Ebony Jewelwings at the Upper Credit: July 2020

About ten years ago, Credit Valley Conservation purchased a large tract of farm land along the Credit River. Since that time, the land is being managed so that it will return to its original state as native meadow and tallgrass prairie. One of the hopes is that eastern meadowlarks and bobolinks, birds that are typical of meadow and prairie habitat, would nest here. Both were present during my visit.

Chipmunk with full mouth
Ebony Jewelwing
Ebony Jewelwing
Ebony Jewelwing
Ebony Jewelwing
Ebony Jewelwing
Ebony Jewelwing
Ebony Jewelwing
European Skipper
European Skipper
European Skipper
European Skipper
European Skipper
Pearl Crescent
Pearl Crescent
Yellow-collared Scape Moth
Yellow-collared Scape Moth
Northern Pearly Eye
Toothed Somberwing Moth
Yellow-collared Scape Moth
 Eufidonia notataria moth
Powdered Dancer Damselfly
Bee
Clouded Sulphur Butterfly
Nymph Grasshopper

Thank-you to Ken Sproule for species identifications.

Some botany:

Field Thistle (Cirsium discolor)
Viper’s Bugloss (Echium vulgare)
Showy Coneflower (Rudbeckia speciosa)
Foxglove Beard-tongue (Penstemon digitalis)
Deptford Pink (Dianthus armeria)
Butter-and-eggs (Linaria vulgaris)
Swamp Buttercup (Ranunculus septentrionalis)
Peppermint (Mentha x piperita)
Sprengel’s Sedge (Carex sprengelii)
Wild Basil (Satureja vulgaris)
High Mallow (Malva sylvestris)
High Mallow (Malva sylvestris)
Tower Mustard (Arabis glabra)
Daisy Fleabane (Erigeron annuus)
Bladder Campion (Silene vulgaris)
Birdfoot Trefoil (Lotus corniculatus)
Gray Dogwood (Cornus foemina)
Lichen on fence post
Goat’s-beard (Tragopogon)
White Bedstraw (Galium album)
Meadowsweet (Spirea alba)
American Goldfinch (female)
Indigo Bunting (male)
Indigo Bunting (male)
Red-winged blackbird (male)
Savannah Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Song Sparrow. Raised tail means the bird is ready for mating.

NATURE POETRY

How many songs, O summer wind,
How many songs you know
Of fair, sweet things in your wanderings,
As over the earth you go.        – Ina Donna Coolbrith  (1841–1928)

Miles Hearn

2 thoughts on “Ebony Jewelwings at the Upper Credit: July 2020

  1. Lisa Volkov

    Beautiful! And that baby (I’m assuming that’s what’s meant by “nymph”–that it’s newly–hatched? Emerged?) grasshopper! Thanks Miles, (and Ken)!

    Reply

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