Category Archives: Nature Walk Reports

High Park: June 11, 2018

Leave a reply

20 degrees and sunny at the start

Bird Highlight: Wood Duck

Wood Duck (female) with chicks

Wood Duck chicks

Botany Highlight: Common Comfrey

Common Comfrey (Symphytum officinale)

Species list: mallard, wood duck, ring-billed gull, mourning dove, northern flicker, hairy woodpecker, red-bellied woodpecker, great-crested flycatcher, eastern pewee, house wren, American robin, wood thrush, blue-gray gnatcatcher, European starling, red-eyed vireo, house sparrow, red-winged blackbird, Baltimore oriole, common grackle, brown-headed cowbird, northern cardinal, indigo bunting, American goldfinch, chipping sparrow, song sparrow. (25 species)

Cottonwood (Populus deltoides)

Poison Ivy (Toxicodendron rydbergii)

Multiflora Rose (Rosa multiflora)

Honewort (Cryptotaenia canadensis)

American Goldfinch (male)

European Starling (immature)

Hairy Beard-tongue (Penstemon hirsutus)

Field Bindweed ((Convolvulus arvensis)

Swamp Buttercup (Ranunculus hispidus)

American Robin (immature)

Flowering Raspberry (Rubus odoratus)

Bush-honeysuckle ( Diervilla lonicera)

Ox-eye Daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare)

Canada Anemone (Anemone canadensis)

Swamp Dewberry (Rubus hispidus)

Ryegrass (Lolium perenne)

Dark green Bulrush (Scirpus atrovirens)

Miles Hearn

NATURE POETRY

The world’s favourite season is the spring. All things seem possible in May.

– Edwin Way Teale (1899 – 1980)

High Park: June 9, 2018

Leave a reply

17 degrees and cloudy at the start

Bird Highlight: European Starling

Starling chick pestering parent for food

Botany Highlight: Swamp Dewberry

Swamp Dewberry (Rubus hispidus)

Species list: mallard, wood duck, ring-billed gull, northern flicker, hairy woodpecker, downy woodpecker, red-bellied woodpecker,eastern pewee, black-capped chickadee, red-breasted nuthatch, white-breasted nuthatch, gray catbird, American robin, wood thrush, blue-gray gnatcatcher, cedar waxwing, European starling, warbling vireo, red-eyed vireo, house sparrow, red-winged blackbird, Baltimore oriole, common grackle, northern cardinal, indigo bunting, house finch, chipping sparrow, song sparrow. (28 species)

Red Pine (Pinus resinosGypsy Moth

Fall Cankerworm larva

Orchard Grass (Dactylis glomerata)

Chipmunk

New Jersey Tea (Ceanothus americanus)

Mallard (male)

Meadow Spittlebug

Hound’s-tongue (Cynoglossum officinale)

Bush-honeysuckle (Diervilla lonicera)

Red Fescue (Festuca rubra)

Black Squirrel

Common Buttercup (Ranunculus acris)

Philadelphia Fleabane (Erigeron philadelphicus)

Red Clover (Trifolium pratense)

Red-osier (Cornus sericea)

False Spikenard (Maianthemum racemosum)

Yellow Hawkweed (Hieracium caespitosum)

Timothy (Phleum pratense)

Oriental Bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus)

Multiflora Rose (Rosa multiflora)

Pointed-leaf Tick-trefoil (Desmodium glutinosum)

Showy Tick-trefoil (Desmodium canadense)

Miles Hearn

NATURE POETRY

“Life is thickly sown with thorns, and I know no other remedy than to pass quickly through them. The longer we dwell on our misfortunes, the greater is their power to harm us.”

– Voltaire (1694–1778)

Rouge Hills: June 8, 2018

Leave a reply

20 degrees and sunny at the start

Bird Highlight: Indigo Bunting

Indigo Bunting

Botany Highlight: Hairy Beard-tongue

Hairy Beard-tongue (Penstemon hirsutus)

Species list: ring-billed gull, eastern kingbird, eastern pewee, blue jay, American crow, gray catbird, American robin, cedar waxwing, red-eyed vireo, yellow warbler, common yellowthroat, red-winged blackbird, Baltimore oriole, common grackle, brown-headed cowbird, northern cardinal, indigo bunting, American goldfinch, field sparrow, song sparrow. (20 species)

Bulblet Fern

Blue-eyed Grass (Sisyrinchium angustifolium)

Silverweed (Potentilla anserina)

Wild Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis)

Salsify (Tragopogon pratensis)

Philadelphia Fleabane (Erigeron philadelphicus)

Ox-eye Daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare)

Maple-leaved Vibernum (Viburnum acerifolium)

Viceroy Butterfly

Virginia Waterleaf (Hydrophyllum virginianum)

Field Sparrow

Blue Cohosh (Caulophyllum thalicroides)

Eastern Kingbird

Doll’s-eyes (Actaea pachypoda)

Flax (Linum)

Bellwort (Uvularia grandiflora)

American Toad

Yellow Hawkweed (Hieracium caespitosum)

Miles Hearn

NATURE POETRY

“I must have flowers, always, and always.”

– Claude Monet (1840–1926)

Marie Curtis Park: June 7, 2018

Leave a reply

15 degrees and cloudy at the start

Bird Highlight: Brown Thrasher

Brown Thrasher

Botany Highlight: Herb Robert

Herb Robert (Geranium robertianum)

Species list: double-crested cormorant, Canada goose, mallard, ring-billed gull, common tern, mourning dove, northern flicker, downy woodpecker, eastern kingbird, willow flycatcher, great-crested flycatcher, tree swallow, rough-winged swallow, blue jay, American crow, black-capped chickadee, white-breasted nuthatch, house wren, gray catbird, brown thrasher, American robin, blue-gray gnatcatcher, European starling, warbling vireo, red-eyed vireo, yellow warbler, American redstart, house sparrow, red-winged blackbird, Baltimore oriole, orchard oriole, common grackle, brown-headed cowbird, northern cardinal, indigo bunting, American goldfinch, savannah sparrow, song sparrow. (38 species)

Black Locust (Robinia pseudoacacia)

Canada Goose gosling

Cottonwood (Populus deltoides)

Forest Bluegrass (Poa alsodes)

Starling parent and chick

Red-osier (Cornus sericea)

Song Sparrow

Common Buttercup (Ranunculus acris)

Red-winged Blackbird (male)

Dame’s Rocket (Hesperis matronalis)

American Robin

Meadow Spittlebug

large Burdock leaf

Brown-headed Cowbird (female)

Morrow Honeysuckle (Lonicera morrowii)

Orchard Oriole (male)

Philadelphia Fleabane (Erigeron philadelphicus)

Tree Swallow

Virginia Waterfelaf (Hydrophyllum virginianum)

Beaver

Wild Geranium (Geranium maculata)

Mallards

Silvery Blue Butterfly

Wild Blue Flag (Iris versicolor)

Bird Vetch (Vicia cracca)

Miles Hearn

NATURE POETRY

And I think if you listen closely
In the sweet, glad days of spring,
With the song of the brook, the breeze and the birds,
You can hear the flowers sing.

– Helen Isabel Moorhouse (b.1876)

Wilket Creek: June 6, 2018

Leave a reply

14 degrees and overcast at the start

Bird Highlight: Song Sparrow

Song Sparrow

Botany Highlight: Yellow Flag

Yellow Flag (Iris pseudocorus)

Species list: mallard, ring-billed gull, red-bellied woodpecker, hairy woodpecker, great crested flycatcher, eastern pewee, barn swallow, blue jay, white-breasted nuthatch, gray catbird, American robin, red-eyed vireo, Baltimore Oriole, brown-headed cowbird, scarlet tanager, northern cardinal, iose-breasted grosbeak, indigo bunting, chipping sparrow, song sparrow. (20 species)

Dame’s Rocket (Hesperis matronalis)

Flowering Raspberry (Rubus odoratus)

Common Buttercup (Ranunculus acris)

Birdfoot Trefoil (Lotus corniculatus)

Water-hemlock (Cicuta bulbifera)

Philadelphia Fleabane (Erigeron philadelphicus)

Piptatherum (Piptatherum racemosum)

Virginia Waterleaf (Hydrophyllum virginianum)

Rattlesnake Weed (Hieracium venosum)

Common Trillium (Trillium grandiflorum)

Hemlock (Tsuga canadensis)

Miles Hearn

NATURE POETRY

The apple-trees with bloom are all aglow—
Soft drifts of perfumed light—
A miracle of mingled fire and snow—
A laugh of Spring’s delight!

– Horatio Nelson Powers (1826–90)

Col Sam Smith Park: June 5, 2018

1 Reply

14 degrees and cloudy at the start

Bird Highlight: Spotted Sandpiper

Spotted Sandpiper

Botany Highlight: Sand Cherry

Sand Cherry (Prunus pumila)

Species list: red-necked grebe, double-crested cormorant, black-crowned night heron, mute swan, mallard, spotted sandpiper, semi-palmated sandpiper, herring gull, ring-billed gull, mourning dove, chimney swift, tree swallow, bank swallow, rough-winged swallow, barn swallow, cliff swallow, gray catbird, American robin, blue-gray gnatcatcher, cedar waxwing, European starling, warbling vireo, yellow warbler, house sparrow, red-winged blackbird, Baltimore oriole, common grackle, brown-headed cowbird, northern cardinal, house finch, American goldfinch, song sparrow. (32 species)

Barn Swallow

Robin chick and parent

Robin chick

Yellow Warbler (male)

Red-necked Grebe

Tartarian Honeysuckle (Lonicera tatarica)

Herring Gull

Ring-billed Gull

Painted Turtle

Song Sparrow

Common Duckweed (Lemna minor)

Rough-winged Swallow

Horse-chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum)

House Sparrow chicks

Red-winged Blackbird (male)

House Finch (male)

Miles Hearn

NATURE POETRY

My lilac trees are old and tall;
I cannot reach their bloom at all.
They send their perfume over trees
And roofs and streets, to find the bees.

– Louise Driscoll (1875–1957)

Scarborough Bluffs: June 4, 2018

Leave a reply

17 degrees with and cloudy at the start

Bird Highlight: Brown-headed Cowbird

Brown-headed Cowbird (male)

Botany Highlight: Red Clover

Red Clover (Trifolium pratense)

Species list: turkey vulture, ring-billed gull, mourning dove, chimney swift, hairy woodpecker, downy woodpecker, great crested flycatcher, willow flycatcher, eastern pewee, blue jay, Carolina wren, gray catbird, American robin, cedar waxwing, European starling, warbling vireo, red-eyed vireo, yellow warbler, house sparrow, red-winged blackbird, Baltimore oriole, orchard oriole, common grackle, brown-headed cowbird, northern cardinal, indigo bunting, American goldfinch, song sparrow. (28 species)

Dame’s Rocket (Hesperis matronalis)

Common Buttercup (Ranunculus acris)

Mourning Dove

Goutweed (Aegopodium podagraria)

Turkey Vulture being bothered by Red-winged Blackbird

Orchard Grass (Dactylis glomerata)

Orchard Oriole (male)

Virginia Waterleaf (Hydrophyllum virginianum)

Song Sparrow

Salsify (Tragopgon pratensis)

Red Squirrel

Brome Grass (Bromus inermis)

Red-winged Blackbird (male)

Dog-strangling Vine (Vincetoxicum rossicum)

Stinging Nettle (Urtica dioica)

English Garden Snail

Highbush Cranberry (Viburnum triilobum)

Hawthorn (Crataegus)

Miles Hearn

NATURE POETRY

Come rambling awhile through this exquisite weather
Of days that are fleet to pass,
When the stem of the willow shoots out a green feather,
And buttercups burn in the grass!

– Edgar Fawcett (1847–1904)