This weekend we finally had the kind of beautiful summer weather we’ve come to expect from the month of June in Southern Ontario. Saturday morning as I was lifting the watering can to one of the hanging baskets at the front of the house, I jumped, startled. Perched on one of the leaves of the potato vine there was the largest dragonfly I’ve ever seen up close. I ran for the camera and quickly took a few shots.

The dragonfly was beautiful, but it’s still just a large BUG, and if you know how I feel about June bugs, you might realize how brave I was to get this close to this dragonfly.

After a few searches online and in my copy of Lone Pine’s Garden Bugs of Ontario, I’ve determined that this is a Green Darner Dragonfly (Anax junius). According to Wikipedia, this species is one of the largest there is, with the males reaching 3 inches in length, with a similar wingspan. It has a very interesting eye-shaped spot on the back of its head, presumably to fend of predators. I think this specimen is a male.

Dragonflies are beneficial in the garden; they eat up smaller insects and flies, especially. Their lifecycle is short, at only a few weeks (Animal Diversity Web), so I let this guy stay to warm up as long as he wanted.

We’ve been letting our cats outside lately. During the winter they stay indoors but once the weather got warm and we began to leave the windows open, it became very obvious to us that both Farley and Rudy would benefit from some time outdoors.

Normally Farley will hunker down underneath our dogwood, while Rudy wanders around, often settling in the shade beneath the red maple.

They are very good about staying in the yard, although the temptation to sneak under the gate sometimes overcomes Rudy. They especially love to hover around the catnip plants that dot the yard. I’ve been meaning to toss some cat grass seeds into a pot by the door for them to nibble at.

No garden of mine will ever truly be complete without at least one cat quietly tucked somewhere among the plants.

While clipping back last year’s mint explosion I discovered this little hole…what do you think lives there? A mouse? There is a lot of bird seed on the ground nearby. I’m guessing a mouse has made its home near the warm foundation of our house, with the bird seed buffet nearby.

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It’s tough to write about gardening during a Canadian winter.  Most of the time I feel like my posts about snow and rabbits and Ontario back yard wildlife will be achingly dull.  Then I remember that some of you don’t live in this climate and may even find visions of snow drifts fascinating.  At least, that is what I am hoping for on this snowy Sunday morning as I post yet another photo montage of snow and bunnies.  And cats.

A couple of days ago one of our resident rabbits ventured out from its nest beneath our deck in search of a tasty morsel.  Since there were no tasty morsels to be found (I refuse to set out rabbit food for them in the winter…they need no more encouragement to stay), the rabbit found bird seed scattered beneath the feeder we keep outside the kitchen door.  Our two cats, Rudy and Farley, like to sit at that window and chatter to the birds they see flitting about the feeder and hopping along the ground, feeding.  I get as much entertainment out of watching the cats as the cats get out of watching the birds, I think.

The cats were absolutely enthralled with the rabbit visiting the side yard and excitedly dashed from side door to back window in hopes of getting a little closer.

Rudy kept smooshing his face up against the window…

…but the rabbit just sat there quivering.

Yesterday afternoon I was outside taking clothes down from the clothesline when Graham came home from work. He came back to say hello and have a hug and as we walked back up to the house, he noticed that a critter had gotten into the bag of birdseed I had left on the table on the deck.

“I’ll have to put it in a bin,” I said, then promptly forgot about it as I went into the house.

This morning as I went into the dining room, I noticed an awful lot of birds on our lawn, pecking about for some breakfast after a downpour. As I rounded the corner, my breath caught in my throat when I noticed THREE bluejays on the back table, enjoying a feast of seeds that had been spilled all over it. They flew away when my movements startled them, but I ran back upstairs to grab the camera and waited patiently for them to return.

The large trees and bushy ornamental shrubs of Ontario’s suburban neighbourhoods and rural communities are particularly appealing to the remarkable Blue Jay. This adaptable bird is common wherever plants bear fruit and backyard feeding stations are maintained with a generous supply of sunflower seeds and peanuts.
…Lone Pine Field Guide, Birds of Ontario

I’d say this “feeding station” is generously supplied with seeds!

Even this guy got in on the action:

One of the resident rabbits made a brief appearance while I was looking out the back window. Lots of wildlife in the yard this morning!

See all these lovely, hopeful bok choy sprouts? They’re so pretty. I admired them. I watered them. I dreamed of bok choy, stir fried into our favourite Thai curry dish. They are now gone. Just “pfft” and they have disappeared. From a pot on my deck.

Oh, are you getting rained on? Don’t even think about looking for shelter from the rain in that greenhouse…yes, that IS a rabbit trap there in the shot near the barbeque.

This morning as Graham and I had our coffee, we looked out into the back yard, gabbing and watching for the bird species that we have in our yard. We have three birdhouses in the back yard. All are hung at about eye level on our fence. One of them is a “duplex”, since it has two entrances and a little wall between the rooms.

We have a lot of what I think are Chipping Sparrows living now in all three of these birdhouses. The starlings that visit seem intent on getting into these homes, but the sparrows are pretty territorial, and no sooner does a starling perch at the entrance to one of the birdhouses, a gang of sparrows shows up to kick him out.

Sparrow.

Early morning inevitably brings a pair of mourning doves to the top of the fence and their call has become one of my favourites. They returned just last week, along with the robins, who have been flitting around trying to mate all morning here. I like the way they hop across the grass.

Mourning doves.

Some little finches are usually around, too, and in the winter they’re dark grey until mating season, when their yellow feathers appear.

Two summers ago there was a pair of blue jays nesting nearby, and they would perch on the top of the fence just outside our kitchen door, or on the gate. They are so beautiful to see up close when they don’t realize you’re watching.

Because we live fairly close to Lake Ontario, the odd seagull flies overhead, and flocks of Canada geese have been zooming noisily overhead lately, too.

The most unusual bird we’ve had is undoubtedly the heron that I saw sitting stoically atop the neighbour’s roof last fall.

Heron on the roof.

I’d love it if some cardinals would come around but I don’t think we have the right habitat around here for them.

At this month’s COG Durham chapter meeting, Wednesday, March 28, Christina Sharma, Volunteer Canadian Wildlife Federation Habitat Steward and Richard Joos, Avian Ecologist, will present “Attracting Birds to Your Backyard Garden”.

Note: Playing in the Dirt will be moving soon to its new URL, www.playinginthedirt.ca. Watch for updates!

In the winter we place our birdfeeder just outside the sliding glass door in our kitchen.  On the other side of the door we hang a suet cake for the local birds.  We don’t get any birds that are very interesting, really, but Farley LOVES the birds.  If he so much as catches a glimpse of one sitting in the cedar by the fence, he crouches down, thrashes his tail violently (he doesn’t seem to understand that he should stay still if he’s going to surprise them), and chirps and chatters at it.  He stays near that door all morning, even after the bird(s) have flown away, in hopes they’ll return and he can continue to torture himself in this manner.

Today Graham and I faced the cold in exchange for some fresh air and outdoor activity.  The sun was shining, the wind was blowing and the snow was glittering as we hiked through the trails down at the Samuel Wilmot Nature Area in Newcastle on Lake Ontario, part of the official “Waterfront Trail along the Shores of Lake Ontario”.

Me!  In the wilderness!

We saw some different little critter tracks in the snow, some ducks we assumed were freezing their hind ends off actually in the lake, a squirrel and some kind of man-made pit put in place to allow local snakes to stay warm in winter.  (How thoughtful.)

Mousetracks.

It will be beautiful down there in the spring, summer and autumn, and I intend to go back and take a look at what’s growing down there when it warms up.   No matter what the temperature, getting a dose of nature was therapeutic for me.  This winter business has gone on long enough.

(More photos of our hiking trek are available here.)