Fantastic Finds From the Field

Summer is in full swing and CVC staff are out connecting with nature, practicing safe physical distancing and capturing some fantastic finds throughout the Credit River Watershed as part of their environmental monitoring work.

Here are the top six cool finds of the summer so far:

Photo credit: Zachary Kahn

1. Butterflies are small and quick, which sometimes makes it hard to take pictures of them. We were able to successfully snap this beautiful shot of an Eastern Tailed-blue butterfly. Males are generally blue on the upper side of their wings and females are light blue to brown in coloring. Their caterpillars have all kinds of colouring, ranging from yellow to green to pink to purplish-brown.

Photo credit: Chantalle- Brittany Jacob-Okor

2. While sampling for benthic macroinvertebrates, we got up close to this amazing dragonfly larva. Benthic macroinvertebrates are organisms that live at the bottom of streams, rivers, lakes and wetlands. Their presence, numbers and health can tell us a lot about the health of a waterbody and local ecosystem.

Photo credit: Asher

3. This amazing shot of a Yellow Bullfrog was taken by 9-year-old Asher, whose parents are proud CVC employees. The yellow colour is due to xanthism, a mutation causing excessive yellow pigmentation.

Photo credit: Melissa Creasey

4. A White-marked Tussock Moth caterpillar is a treat for the eyes. This shot perfectly captures its unique markings and food of choice. White-marked Tussock Moth caterpillars eat the leaves of many woody plant species including hickory, walnut, ash, elm and oak. These caterpillars are closely related to Gypsy Moths, and both have many hairs sticking out of their bodies. Learn more about Gypsy Moths.

Photo credit: Jessica Consiglio

5. Sometimes protecting nature means we work the night shift. In early July, while conducting bat surveys, we captured this echolocation call, showing that a bat was likely approaching prey. Learn more about bat monitoring.

Photo credit: Lindsey Jennings

6. If you look closely inside this Nannyberry shrub, you’ll see a bird’s nest. We went back to a past planting site in Brampton to check up on the trees and shrubs and came across these vibrant eggs while watering the plants.

Have cool nature photos of your own? Share them with us on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook!

Article by CVC’s Kimberley Holt-Behrend