Exploring my own backyard

Recently to get in the spirit of exploration I did some heavy duty observing in some local parks and my own backyard and this is just a smattering of what I discovered!

-There exists a damselfly (you can tell the difference from dragonflies by where their wings sit on their back while resting!) called an Ebony Jewelwing that frequents a local park! They're exquisitely beautiful, and the name suits them wonderfully. I'd seen them for years but never learned what they were called!

-Ant Wars! I've always loved these. Take a walk around the block and if you see a big mass of ants get down on your hands and knees and look closer. You'll see ants interlocked in combat all over the place, plus hordes of the dead being ferried back to nests (to be eaten?). It's wild! I like stroking the group with a single blade of grass or blowing on them to turn the tide of battle. Who knows what empires I've shifted the destinies of!

-I found some pods recently that looked like they were made of clay. Upon breaking them open I discovered about 30 little spiders in one. How cool! I'd found a spiders nest! But no - some of the spiders were of different species, and in one of the pods was a huge and fat larvae. My friend explained that certain wasps hunt spiders and leave them as a living bounty for their egg to feed on and grow from. Gruesome but awesome!

-I'm learning some bird calls! I can now confidently identify a cardinal, mourning dove, blue jay and chickadee calls. Indeed - the chickadee has a few calls and one I finally linked to it is a particularly lovely two note call I'd always affiliated with my Oma's house. I will always have a special fondness for it in my heart!

-Rabbits. They breed like rabbits. I'd never noticed just how many live in my neighbourhood and in parks. I almost got run over by a particularly jaunty one on a trail the other day.

-Trumpeter swan cygnets! I saw a bunch while at an island park in the city and there were seven and they were delightful.

I hope you have fun exploring your own backyards and have similar great stories to tell!

Publicado el miércoles, 12 de agosto de 2020 a las 02:48 PM por jessehildebrand jessehildebrand

Comentarios

No hay comentarios aún.

Añade un comentario

Entra o Regístrate para añadir comentarios