wildlife

Hanging Out – There are More Where These Came From

Posted by Ellie
Baby spiders in their web - Ellie Kennard 2016
Baby spiders in their web – Ellie Kennard 2016

This image, of a nest of tiny spiders (also visible on my Tiny Wildlife gallery https://elliekennard.ca/ekgallery/tiny-wildlife/) is a close-up of a nest I discovered when hanging out my laundry. At first I thought they were small bits of pollen that had got caught in the web which was blowing in the wind.

A closer look at baby spiders in their web - Ellie Kennard 2016
A closer look at baby spiders in their web – Ellie Kennard 2016

Then as I looked closer I saw that the ‘pollen’ was moving up and down on the strands of the web and I realized that they were baby spiders! A day later they were gone, either they were blown away on the wind or they had packed their bags and climbed down the pole ready for new spider lives.

Close-up of baby spiders in their web - Ellie Kennard 2016
Close-up of baby spiders in their web – Ellie Kennard 2016

I am planning content of a different kind, so watch for upcoming posts about this!

 

Monarch Butterfly Larvae and Pupa

Posted by Ellie
There are two monarch butterfly caterpillars, striped white, black and yellow with black antennae, on green leaves of a milkweed plant.
Monarch butterfly caterpillars

There is a wonderful children’s garden in the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, where I discovered that I am still a child as I enjoyed it just as much as any of the youngsters. When I visited there in September, 2015, I was thrilled to see these colourful monarch butterfly larvae as well as this pupa, on true milkweed.

a hard looking almost cylindrical case is hanging from a stem of a plant. It has a rim of what looks like small white bumps two thirds of the way up, before the cylinder comes to a rounded point at the top.
Monarch butterfly pupa

I had never seen either of these and only identified them with the help of the guide who was happy to explain all about the life cycle of this beautiful (and threatened) species. The guide, herself passionately interested in and very knowledgeable about monarchs, showed us the plants that they preferred and helped us hunt until we found what we were looking for. It was a windy day, though still warm and it was not easy to get a photograph as the plants were blowing around so much, but I was glad to get these to share.

More information about the life cycle of the monarch butterfly can be found here:
http://monarchlab.org/biology-and-research/biology-and-natural-history/breeding-life-cycle/
And about the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens here: http://www.mainegardens.org
My posts are all on my blog: https://www.elliekennard.ca.

Hungry Snake

Posted by Ellie
 

It's bitter cold today and no reptile would be moving around, so this is a summer memory. We had fun this past year meeting up with +Alex Lapidus and +Linda Villers and we spent the day sharing with them some of our favourite spots. On our walk to the Kejimkujik seaside adjunct, we spotted this fellow with a frog in his mouth. The frog was easily 4 times as wide as the snake and the back legs (from my memory) were being swallowed as the snake began to ingest his prey. I can't interpret the look on the face of any reptile, but I am pretty sure I saw panic in the eyes of that frog. As we came nearer, the snake was startled and relaxed its grip for a second. The frog struggled free and hopped off and the snake, disappointed and no doubt hungry, turned to make his own escape into the undergrowth beside the path.

For today's #wildlifewednesday by +Mike Spinak +Morkel Erasmus
and a little late for
#ReptileMonday +Reptile Monday by +Will Pirnasch +Nicole Best

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Beautiful and Elegant, Alert for Danger

Posted by Ellie
 

I guess she didn't see me as a threat when we were stopped by her. This deer was in the woods in Ontario, not far from Arnprior, where we were visiting in November. She was very close to us and stood still long enough that I managed to get several photos of her. Deer always make me catch my breath with wonder and when I was younger, they could move me to tears when I saw them. They have such a beautiful grace and elegance for creatures of their size that I never fail to be delighted at the sight of them.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, filled with joy at the beauty that is around us in whatever part of the world we are.

Are you not able to comment on Google+ because you don't belong? Would you prefer to comment on my blog? It's right here with all my G+ posts on it: https://www.elliekennard.ca .

#hqspanimals +HQSP Animals curated by +Alejandro J. Soto +Krystina Isabella Brion +Andy Smith
with apologies for the late (or early) posting for #wildlifewednesday by +Mike Spinak +Morkel Erasmus

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