Inspired by the wild

Obviously, I've been lucky enough to spend a bit of time hiking about in my favourite garden - nature. Above, another shot from Awenda Provincial Park, a bunch of hepatica has burst from the cover of dead leaves in a cheery bouquet. I'm getting ready to plant my own garden - largely perrenials at this point - including a woodland shade garden. I've tried to pick native plants as much as possible - although there are a few hard to resist plants that have come from afar. I've got bunchberry, jacob's ladder, ostrich fern, maiden fern, periwinkle, veronica, woodruff, violets, geum, ajuga, bleeding heart, lily-of-the-valley, echinaecea, and quite a few others. I'm pretty excited. I'll be posting pictures soon as one of my goals is to photo document my garden (with instructions for my parents for next year). I'm still toying with ideas to includes some rocks (mainly for a spot to stand so I can water the plants) and what kind of border or paths I want. In the mean time, I've been working hard in the daylight hours I've been free to do so to reseed the patches of lawn that need it (i.e. the entire back yard and a good chunk of the sides in the front.) and work 3 jobs. Funny, I'm actually loving being busy. Cheers, JP

Warped Trilliums

I wonder what is wrong with them... They were the only ones that we saw that looked like this.

Dutchman's Breeches

I haven't seen any of these yet on the Bruce Trail - but there were plenty at awenda.

Catching another trout (lily)

Trout lilies are fickle to photograph - either they are blurry or cool - rarely in between.

Awenda's flowers blew me away. I really enjoyed them.

Odd Green Trillium

I'm not sure if it is a mutation, a virus or just some strange strain. This is super-kiem trillium.

Trilliums at Kelso

Red, White and Unusual Trilliums seen while hiking with Gabe the other day. I've never seen one like the bottom trillium, although I've seen similar ones with green streaks. I'll post a nifty one from Mount Nemo next.

The Coltfoot Calvalry Heralds the Coming of Spring

See what a supply of photos can do for the frequency of my posts. I'm trying not to use them up too quickly - life is rapidly getting busier. There are so many things I want to do, and barely enough time for the stuff I need to do.

Coltsfoot is a cool plant and usually the very first I've seen in spring, crocuses and dafodils aside seeing as they grown in our neighbours yard. This shot is also from Inverhuron's MacIntrye Park. :D Yeah for Spring

This years first trillium picture for Lothyn

Well, its not quite open - but here it is - the first trillium of the year. Vifa nia ramma squafa, yamma nia kiem.

So after seeing all these grat wildflowers - I'm back to trying to plan my woodland garden. I'm going to pass on the spring ephemerals, but I'm hoping to plant mostly native species including some favourites like twin flower, bunch berry, solomon's seal and wood fern. All I have to do is figure out how much leaf matter to mix in with the dirt (oh yeah, and move the dirt into that corner). I'll be sharing pictures as I get around to working on it between my thesis and everything else.

Bloodroot - Mount Nemo

These are often the first spring flowers to bloom. The leaves are really cool - and this picture just worked out well. They were the first we saw on our hike, a good omen for sure!

Butterflies in Deep River

So I've completed my journey to Deep River for the wedding. It involved freezing my feet in the Wilmot to get some data (silly girl - rain boots would have been a good idea), meeting the head gardener of Marmora, Shopping in Arden and a lot of wandering around downtown in Ottawa and a yummy steak sandwich. I even got to try out my funky bathing suit.

This was taken this morning by the Ottawa River... I hope that it stays dry... The sky doesn't bode well for this afternoon. Cross your fingers...

Jenn

Visions of Cataract

Just upstream from Belfountain is this charming stretch of the credit river winding through a meadow. Encrusted with the jewels of a thousand jewelwings and decked in flowers and trees - it was a treat to spend a few days there.

Purple Spiked Water

I have to admit that the name of this one eludes me and I haven't had a chance to look it up. I'm yawning and trying to look forward to another day in a chilly lab - but I'm excited about my trip this weekend and a chance to visit with a bunch of people I haven't seen in a while - which is of couse why it has to coincide with the one weekend this summer that my best friend happens to be in town. I guess there isn't much to be done except eventually visit her later. Well, I'm not free until this assignment is done... so no more procrastinating.

I hope the chinese man with the facial tumour is recovering well. We're the same age. It shocks me that he hasn't had medical treatment already. Disfigurement is horrible enough, but the impacts on his health and well being were surely enough to warrent intervention years ago. I guess I should double count my lucky stars - to be relatively healthy and live in a country with public health care. It amazes me the terrible things that people suffer through.

Cheers,

Jennith

Lilytrio

Hmmm. I've always really liked white water lillies. There is something magical about their ability to float.

More Pink Corydalis

There.. now you can get an idea about the leaves too!

Pale Corydalis

Another cool plant that I haven't seen often. It was growing on a rock outcrop near the lake. I had a tough time getting my camera to focus on it for some reason. The foliage is light green and interestingly fingered. This was at our second break on the hike. One bad thing about the hike is that there are lots of places to stop near the beginning, but we had to do most of the second half without stopping especially with the rather ravenous bug population tormenting us to hike faster, nevermind stop.

Dwarf Rattlesnake Plantain

Here is Goodyeara Repens - with an amazingly cool pattern on its leaves. We missed the flowers, but the leaves are unmistakable. We did not see any rattlesnakes :P.

Leaning Over

Here is another shot of Silent Lake during the day - this red pine valiently clinging to the rock as it leans gracefully over the water. Our 15 km hike was pretty good - but I think it would have been even better in the fall with all the hardwood trees turning colour amongst patches of green (hemlocks, pines etc). Besides.. unlike some other provinces I know - this part of Ontario is generally bug free in September.

Sunset Over Silent Lake Provincial Park

Perhaps not the most inspiring sunset ever, but the first one I watched set over a lake. I am really spending too much time in the city. It looks like I'll have at least one more day furtively battling computer software in the Lab (brr...)

Silent Lake Camping Trip

I've returned from Silent Lake via Bobcaygeon, Fenalon Falls, Mount Albert, Sharon, Bolton and Whaley's Corners to name a few towns. I feel revived after spending a weekend doing things I was good at... camping, hiking and canoeing. We did a pretty grueling 15 km hike and a pleasant canoe from Silent Lake to Quiet Lake - which oddly enough lived up to their names. I didn't take nearly enough pictures and I'm sure another week in the woods would be healing, but work calls, so back to the city am I... and now off to bed too. More pictures to be posted tomorrow.

Evinrude Has Mighty Mouthparts

Man... I wouldn't want to get bitten by a mouth like that - okay... I don't really fancy human teethmarks on me either. I though Erin might get a kick out of this one.

Cataract Collage

A tough day of work for sure - just hang out somewhere beautiful, be helpful and take great pictures. Actually - I think my camera sustained minor injuries, but I've got a work around for the problem so we are still in business. The Credit is a beautiful and today was one of those days that is so perfect it hurts. It was warm, but not too hot or humid and with a nice breeze and the colours were amazing. Lots of insects - especially butterflies and dragonflies -and lots of wildflowers and interesting grasses. Its raining now - which the garden below (not to mention our poor burnt grass) will appreciate it for sure. Tommorrow is a fight the computer software day - so back inside the freezing computer lab - but today will keep all that computer time worthwhile.

Striped Leaf-stripper

My last post for today - honest, I'm going to save some for tommorrow - is a monarch caterpiller on Milkweed again. As to how I came to possess so many awesome pictures, well I had a day in the field where I got stuck babysitting our antena for more of the day (hopefully I'm not too burnt). All in all it was an awesome, if not necessarily productive for me personally day. Anywho, I'm off to water the flowers in the garden.

Cheers,

Jennith

Ladybug Bouquet

Milkweed seems to be a well populated plant today - offering many photographic oportunities

The Battle of the Beetles

On top of old Milkweed, the flower now fade
2 Mighty beetles duel without aid
I don't know who will win, I hope no one dies
Unless they are those nasty blood-sucking, black flies

Soaring speedily

Here we are another day in front of the computer - typing, thinking, reading, writing..... I spend more time with my computer than I do with all the people I see put together and what do the socialogists say about this.. I'm sure they'd say its bad. Granted with the humidity outside nearly shocking - even I probably wouldn't venture outside to do more than water the plants, although it is supposed to rain again this afternoon..... I decided to work from my brothers house today. Its quiet and cool - without being freezing like school and there is a pleasant humm in the background from the fish tank.

I envy that bird though.... Right now I wish I could just do something that involved physical movement - running, walking, flying, hiking - heck even riding a stationary bike would make me less crazy than this constant sitting still. So a few sit ups and maybe a couple of bounds up and down the stairs and back to the math with me.

The other rescued Dragonfly

So the rest of my story for the weekend... work work... see my grandparents... water the garden.... oooh and play games for the first time since Gabe headed east for the summer. :D It should be fun :D.

Other exciting upcoming events....

In 2 weeks I'm heading up to Silent Lake for the first time ever to do some hiking and canoeing... :D and in 3 weeks I will be heading north and east again for the long anticipated wedding of M and I. M, a friend from my teaching days up north, got together with I (well, slowly and sort of) while were were up north... so its kind of special - both because I'll be seeing a really good friend and truely neat person again, but also because I feel like I was part of them getting together - even if all I did was a whole lot of listening... so exciting pictures in the next few weeks :D. I'll be hanging out with another co worker from that time and place in my life and her boyfriend. - it should be a blast.

So... now all I have to do is work my but off so that I can escape with a free conscience and enjoy my few days of road trip and squeeze in a bit of visiting and random camping.

Cheers,

Jennith

Dragonfly Rescuers Downstream

This sharp looking jewelwing and his partner (or rival) were nearly spider-lunch - however, I decided to intervene on account that anything that eats things that bite me deserves to live and while the spider would eat the mosquitos too - hunger might make him try harder and build more webs. I just don't think I wanted to seemt them struggle and die. I've watched a spider take and wrap a fly.. its facinating, but not what I was in the mood for today.

Today was a survey day, so I spent most of it in a pleasantly semi-shaded woodland near a most spiffy looking stream. Not bad - and the equipment didn't throw us any curve balls that we couldn't sort out. Not too bad...

Cheers,

Jennith

Me Like Leafsnack

Here is a hungery, hungery looking caterpiller

Doll's Eyes of Death

Here is a striking, but poisonous plant found while wandering the wilds of Mount Nemo - Red or White Baneberry (I'd guess red with the longer stalks).

Muskrat Munchings

Here 'e is again :D

Muskrat Madness in Norval

My first siting of a muskrat and it was all but in the village of Norval. This guy was busy doing muskrat stuff on the shores of Silver Creek near highway 7. :D

Mysterious Mint??

I'm not sure what plant this is, but an art teacher mighy appreciate the patterns in this photo.

Milkweed Madness

Butterfly Nursury
A charming mobile nodding
Stars - Sap grants safety

Dragonfly on a Blade of Grass

This one I don't even know the name of but he sat still for me long enough to get a few shots.

Dragonfly Launching From Credit River Branch

Sometimes my job affords me the chance to photograph dragonflies. This isn't the sharpest picture, but he was about to move, so what can you do about focusing. Found a few beautiful new spots and dirt roads tucked away in in Southern Ontario.