Comox BC Spring

This blog entry is entirely about nature .... bee..ware!



A great day at the Fairgrounds, with fields, 
trails in the woods and beautiful spots along Dove Creek.

The Tiger Lily (wild flower)

A honey bee

A little trivia - the study of honey bees if known as melittology.

This is a 'calm' western Honey Bee and have not seen the devastating results of the Africanized bees here.

 Africanized bees (known colloquially as "killer bees") are hybrids between European stock and one of the African subspecies.   In cold climates, honey bees stop flying when the temperature drops below 10C (50F) and crowd into the central area of the hive to form a "winter cluster."   During winter they consume their stored honey to produce body heat.

Africanized bees were introduced to Brazil in the 1950s.  In 1957, 26 swarms accidentally escaped quarantine.   Since then, the species has spread throughout S. America and in North America by 1985.  

In Arizona, the bee colonies have grown; the more aggressive colonies are the ones that have survived the droughts of the past few years.

April 2017 - two women, four horses and two dogs were attacked by swarming bees in Prescott.  Hundreds of bees were covering the women's faces and head and being aggressively stung.  One horse died as a result.   The dogs managed to run away.

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Our common dandelion

My mom used to make Dandelion Wine from the petals.

As is the case for most plants (it seems) the dandelion originated in Europe.   The common name dandelion, from French, means "lion's tooth."  


Dandelions are found on all continents and have been gathered for food since prehistory, but the varieties cultivated for consumption are mainly native to Eurasia.  Medicinally used for infections, bile and liver problems and as a diuretic.

The leaves are eaten either raw or boiled, in salads.   The roasted roots can be used as caffeine-free dandelion coffee.

A kelpie day . . .

A calm day with low tide at the ocean with Kylie and Tazz.   
Airforce beach where you need to pay and purchase a permit to park.  A small fee of $40 / yr to enjoy a gorgeous beach with endless sand and shallow waters when the tide is low.  The best view of the Mainland and the Rockies in the far off distance.

American Robin

The robin is found throughout most of N. America and Mexico.   Growing up in Northern BC, we always looked forward to seeing the Robins return as it means SPRING has arrived after full on winter.

They feed mainly on earthworms so once the ground freezes, they switch their diet to fruit but eventually migrate in order to get food.  They move from Florida and the Gulf states and tend to follow the 37-degree average daily isotherm.

A Swallow

They are familiar sights in fields and wetlands across northern North America.   They chase after flying insects with acrobatic twists and turns.   They nest in tree cavities and will take up residence in nest boxes, such as this one.

Cedar Waxwings

They are named for the waxy red tips on the end of their secondary feathers.   The number of wax tips and their size increase as the bird gets older.   Hmmmm.... wonder how old these two are?

They LOVE fruit and can survive on fruit alone for several months.  They can get drunk from eating overripe berries that have started to ferment.  A group of waxwings is called an "ear-full" of a "museum" of waxwings.   (Who comes up with these names?).

While I seem to be on the feathered friend theme --- here is a group of Turkey Vultures.

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A Cottonwood storm 
(looking like snow - and it feels cool enough during the month of May, to snow).  Not good for allergy sufferers.


And, below is the view of the same area in October.






















Walking along and going down to the sandy part of the creek bed from the gravel bar to play stick in the water with Tazz.   
I step from the bank at the edge of the water and hear a "aaaaahhhh" scream.

Turns out to be this frog I almost stepped on . . . 




then ...... I notice these 'fish' swimming and then resting on the bottom.   




OK - I recognize that these 'fish' are actually humungus tadpoles --
-- these are bullfrogs!!!!!!   Not a good sign. 

Not a native species in B.C.   Tadpoles can be large - up to 15 cm (5 inches), which these were.   They can spend one or sometimes two years in the tadpole stage.  The tadpoles are primarily herbivorous.  

Adults - anything they can fit in their mouth is their menu.  They eat other frogs, insects, birds, small mammals, snakes and sometimes a duckling.  They can leap as far as two meters (6 feet!).

There is another species that is not native to B.C. called the Green Frog.   It closely resembles the Bullfrog .     We participated in the Bullfrog research (a team from the University of Victoria has a program watching the development and destruction the Bullfrogs have done throughout the Vancouver Island region).




Ummmm .... no idea what this is --- 
looking very alien!   
Imagine it is something metamorphosing.

Wild plants bursting in bloom (no idea what these plants are).

Sooooo into relaxing in the afternoon!

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Arachnids

The Orb Weaver Spider

This species includes over 2800 types. 

Whats so fascinating about cobwebs?
First of all , there's the incredible engineering behind silk- it is one of the strongest natural materials in the world: tougher than steel and yet lighter than cotton.
Spiders can control the stickiness and tensile strength of their silk depending on it's intended use, whether its a line used to suspend upon and descend , or a sticky thread intended  to catch its prey.
  

Most spiders, especially orb weaving ones, have terrible eyesight: they rely on their incredible ability to sense vibrations in the web to know where to find dinner. Spiders feel the longitudinal waves that are sent along the thread when something hits it.

Went to use the hand pump at the fairgrounds to get water for the dogs and noticed something moving on the handle. It was a newly hatched spider colony. So tiny - they were about the size of the end pf a ballpoint pen.

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On to something a little more beautiful . . . .butterflies!

Western Tiger Swallowtail

This species is found only in southern British Columbia from Vancouver Island east through he lower Fraser River Valley and then north into the Okanagan and Kootenay Valleys.

They tend to stay close to water and are avid mud-puddlers.   Guess this is why I saw ten of them down by the river at the Fairgrounds.

Dogs are glad to be back to a house and back to greenery and waterworks everywhere.   This was taken a couple of years ago but Kylie still gets out the plays frisbee (not really running anymore - except the occasional gallup to try and get Tazz running).   Her legs are weak but she goes for a fairly long walk down the trails to the river, followed by a bit of frisbee every second day.   She will be 14 next month.

That's it for now . . . . glad to have appointments out of the way, doing fine and not driving anywhere.