Houston, we have a problem

Saturday morning, I was about to sit down in my comfy chair and do my blogging. Something was hanging down from the soffit. It was a board from the roof. There were three more on the ground. 

 Twas a bit of a mess. I cannot imagine that Butch could do this, but I guess they could. It's my own fault for leaving the feeder up. It was the small bird feeder, the globe feeder, the blue jays are too big for it. The handle was bent. 

It must have been a sight as the poor thing fell to the ground. The boards just pulled out of the roof as the nails were pulled. Lovely holes into the attic. The sun was in my eyes, and the camera lens. It looks pretty artsy!

The boards are nailed into the beams, fitting into one another in a tongue and groove manner. I can't tell you how anxious it made me. I was trying to figure out what to do. Just panic. I know there are many serious things going on in the world. It's amazing how such a small thing made me so upset. I apologize to JB. He's been so good to me. I couldn't see properly to do this. 

We phoned a handyman, advertised in our paper, who couldn't come until the next day. I didn't think it could last overnight. Everyone would be seeking shelter!

Posting this on Facebook, I had a hero. I fetched the ladder, the drill, several screws. Scott Dobson and his buddy came and reattached the boards. What a relief. I could imagine all sorts of critters getting in there and into the attic. I gave them both all the cash we had. All Scotty wanted was gas money, but that ain't cutting it for people who rescued us on a Saturday morning! I insisted.

It took me hours to unwind. Poor JB! 

It was quite a day, with a thunderstorm in the afternoon. It didn't look like much on the radar, but there were thunderboomers! 

During the storm, I went onto the deck to move the Muskoka chair under the eaves. I found a friend. I yelled at JB, who brought me the bug catcher. A HUGE dock spider. The bug catcher is 8 cm (3") wide.

In the meantime, another mystery. I suspect it's a small coyote. The tail looks a bit small. Maybe it got wet in the rains! I combined the two trailcam videos to track it.

If you recall, the wood ducks have fledged. There were two eggs unhatched. I put them down in front of the trailcam, far from the nesting box. Butch picked them up and moved them. I assume they ate them at some point.

We have Junior Bear #2 in the forest.  The first photo is Bear #1, the second bear #2. I haven't seen Booboo bear since May 22. 

We had a momma go through in November, with triplets. These could be them, looking for food or territory.

Here he is in all his glory!

Junior Bear from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Rapid fire round!

I found a dock spider. Hooper was quite interested...


Leaves of 3 let them be! Poisonous oak.


All of the mason bees and wasps have hatched, more have been laid.


My poor catalpa tree, it still hasn't filled out. I've trimmed some of the dead branches, but I am not hopeful.


We had dinner out last Thursday!


We've had some humid summer days. I've been grateful for the air conditioner. The odd spot of rain, but things are growing nicely. The camera fogged up, in the humidity, but I like the photo! My roses are looking good!

The frog pond is slowly growing over. We need our muskrats back to take it down.


Sunday, our power was out from 7 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. for repairs. Happily, it was a nice day, and I watched the birds for hours. It was lovely! This is from our back deck.




red-eyed vireo from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

First hay!

Monarchs and milkweed

What is better than the sighting of one Monarch butterfly? Seeing three at once. I always wonder if we have one, repeatedly, or several over the day.

There have been disasters over the years regarding the Monarchs. A 'mild' drought (Cats, & Monarchs, 2016), a fire in their overwintering Mexican habitat, this was prefaced by a low in 2012 (major 2012 drought: Monarch butterfly sightings!). "Experts" had dire warnings, but they are rebounding. I knew they would. Populations of all critters ebb and flow, according to environmental conditions. The tent caterpillars are a prime example!

One butterfly fooled me last month... but I was hopeful.

a viceroy

Now, you'll have to trust me on this. There are three in the first photo. I am simply not fast enough, although the second one focused beautifully on the two dancing together in the wind!


The milkweed is AMAZING! The smell is so glorious. A lot of bugs use milkweed for food and shelter, BTW. Monarchs use it exclusively as a place to lay their eggs and their caterpillars feed on the plant. This is why we need them in the ditches between here and Mexico.They lay eggs, migrate some more, and go north.


I'm so glad I didn't mow down the blueweed! It looks a bit odd. You can see how we have a drought. Little rain in June (JUN), and July doesn't look hopeful.
 

Then, in the front yard...


Lest I forget: The momma dock spider has put in her time. RIP!


The babies have spread out over the plant.


My veggie garden is pretty wretched. I forgot about it. The monarch likes the milkweed in their, though. My back yard is a bit whacky, as I let the milkweed sprout where they like!
Monarch from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.
Monarch 1 from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Monarch lifecycle, U. of Minnesota

Dock spiders!

Beside the bird bath is an Echinacea plant, hosting some little friends. It's a dock spider, with babies. She is protecting them from the ants. She stretches out, and points her legs, and you can barely see her.

Dolomedes is a genus of large spiders of the family Pisauridae. They are also known as fishing spiders, raft spiders, dock spiders or wharf spiders. Pisaurids are commonly known (uMcGill) as nursery-web spiders, as females build a silken, tent-like ‘nursery’ for their spiderlings. Upon hatching, the young spiders live in a protected place, typically spun in and among grasses, low-growing vegetation, or between rocks around the margins of water.

Dock spider from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Men fined $53,000 for damaging snake habitat

Can you imagine?

A hermit thrush who lives on the edge of the wetland.
I spotted it last spring.

Mankind's true moral test, its fundamental test (which lies deeply buried from view), consists of its attitude towards those who are at its mercy: animals. And in this respect mankind has suffered a fundamental debacle, a debacle so fundamental that all others stem from it. 
-Milan Kundera, novelist, playwright, and poet (b.1929) 

I often read the Ontario MNR News Releases. It isn't amusing and it is shocking. People with no respect for a wetland, or the critters that inhabit it.

• $30,000 Fine For Importing Live Asian Carp (Dec 20, 2012) (pdf)
• Multi-Agency Investigation Leads to $70,000 Fine and Jail Time for Selling Snakehead (Nov 14, 2012) (pdf)   [Photo 1]  [Photo 2]  [Photo 3]
• Fines and Forfeitures For Transport and Possession of Illegally Killed Muskox (Sep 4, 2012) (pdf)
• Hamilton Company Fined For Illegal Development In Niagara Escarpment Wetland (Aug 23, 2012) (pdf)
• Fine And Court Order Issued For Dredging Shore Lands (Aug 15, 2012) (pdf)
• Sudbury Man Ordered To Pay Suppression Costs For Careless Burning (Jul 6, 2012) (pdf)
• $50,000 Fine For Importing Live Asian Carp (Jun 22, 2012) (pdf)
• $3,900 In Fines For Illegal Moose Hunting (May 15, 2012) (pdf)

pond puppy

There are many who violate not only common sense laws of the land, but the specific details. Thing is, the latest report is of these people sentenced in Parry Sound, but they live in south west Ontario. That is a distance of more than 460km (285 m)!

This latest report is of a pair who apply for a work permit in 2010 in spring, to build a trail across Crown Land. They are denied the permit. The reason is that this land contains an endangered species, including the eastern fox snake. They are endangered because they are similar to rattle snakes, and people feel obliged to kill those. The thing is, there aren't just snakes, but many critters the snakes keep in check.

baby watersnake

They go ahead anyway, and on July 8th rent a backhoe and begin. The MNR issues a stop work order July 9th, which they violated. Back they were, July 12th they were reported and caught having done work all weekend. The fines are substantial. How dare they? An enormous lack of understanding of habitat, the importance of ecosystems, and the cycle and the balance of life.

 Paul VanErp, of Bothwell, Ontario, and Kyle VanDeven, of

rattlesnake

Kerwood, Ontario, were convicted and fined a total of $53,000 for offenses under the Endangered Species Act and the Public Lands Act.


From CottageCountry.ca
Justice of the Peace Diane Lafleur heard the case in the Ontario Court of Justice in Parry Sound on October 22, 2012.

The fines for VanErp:

• $20,000 for damaging endangered species habitat
• $8,000 for constructing a trail on Crown land without a permit



red snake

• $5,000 for violating a stop work order. 

The fine for VanDeven:

• $12,000 for damaging endangered species habitat
• $4,000 for constructing a trail on Crown land
• $4,000 for violating a stop work order. 

dock spider

Nature will bear the closest inspection. She invites us to lay our eye level with her smallest leaf and take an insect view of its plain. 
-Henry David Thoreau, naturalist and author (1817-1862)

garter snake

To report a natural resources violation call 1-877-TIPS-MNR (847-7667) toll-free any time or contacting your local ministry office during regular business hours. You can also call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).