My Cambridge Encyclopedia says the carp "...thrives in warm pools, lakes, and rivers with rich vegetation...". That's certainly the environment in which this one greeted me, at Lake Jonda on Seneca College's King Campus this morning. In no time, he (or she) was taking tidbits of vegetation from my hand. Any hope of ever being described as attractive are dashed by those two pairs of barbels on the upper jaw. A friendly enough fish however, and I quite enjoyed our close encounter.
Wikipedia Photo
In nature there are neither rewards norI took the above picture a few days ago, at the home of my brother Bob and his wife, Nancy, in Parry Sound, Ontario. It shows the simplest of grave-markers. It is also the very spot where one of their pet cats was recently killed by a fisher. The fisher is a 10-to-20-pound predator that is easily capable of killing a cat of the same size. It seems in the Parry Sound area, the Ontario Ministry of the Environment determined that re-locating fishers here was a natural way to control a porcupine population that was wildly out of control. The fisher is one of the few predators that can successfully hunt porcupines. The word in and around Parry Sound is that having reduced the porcupine population to a level that could not sustain its own voracious appetite, the very large weasel is now rapidly reducing the populations of several other wild creatures. Whereas it was once thought that fishers rarely preyed on cats, locals in the Parry Sound area are reporting many slaughters of their cats. This is the second cat that Bob and Nancy have lost in this way. My use of the word slaughter is deliberate, as the fisher is a remarkably efficient and masterful killer, violently tearing its victims from limb to limb and scattering the shreds around and about. The unfolding of nature can be gruesome, as well as pretty. I am usually uneasy, sometimes queasy, when humans presume to re-balance nature. Invariably, we over-react, over-correct, fail to make the world a better place, and misspend a pile of money. Then there's the collateral damage, even if it's just another dear pet. Lord, save us from our own accomplishments.
BtheB
"I think it pisses God off if you walk by the colour purpleAlthough everywhere is an ocean of goldenrod this September, I did notice these wild asters today at Humber Trails Conservtion Area. Alice Walker, please take note.
Please comment if you wish.
BtheB
Sunrise at Comox
Jervis Inlet ~ a Canadian Fjord
Black-throated Green Warbler
Orange-crowned Warbler
I sat on a bench and enjoyed the view over a pretty little pond, which has a resident Kingfisher who wouldn't come close enough for a good picture. I'll get him next time.
I found the remains of an ancient farmstead interesting, especially what appeared to be a square silo.
Markers on the main trail are red paint on old wooden posts or white arrows with a red background on metal posts. There are four connecting trails in total.
Butterflies, like this obliging Red Admiral, abounded at Cawthra Mulock Nature Reserve today.
Please comment if you wish.
BtheB
It's the time of year when goldenrod takes over from all other wild plants and paints every rural roadside and bit of uncultivated open land with tall tufts of yellow flowers. One moment the countryside is green, then almost overnight everything is yellow. This summer has seen a great growing season and here the goldenrod exceeds its normal maximum height and rises above the fenceposts at Seneca College, on the outskirts of the village of King City. In early September, it's hard to overlook and easy to admire, even on a damp overcast day.
Nearby, on the floor of a wet hardwood forest, Sensitive Fern provides a cool alternative to Seneca's goldenrod. The Sensitive Fern is distinctive from most other ferns, but some observers describe it's large-lobed fronds as coarse. There are other who call it beautiful. I side with the latter. It got its name from its wilting sensitivity to even the slightest, early frosts. 
And finally, this afternoon's jaunt to Seneca College ended with a fly-over by a Great Blue Heron. While the lighting did not favour this bird's lovely colour tones, it did accentuate its remarkable profile.
I was awakened from my afternoon nap by Linda hollering at me to come to the backdoor to "..see this bird!" Lo and behold, the lady of the house had spotted A Zebra Finch in the cedar hedge. Now if Linda and I lived in Australia, this sighting would be no big deal. But in Canada? 15,000 kilometres is a long way to stray. I rushed for my camera, took a dozen quick shots, while babbling like an idiot about Linda's unbelievable sighting. To which she replied: "It must be an escapee." "Oh, well of course", I said, crestfallen. It was the only realistic explanation. Nevertheless, this tiny little bird is spectacular to see. No wonder it is one the most popular cage birds in the entire world. It joined us on the back porch and looked at the Goldfinches and Chickadees at the feeders. It seemed intrigued by their activity. Then it flew into the cedar hedge again and then down to our back steps before moving on. I refuse to speculate on its fate, and will be content with the knowledge that this tiny, fragile and free-flying creature made my heart sing for part of this day. Thank you Linda. I owe you one.
My grandfather, Sid Thomas, brought this cob of corn from Wimborne, Dorset, England in 1911. As you can see, some of the kernals are missing. Did Sid nibble on some while crossing the Atlantic? Did mice expropriate their share? Or did Sid plant some of the kernals in the soil of his new homeland, Canada? After 99 years, it seems the right time to plant some of these kernals should be next year, marking the 100th anniversary of the cob in Canada. My sister, Denise, suggests if the planting is successful that she and I, along with our sister, Diane, and brother, Bob, could get together for a corn roast. That would be great, but we do live apart from each other, by a combined distance of 3,700 kilometres. A simpler solution might be to send them some kernals, from King City, for planting in Parry Sound (Ontario), Wemindji (Quebec side of James Bay) and Vernon River (Prince Edward Island). How will this turn out? We'll all have to wait a year to see an outcome. Stay tuned.
BtheB
Some people have noticed that I've been absent from this space for a couple of months. It was some health issues but I'm back at my post, motivated in part by the little guy above. He is one of many Ruby-throated Hummingbirds who have taken over the backyard, in the late summer. Their presence is causing a lot of air-traffic-control problems for the Goldfinches, Chickadees, Cardinals, and Blue Jays, etc., not to mention migrating fall warblers. Did you know that hummingbirds have a top speed of almost 100 kms. per hour! It probably explains why I am constantly ducking these fascinating speed-demons, for fear of them impaling themselves in my forehead with their tiny perfect beaks.
Bobolink
Savannah Sparrow
Midland Painted Turtle
Western trailhead of the Oak Ridges Corrider Park 
I took this picture of Madame La Pew (as my wife has named her) this morning as she headed back to the safety of her den, under our garden shed. She usually makes her appearances between dusk and dawn, thus our paths don't often cross. Today she was lingering well after sunrise and was eating everything in sight. The reason for her increased hunger is the presence, we think, of a half dozen or so new baby skunks in her den. We had watched her getting bigger and bigger or the last several weeks and suddenly one night, a week or so ago, around midnight, there was an unmistakable gas attack outside the open bedroom windows.
This is yours truly tasting some wine in my vineyard (LOL). Actually I'm on the back porch and it's a KWV Chenin Blanc 2009 from South Africa. It describes itself as : "...an off-dry white wine, fresh and fruity with tropical and apple flavours." It tastes very nice, I must say. The best part? It's $7.95 for 750 ml. at the liquor store - an incredible value. This is my new, summer, white house wine. This is one to keep well-chilled. If your glass sits too long, you'll need to refill it often, to keep it at the perfectly cool temperature. Just don't tell anyone it was me who encouraged you to keep topping it up. Thanks to my friend, Pieter, for putting me on to this delightful sipper.
