Mystery solved! I'd been wondering what pollinates a Closed Bottle Gentian flower that never opens. Today I found out and was surprised that it was something as large as a bumblebee and that it spent a full minute inside before re-emerging. Nature is just too cool.

Birds and wildlife can seemingly sense impending bad weather. Hoping everyone stays safe (and well fed).

The #LongPoint Biosphere Region Eco-Crawl is Saturday! See map for locations - stop into @BirdsCanada HQ for the bio-fair, kids drawing workshop & slow-birding walks. You can also visit #Bayfest. Register: https://t.co/iriM1ZP2hD #NorfolkCounty #Ontario #LakeErie #Birds #Nature

Looking forward to supporting the efforts of the Grand Erie Master Gardeners in helping people do more to "garden for nature". This event is open to all interested gardeners.

Prairie #Warbler: a beautiful and active #bird of semi-open habitat, with a cheerful ascending zee-zee-zee-zee-zee song. Generally rare in Ontario, Canada, they are locally 'common' breeders in eastern #GeorgianBay and southern Shield habitats. Anyone know what bug it's eating?

Will be presenting at the Simcoe Library tomorrow on gardening with native plants & avoiding species that can become invasive in our surrounding natural habitats. Doors open 11:30AM, talk starts at 12 Noon. A fundraiser for the Norfolk Library System. #Norfolk #Gardening #Nature

There should be avian prizes for song volume adjusted for bird size. If that were the case, #Wrens and R-c Kinglets would surely be among the winners! I love the loud, tinkling, boisterous song of tiny Winter Wrens emanating from shady #Hemlock ravines. #NorfolkCounty #LongPoint

Beautiful white fungi cling to a tree trunk against the verdant greens of a #Carolinian #forest in spring. The subtle back-lighting seems to add to the ecological intimacy - and to the contrasts implicit with #fungi and the new growth. #nature #hiking #NorfolkCounty

Spring in the nursery gardens. From the subtle beauty of a trillium to the explosion of rhododendrons coming into flower, the gardens are emerging from their winter slumber.

Nature's clean-up crew. Turkey #Vultures are unsung #bird heroes, serving an incredible ecological role scavenging carrion and cycling nutrients. They're beautiful in flight and when perched they're regal. Evening light caught the two-tone underwing pattern - and even a scratch!

Happy Earth Day everyone! It has been a really busy day! It is such a privilege to share the planet with so many awesome creatures, including this Red Admiral butterfly!

Very much looking forward to being a part of Haldimand's Seedy Sunday event! South Coast Gardens will have a booth with an early selection of native plants for sale. My time slot for speaking will be at 12PM on 'The Growing Importance of Gardening for Nature'.

After the warmest winter on record & several high temperature records in the last 2 weeks, spring is roaring ahead with plants flowering 4-6 weeks ahead of normal. Temps are now forecast to dip below freezing (as low as -6C) over the next 2 weeks so there will be losses. Arrggh!

A lovely, gentle #bird duo at the feeders this morning. This female Downy #Woodpecker, along with her mate, are frequent visitors. And, we're really excited to have had this Chipping #Sparrow here most of winter. It's had breeding #plumage rusty cap all winter, interestingly.

Sounds of early spring and #nature abound on this beautiful evening in #NorfolkCounty near #LongPoint #LakeErie. Sound up for calls of cranes, geese, and perhaps more. (I was hearing Red-winged Blackbirds and ducks around same time.) You can just spot some cranes in fading light

All set for the 2nd annual Norfolk Seedy Saturday event at the public library in Simcoe Ont tomorrow (Feb 17th 10AM-Noon). A free event for all with an interest in gardening. Seed exchanges, garden info & more. Ask a Master Gardener (next to us) your gardening questions! #Norfolk

Sound up to hear what dinosaurs must have sounded like! These modern dinosaurs (aka Sandhill Cranes) have been wintering here in the coastal marshes of Lake Erie. Love it whenever a flock flies overhead. They seem a bit more vocal with spring approaching. #birds #Norfolk

Looking forward to my talk to the Ontario Rock Garden & Hardy Plant Society next Sunday, January 14th, 1:00 PM @ the Toronto Botanical Gardens (777 Lawrence Ave., East). Title: Great Companion Plants for Rhododendrons & Azaleas. The talk is free & open to the public.

Centuries old Black Gum (Nyssa sylvatica) trees in what is typically a flooded swamp. Low rainfall has led to dry conditions in parts of the s. Great Lakes. Variations in tree bark among trees is fascinating - some look almost crocodilian! Thanks @EvanSinclair17 for adding scale.

I've been taking some time to re-connect with nature as one year ends & another begins. With a near record warm December & no snow the hiking hasn't been typical of winter here but it's great for enjoying our native plants! Pics from Backus Woods! Happy 2024 everyone!! #Norfolk

A few images from #LongPoint #ChristmasBirdCount. Mild, no snow, no precipitation. This is the "bog slog" portion we do through Turkey Point Marsh area. Fascinating diversity of wetlands... black spruce bog, cedar swamps, cattail marsh, poison sumac thickets... Alas, no trails.