The days they are a changing. I love this time of year. The days are cooler; much to my liking. The solid green canvas of summer is changing to the vibrant colors of fall.

I didn't do too bad this year. I usually take the summer off from posting here because I'm not on the trails as often when it is hot out. I managed to get out a few times on cooler days but spent a lot of time in the garden and under the canopy on my deck.

Most everything has been harvested from the vegetable patch. There are still a few beets, onions, carrots and beans to pick. My little garden beds produced well. I looked forward to going out and picking my daily snacks for work from there. Nothing like fresh vegies to munch on.

I was road tripping last weekend. I love driving Highway 22 south. The 'Cowboy Trail' has such beautiful scenery. Rolling pasture land, herds of cattle on the Waldron Ranch, rising foothills and mountain tops in the distance provide the amazing scenes along the way. This year smoke from the BC forest fires hung in the air and shrouded the views. I could see the cattle but that was about it. The rest was a smokey haze.

The trip to Loon Lake made up for not being able to see the mountain tops. What fun it was paddling around this beautiful little lake. Loons swam, dove and sang their wilderness songs for us. Western painted turtles sunned themselves on logs protruding out of the shallow water. We were so busy watching the turtles that we just about missed seeing a couple of white tailed deer who were keeping an eye on us from the shore. The four hours that we were out there just seemed to fly by.

I thought I would give Highway 22 another try on the drive home but the conditions were the same. Hopefully there will be some good rain soon, without lightning, to assist the fire fighters that are trying to control all the forest fires.

I got to my favorite hiking trail today. I just wanted to wander and take in the sights and sounds. The wind rustled the leaves and created a shower of yellow ones. They landed on the trail creating a colorful carpet. The squirrels chattered at me when I interrupted their hunt for food to add to their winter stores. Blue jays called from the tree tops.

The colorful underbrush is displaying a palate of red, yellow, brown and orange. The pond plants are turning yellow and there is a golden glow everywhere. I love this time of year.

I'm hoping for some nice weather for the September long weekend. I've got three days off work and plan to enjoy every minute.

Helicopters were picking up water from the Elk River to dump on nearby forest fires.

Western painted turtles

Loon on Loon Lake

When I look toward the ponds, I miss what may be in the trees. When I look up to the tree tops, I miss what is happening in the ponds or on the trail itself. When I'm driving, I scan the ditches for animals as I watch the road. There have been birds and animals everywhere lately.

There were a few eventful drives to work this week. A skunk scampered across the road in front of me. A spotted fawn grazed in the ditch until I got close and then scaled the barbed wire fence in one giant leap. The elk grazed in a hay field until the hay was cut.

At my favorite hiking trail, the swans have been active on the pond; sadly without little ones. The Eastern kingbirds have been bullying the warblers and sparrows. The woodpeckers were searching for grubs under the rotten bark on fallen trees. Hawks soared overhead.

The yard was full of action as well. Bumblebees the size of a hummingbird buzzed from flower to flower. Dragonflies swooped in their quest for a mosquito lunch. The hummingbirds, at least four of them, have been vigorously feeding at the sugar-water feeder.

These creatures have provided me with much entertainment. They were everywhere but I have to start looking down. On my last trip to the trail for a quick walk, I gawked around in every direction but down. At the last minute my eyes caught a hint of movement in time to see a two foot long garter snake curled up right where my foot was going to be placed. Eeeeek! I don't mind snakes but the thought that I just about placed my foot on it still gives me the shivers. I need another set of eyes.

Female ruby throated hummingbird

Hairy woodpecker

Eastern kingbird

Trumpeter swan

The chairs in the garden have been put to good use. Each day after work, I head to the garden to see what's new. I've been lucky so far in that there hasn't been any hail so the garden beds have become a jungle; one that is producing vegetables by the bucketful.

When I created the garden six years ago, I opted for garden beds. I'm glad that I did. They came with frost covers so crops could be started early. I tried that this growing season and have been rewarded.

The beds contain potatoes, pumpkins, zucchini, cucumbers, peas, purple beans, beets, lettuce, two types of onions and scarlet runner beans. I planted cherry tomatoes, ground cherries and cucumbers in planters as well. The crop has been bountiful.

When I get home from work, I grab a cup of coffee head out to the chairs that sit amidst the plants and shrubs. From that vantage point I can see and hear the bees that are pollinating the blossoms and the hummingbirds that feed off the red flowers on the scarlet runner beans. Butterflies flit from container of flowers to the flower beds. There is so much activity!

The garden has given me much joy as I watch it grow. It is exciting to see the progression up the trellises and the growth of the fruit and vegetables. 

This week the pumpkins have had growth spurt. I could see the difference in them each day so decided to measure one. There was a difference of 3cms in circumference in just one day!

While I sit in my garden chairs and watch nature in action, I ponder how I will change things up next year. Notes are made in the garden journal and photos are taken for reference. 

It's not every year that I have such luck with the garden growth so I will continue to take it all in as much as I can for the remainder of the summer.

Plans are meant to change. That's all I can say. The weather didn't cooperate with the time that I had to spend on the trails. I only ventured to the trail once this week and when the clouds rumbled, I walked as quickly as I could with all my camera gear so I could get back to the parking lot before the storm hit. I made it home with a little time to spare before the rain began.

Thunderstorms lit up the sky and dropped a deluge of rain and hail. Luckily the hail dropped elsewhere and spared my garden and flowers. The blossoms are all intact and the mid to late summer flowers are just beginning to open. There is an abundance of buds on the coneflowers and the beebalm. They are favorites for the bees and the butterflies.

I haven't seen the swallowtails lately but there have been numerous smaller butterflies in the yard. The bees have been busy pollinating all the blossoms in the vegetable garden. At times I wonder how they are able to fly with all that pollen stuck to their legs!

I did see an odd sight this week on my way to work. I saw elk twice on my travels. The first morning there were five of them crossing the road. The second morning there were three grazing in a hay field. They didn't seem bothered by the fact that I came to a quick stop to jump out and snap a couple of photos. What fun to see them where you least expect it!

The remainder of the week looks great in the weather department. It doesn't appear to want to rain so I'm going to try my best to get to the trails this week.

It's been awhile. I haven't been to the trails in almost 2 weeks. The combination of hot temperatures and lack of time at the moment has left me with quick visits to the garden instead of the trails but that is okay because there has been lots of action in the yard.

The ladybugs are everywhere. They have matured and are keeping the aphids at bay on all my shrubs. I wish they could do the same for the caterpillars that I have been finding.

Pollinators are everywhere. There are butterflies galore and the bees have been busy at all the open blossoms in the yard. 

The hummingbirds have been putting on a show at the feeder and at the scarlet runner bean blossoms. When two of them show up at the feeder at the same time, there is usually a little scuffle and chase through the yard. 

The action should continue as more blossoms open in the yard. The poppies opened this week. The hollyhocks and the beebalm are beginning to open so there should be lots of pollen/nectar for the pollinators.

I'm looking forward to some trail time this weekend. The temperature looks to be a bit cooler and more enjoyable. I might even be able to get the kayak dusted off and into the water.

Have you ever witnessed the life cycle of a ladybug in real life? I've been watching this happen for the past few days and it is amazing! There's a story behind this.

When I was raking leaves during yard clean up in the spring, I noticed an abundance of ladybugs hibernating in the leaf litter. I wanted to get the yard cleaned up but didn't want to disturb the ladybugs too much so I raked all the leaves into a pile by the fence and left it there. Now, the ladybugs are thanking me.

My cherry tree was infested with black aphids. I took the hose to it to blast the aphids off the branches. At that time, I noticed some grey crawling creatures on the branches as well. They were about a half inch in length. Didn't have a clue as to what they were. 

I moved on to the nearest flower bed and noticed a bug infestation on my flowers and could not identify them but also saw the grey crawlers on there as well. 

I got the bugs identified but still had the grey crawlers to ID. I thought that they may have been the young version of the stink bugs that were on my plants. That thought lasted only until I went back to the cherry tree and saw them eating the aphids. I looked up the life cycle of a ladybug and found that all those grey crawling creatures were actually ladybug larvae. Amazing!

I've been watching them change all week. I counted 30 larvae on two branches and there were still more. They are on the cherry tree, my shrubs and my flowers. They are everywhere. Some have developed into the pupa stage already. Those will soon be beautiful little ladybugs.

It has been fascinating to watch. I think it is their way of thanking me for not tossing the leaves into the firepit and burning them like I have done in previous years. I'll never do that again after being witness to this amazing life cycle.

Ladybug larvae taking care of the aphids on the cherry tree.

Ladybug pupa

This week I've spent a lot of time in a favorite spot. Those who know me personally know that I am a winter person. I love snow and cold temperatures so when the thermometer reaches +28C, you will not find me in the garden or on the trails. You will find me in the basement or on the deck in the shade under the canopy. This week's spot of choice was the deck.

I got a lot of reading done while waiting for the temperature to cool in the evening; three novels in five days. Not bad. When I wasn't reading I was watching the action that was happening in the yard. 

I don't like the heat. I find it exhausting but the pollinators loved it. Many of the native plants that are growing in the yard are blooming and the bees and butterflies are enjoying them. I've seen four different types of butterflies flitting from flower to flower.

The young chickadees have fledged and they provided me with a lot of entertainment. They would take off from my neighbor's willow tree and try to land at the tray feeder where the sunflower seeds were. Some of them caught on quickly but some of them had a difficult time coordinating the wing flapping and stopping. They would come swooping under the canopy and out again. One just about hit the wall at the back of my house. Practice makes perfect though and after a couple of days they flew just like the adult birds.

The icing on the cake this week was the result of a stake out at the hummingbird feeder. The temperature today was one that I could tolerate so I parked my chair about six feet away from the feeder. I managed to photograph a male and a female ruby throated hummingbird as they fed on the sugar water. What fun to watch them up close. 

I got great enjoyment out of watching the action in my yard. Have the pollinators been busy in your yard? What about the bird feeder? Who's been visiting it?

Bees in the poppies

Butterfly on the ninebark blossoms

Male ruby throated hummingbird

Female ruby throated hummingbird

Gusting winds, downed trees, blown away gazebos, rain, sunshine, and swarms of mosquitoes are just a few of the things that happened within the past week. Incredible. 

It is not often that we get wind gusts as bad as those experienced this week. One big gust lifted my deck shelter right off the deck and deposited it into my garden with only a minor bend in a pipe. Again, incredible.

The shelter is now back in place. The broken branches from the willow tree next door are now cleaned up and the yard once again looks as it should.

The wind also destroyed a tarp shed at my dad's farm. We went to dismantle it on Wednesday and were almost complete when a dust devil came down and swirled the tarp into the air. As it moved along, it got caught up in the power lines and wrapped itself around the pole and transformer. That was a funny sight! We had to call the power company to come by and turn off the power so the tarp could be removed.

There hasn't been much time this week for forest excursions. The one time that I did venture out, mosquitoes swarmed up from the grass as I walked. I didn't dare breathe in or open my mouth for fear of swallowing a few.

I did make a quick trip to By the Lake Park in Wetaskiwin. My dad and one granddaughter accompanied me. Dad likes watching the birds and the fishermen. He got to see both.

My granddaughter mentioned that she had never seen a live pelican. She got to see some in action. A fellow caught a fish and as it surfaced, one of the pelicans flew over and dove into the water with the hope of capturing the fish that was on the hook. The fisherman was able to get the fish onto shore before there was a fight over it. What fun this was to watch.

In addition to the birds, my granddaughter spied a garter snake in a shrub bed. Not long after she saw one, a boy about the same age came running with a snake in hand. 

We packed a picnic lunch and were enjoying it at a table. The family at the table next to us left their snacks unsupervised on their table; much to the delight of the seagulls. They helped themselves to nachos and salsa until the family noticed that their snacks were not safe on the table.

It was a great outing that was enjoyed by all. Here's hoping that this week brings more opportunities for outdoor time and that the gusting winds have gusted themselves out.

This was an amazing week even though I had bugs for breakfast. The mornings have been the perfect temperature for me to hike the trails. Rain fell on a couple of evenings. Water droplets formed on the leaves and dripped from the branches in the morning; making for a fantastic way to begin the day. 

The sights were great and so were the smells. Damp earth, fresh rain and an abundance of wildflowers in bloom made for an aroma paradise. There are honeysuckle, lungwort, violets, wild roses, blue eyed grass, wild strawberries and so many more flowers on the trail and in the woods. 
 

The swans have been putting on quite the show. They were not going to have anything to do with having Canada geese swim in the same pond so there have been a few scuffles and the swans always won. Last year at this time, the cygnets were already hatched. There is no sign of babies this year.

The dragonflies have been out in full force. That is a good thing because there are even more mosquitoes. The grass on the trail got mowed but earlier in the week, it was still tall and made for some great hiding spots for the little blood suckers. As I walked, they would swarm up toward my face. I couldn't breathe through my nose due to my allergies and breathing through my mouth in the middle of a swarm of mosquitoes made for some added protein. I think I swallowed about four of them this week. I'd rather have eggs for breakfast. I had to dig out the netting and put it over my cap to keep them at bay.

The best wildlife watching day happened at home. It began with a skunk in my backyard; looking for food. The tiger swallowtail butterflies were feeding on the lilacs. The American goldfinches were finally using the bird bath. A male ruby throated hummingbird visited the red coral bells in my flower bed. It flitted from flower to flower. The final sighting of the day was a white tailed deer that jumped the fence in my neighbors yard. The barbed wire fence behind my yard has been fixed so they are no longer able to squeeze underneath. What a great day for nature watching!

One does not have to go far to watch nature in action. A backyard or a local park can provide a nearby locale to view neighborhood wildlife, birds or insects. What have you seen near your home?

It was a great week for wildlife watching. I didn't have to travel very far for some of it. My backyard provided some of those opportunities.

The beginning of the week was still sunny and hot. The ruby throated hummingbirds were busy at the feeder. I was determined to capture some photos so I set up a stake out from my deck. It took awhile but the wait paid off and I managed a few good shots of one of the females. 

I love those little birds. They flit and fly from feeder to tree branch in the blink of an eye. They rest for a bit and twitter to each other and soon they are back in flight again.

A very welcomed rain happened mid-week. It wasn't only me rejoicing in it. Walking in the rain is one of my favorite things to do. The smell is so fresh and the sound of the drops on the leaves is peaceful. The waterfowl and the bison enjoyed it as well.

The swans, geese, and a variety of ducks were out on the ponds. Raindrops fell all around, creating little circles on the water surfaces. The American goldfinches and the yellow warblers sang from the tree branches. I caught sight of a soggy looking snowshoe hare in the middle of the trail. As I approached it bounded back into the shrubs.

I drove to Elk Island National Park to check out what was happening at the Living Waters Boardwalk. As I made my way to Astotin Lake I passed by numerous bison resting in the ditches. They didn't seem to mind the rain falling on their shaggy coats.

The rain made everything fresh and green. It washed down the pollen and flattened the poplar and willow fuzz. The leaves appeared to grow twice in size overnight. There's nothing like rain water to make that happen.
 
The mosquitoes have been out in full force. I'm thinking of putting up a couple of bat houses in my yard to help with that situation.

The forecast is showing some sunny days ahead. I'm thinking that the first camping trip of the season should happen soon.

What are your favorite ways to enjoy the sunshine?

Female ruby throated hummingbird

Trumpeter swans

Bison at Elk Island National Park

American robin