Skipper butterfly on thistle

Yesterday, 3 August 2019, a small group of us were lucky enough to visit two neighbouring acreages west of the city. In fact, along the road that I tend to drive along each time I drive out west. Friend, Dorothy, knows the owners of the first property we went to and had arranged for us to come and do a bioblitz on their land. Nancy and Bill Cook have a beautiful, forested acreage and we were led along several different trails. Accompanying us was their big, black dog who was very sweet and determined to try and keep up with us, despite arthritic joints, which needed a few very brief rests. They were such welcoming and kind people and it was such a pleasure to help them learn a little more about what was growing and living around them. A juvenile Yellow-bellied Sapsucker was a surprise, and there was even an occasional fungus, including a rather fine coral fungus. We were also treated to coffee, iced tea and chocolate brownies. Thank you!

Part way through the day, we walked from their home to the neighbours, Dean & Charmaine Carton, who also knew we were coming. Their beautiful garden gave us a few lovely sightings, including a few bird species and, discovered growing on the ground inside a fire pit, a nice example of Marchantia liverwort, complete with fruiting body.

Our few hours out were greatly appreciated and enjoyed by everyone. I always think these outings are a win/win situation, with landowners gaining new knowledge plus a very detailed list of all the species found, and the rest of us always meet such lovely people and have a very enjoyable time.

Thanks so much, Nancy and Bill and your neighbours, for this experience. Thanks, as always, Dorothy and Stephen, for the ride there and back.