We came across this cute little snake sunbathing in the lane by the culvert. I tried to shoo him/her off as we had to drive past and it was NOT happy! I’m warm here!! The northern ribbonsnake is semi-aquatic and is almost always found close to water, such as wetlands and the shorelines of lakes and rivers. The northern ribbonsnake is very similar to the eastern gartersnake but they lack the white crescent in front of the eye. I knew it looked different!
Half the fun of walking out to check the mail isn’t for the mail…who gets mail now? Ha! It’s to sneak up on the Painted Turtles sunning themselves and trying to get a shot before the little ones bail! Apparently I am quite threatenning?!…no jokes Mike! Ha! The water snakes are quite active as well and scurry off the bank when they here the crunch of my feet on the gravel.
We spend a fair bit of time on the road, not just walking. Two weeks ago a windstorm created quite the mess along the road. One old dying tree decided to part with it’s top half, and another dead tree near the swamp decided we needed something to do that day…clean it up. We were headed into town but that had to wait! Couldn’t get past the trees. Chainsaw time. But we did get to see this lovely muskrat:)
You have to stop, listen, look at what’s rustling! A Ribbonsnake was thrashing around in the reeds, I never did see it’s head but I could make out it’s body thrashing around! A small garter snake was parked in a sunny spot in the road. I shooed him off, didn’t want to see him flattened. I’d picked up a few that were run over and put them to the side. They will get eaten. I try to take all the branches and sticks off the road as I walk out so we can differentiate between them, and our reptile friends:)
It’s not all animals. I so enjoy watching the emergence of all the different wildflowers! It’s been a Trillium year, never seen so many along the road! Perfect combination of precipitation and heat perhaps? The Brown Trout Lilies with their spotted leaves, the fiddleheads slowly unrolling into ferns, I love in Quebec they are called violin heads, têtes de violon:)
The Tiny Hepaticas are glorious as they change colour, from bright when they first open and then they fade to softer shades.
I have been waiting for the dragonflies! My goal today is to endure the blackflies, hat and bug screen on, and wander down the road! I photographed several a few days ago! American Emeralds and a really wild looking bug, a Greater Bee Fly! iNaturalist is such a wonderful source of information!
“The Bombylius major (commonly named the large bee-fly, the dark-edged bee-fly or the greater bee fly) is a parasitic bee mimic fly. B. major is the most common type of fly within the Bombylius genus. The fly derives its name from its close resemblance to bumblebees and is often mistaken for them. The fly does not bite, sting, or spread disease. However, the fly uses this mimicry of bumblebees to its own advantage, allowing close access to host solitary bee and wasp nests in order to deposit its eggs. After hatching, the larvae find their way into the nests to parasitically feed on the grubs.”
It’ll be a bug walk today! Well, I look at everything, I love it all:)
We have seen a few beautiful Snapping turtles as well. One on the drive home, it had such amazing cinnamon colouration, and it was BIG! Someone mentioned it could be in the 75+ years range:) We’ll call her grandma! She was a beauty, over 30″ long. She was ambling across the road to the river on the other side:) Looking for a nesting area, or leaving one! Check out those claws and alligator tail!
We haven’t had any large visitors in the yard but the Mewberries wanted to keep this little one:) A pet they said! Ha!
I thought it had wandered off later in the day but no, there it was, the next morning!
It hasn’t been just snapping turtles the Mewberries have uncovered…I saw Rocket leap straight up in the air the other morning as if something had struck at him…something had. A beautiful Gray Rat Snake. Rocket was escorted away and reminded that these guys do bite! This one was about 4.5 ‘ long, not the really big one we ususally have in the yard but big enough! Such amazing colours on these snakes!
I hope it nests in our compost like one did the first Spring we were here! Mike decided to get a shovelful of compost later in the Summer but came up with an egg, hatching! It was magical!
There is so much beauty here! I’ll be off soon to see what I can see! Check on the swans we had three fly in at dusk last night, maybe they are still out there. Need to put the swim ladder in…always something, and yes, I might just be putting off mowing;) It can wait! Have to leave some of that green food for our friends! Have you ever been mooned by a White Tailed deer? It’s lovely! Boy can they jump! Stay tuned for more furry creatures, of course the Mewberries have been up to all kinds of mischief! and there are early morning mists, and rainbows and so many other things to share! Saludos amigos:)
