Central Ohio NatureOn The Shoulder of Very Small Giants!
Posted on July 18, 2017
Recently we were thinking about all the birds that nest in Griggs Reservoir Park or in the immediate environs. A list of some of the more interesting ones would go something like this:
White-breasted Nuthatch,
Cardinal, Northern Flicker,
Kingbird,
Red-bellied Woodpecker,
Rose-breasted Grosbeak,
Blue Jay,
Yellow-throated Warbler,
Black-crowned Night Heron,
Northern Parula Warbler,
Protonotary Warbler,
Kingfisher, Wood Duck,
Baltimore Oriole,
Cedar Waxwing,
Mallard Duck,
Great Egret,
Great Blue Heron
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well I think you get the idea. It’s amazing that just a few years ago we were ignorant of much of this. To become more aware has taken time coupled with repeated outings to the park and reservoir. While some visits have been pretty quiet, in general learning about the birds has been a rewarding activity.
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Too further this point, recently we’ve been fortunate to photograph a few of the “youngsters”. The always active Kingbirds have been hard to miss.
Two Kingbird chicks see the parent approaching, Griggs Reservoir Park, (Donna, pics 1-4).
The parent arrives but apparently with no food.
But the other parent did have something to offer.
Open mouths, hard for a parent to miss!
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While we’ve heard them calling from time to time over the past few weeks, Yellow-throated Warblers have been illusive so the one below was a pretty exciting find!
Juvenile Yellow-throated warbler, Griggs Reservoir Park.
Take 2.
Take 3, with an ant.
Take 4.
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Always cute, a few Mallard ducklings were present along the reservoir. Interesting because we’ve seen a stream of ducklings over the last two months indicating there is no fixed time to mate.
Mallard Ducklings, Griggs Reservoir Park.
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While not youngsters, a few other birds also allowed us to take their picture. For those of you that have tried to photograph a Kingfisher you know they don’t usually cooperate so even an average picture is an accomplishment.
Female Kingfisher, Griggs Reservoir, (Donna).
Blue Jay, Griggs Reservoir Park, (Donna)
Black-crowned Night Heron, one of two seen as we paddled the reservoir. We haven’t seen as many this year perhaps due to the larger than normal number of Great Egrets.
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As mentioned above the birds have been rewarding but we never imaged we would discover a new snake right within the city limits of Columbus! It was seen while canoeing Griggs Reservoir and was located in a low lying bush overhanging the water. While looking at the one below another one splashed into the water. Needless to say we were very excited by this discovery!
Queen Snake, frequently seen and captured by overturning large flat stones, boards, or other debris along fresh water streams. Some will try to bite which due to their small teeth is not a treat to humans. However, all use their musk glands freely and struggle violently to escape. Although they become gentle with handling, they seldom eat in captivity. (ODNR) Their habitat is very specific, and this snake is never found in areas that lack clean running streams and watersheds with stony and rocky bottoms. The water temperature must be a minimum of 50 °F (10 °C) during it’s active months due to dietary requirements that consist all most exclusively of newly molted crayfish. (WIKI)
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Summer wildflowers have benefited from the recent rain.
Rain garden, Griggs Reservoir Park.
Tall Blue Lettuce, Griggs Reservoir Park, (Donna).
Blue Vervain, Griggs Reservoir Park.
Joe Pye Weed, Griggs Reservoir Park.
Lizards Tail and Swamp Milkweed at the north end of Griggs Reservoir.
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If you’ve followed this blog for any length of time you know that in the summer we tend to focus more on insects. This year is no exception, except I’ve finally really caught the “bug” from my wife. Having made that declaration, as hard as I look I will never match her ability to see these little guys!
Soldier Fly, Griggs Reservoir Park.
Eastern Tailed Blue, Griggs Reservoir Park, (Donna).
Female Eastern Tailed Blue, Griggs Reservoir Park, (Donna).
Giant Spreadwing, not one we see often, Griggs Reservoir Park, (Donna).
Amber and Black Wasp, Griggs Reservoir Park.
Pelecinid Wasp, Griggs Reservoir Park, (Donna).
Silvery Checkerspot, Griggs Reservoir Park, (Donna)
Take 2, Donna)
Metallic Gold Fly, very small, Griggs Reservoir Park, (Donna).
Robber Fly, Griggs Reservoir Park, (Donna).
Duke’s Skipper, Griggs Reservoir.
Dukes Skipper (M), Griggs Reservoir.
Blue Dasher (F), Griggs Reservoir, (Donna).
Common Dogbane Beetles, Griggs Reservoir Park, (Donna).
Question Mark, Griggs Reservoir Park, (Donna).
Take 2, (Donna).
Orange Sulfur (F), Griggs Reservoir Park, (Donna).
The photo of the below dragonfly was an especially exciting because it very seldom lands.
Wandering Glider, the common name of this species may be the most appropriate of any of species. It is a strong flier, with a circumtropical distribution. It is found in nearly every contiguous state, extreme southern Canada, southward throughout Central and South America, the Bahamas, West Indies, Hawaii and throughout the Eastern Hemisphere, except for Europe. It is regularly encountered by ocean freighters and is a well-known migratory species. Because of its ability to drift with the wind, feeding on aerial plankton, until it finally encounters a rain pool in which it breeds, it has been called “…the world’s most evolved dragonfly.” (Odonata Central) , Griggs Reservoir Park, (Donna).
After much searching Donna finally found a few Monarch Butterfly caterpillars, Griggs Reservoir Park.
Spicebush Swallowtail, Griggs Reservoir Park.
Take 2.
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There was a time when I wasn’t all that excited about “insects”, pointing my camera at butterflies, dragonflies, and the like only when the birds weren’t cooperating. Arriving home after one such an outing I took a close look at the images obtained and was amazed at the beauty of many of these creatures that are so easy for us to disregard. It’s hardly breaking news but some time ago I heard that if we compared the weight of all humans with that of all insects we would make up a very small piece of the pie. The below chart illustrates that point. For life to exist on this small sphere we stand on the shoulders of giants but in our case they are very small giants. Something to think about!
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Thanks for stopping by.
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There has been quite a bit of rain recently so we paddled to one of the local waterfalls. It did not disappoint, Griggs Reservoir.
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Summer Wildflowers, Butterflies, and a Few Birds
Posted on July 28, 2016
We’ve been busy documenting nature’s summer in central Ohio. If you are fascinated by insects this is your time of year but be prepared to look closely. The summer heat has done little to discourage the wildflowers which in a shout of color announce their presence. The below shots were taken along Griggs Reservoir and Battelle Darby Creek Metro Park. I hope they put you in a summer kind of mood.
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Milk Weed Beetle, Griggs Park, Donna
Wild Lettuce, Griggs Park, Donna
Halberd-leaved Rose-mallow, Griggs Park, Donna
Wild Potato Vine, Griggs Park, Donna
Barely seen, dragonflies hover over a reflection, Griggs Reservoir
Fallen branch and wildflowers, Griggs Park
Gray Headed Cone Flowers, Griggs Park
Cup Plant, Griggs Park
Wild Chicory, Griggs Park
Path to the water, Griggs Park
Thistle, Griggs Park
Pearl Crescent, Griggs Park
Wasp, Griggs Park, Donna
Eastern Pondhawk,(F), Griggs Park, Donna
Wing Stem, Griggs Park, Donna
Goldfinch, Griggs Park, Donna
Hackberry Emperor, Griggs Park, Donna
Fireworks in green, Griggs park, Donna
Biennial Gaura, Griggs Park, Donna
Widow Skimmer (F), Griggs Park, Donna
Least Skipper, Griggs Park, Donna
Rose Pink, Battelle Darby Creek Metro Park, Donna
Leopard Frog, Battelle Darby Greek Metro Park, Donna
Hummingbird Moth, Battelle Derby Creek Metro Park, Donna
Phlox, Griggs Park, Donna
Catbird, Griggs Park, Donna
Ducklings, Griggs Park, Donna
Fishing, Griggs Reservoir, Donna
Black Swallowtail, Griggs Park, Donna
Hairy Wood Mint, Griggs Park, Donna
Coneflowers, Griggs Park
Peck’s Skipper, Griggs Park
Eastern Wood Pewee, Griggs Park
Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Battelle Darby Creek Metro Park
Royal Catchfly, Battelle Darby Creek Metro Park
Sunflower, Griggs Park
Royal Catchfly, a closer look.
Looking for Bison, Battelle Darby Creek Metro Park
Bison, Battelle Darby Creek Metro Park
Bluebird, Battelle Darby Creek Metro Park
Kingbird, Battelle Darby Creek Metro Park
Barn Swallow, Battelle Darby Creek Metro Park
Luna Moth on our house.
Quiet morning, Griggs Reservoir
Great Blue Heron, Griggs Reservoir
Black Crowned Night Heron, Griggs Reservoir
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Hope you enjoyed this summer celebration of nature in central Ohio. Thanks for stopping by.
An Unlikely Day
Posted on June 7, 2013
We decided to go for one of our usual urban hikes along Griggs reservoir on a recent gray, misty, sometimes rainy, spring day that central Ohio is famous for. A day you can’t help but feeling that you won’t to see much. Once down along the reservoir we began our search for plants and critters of interest which we punctuate with the usual trash pick-up.
It turns out that such a day is great for photographing wildflowers and my wife took full advantage. The quite solitude of the day also brought the Baltimore Orioles out of the tree tops and they, along with a pair of Blue Birds, were a delight to see.
Common Foxglove – Donna
Water Willow – Donna
Tall Anemone – Donna
Stream Bluet
Spiderwort – Donna
Moth Mullien – Donna
Milkweed – Donna
Finally there are pictures that transcend the subject and truly capture our love of the nature. The image below is such a picture. It was taken by my wife on a recent paddle on the reservoir.
Mallard with Babies – Griggs, Donna
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Thanks for stopping by.
