink, and even white. The flowers on two of my plants haven’t opened yet; I can’t wait to see what colours they will become!
The Pathless Wood 