The Nokiidaa Trail boardwalk section of St. John’s Sideroad is now fully completed and ready to be explored for “snugly” wildlife. One visit is definitely not enough to fully appreciate this short and popular trail. It’s amazing to think that just last March, the boardwalk was still under construction.
The population of female Wood ducks is thriving this year, and the ducklings are incredibly adorable and snugly. In fact, one of them looking in my direction reminds me of Mumble from the movie Happy Feet. It’s hard not to smile at how cute they are, especially with their little curious expressions!
The ladybugs we found are the native ones, not the Asian ones that were released a few years ago to control aphids. I remember when they used to crawl into our house or when a cloud of them would fly around our backyard. They would also bite and have this orange liquid coming out of them – yikes! It’s a bit unsettling when they do that, but it’s interesting how those little critters can be so different from one another.
I’m not a fan of spiders either, but they can actually be pretty cool to photograph. This little guy is less than 10 mm long, legs included. It may be small, but with good lighting and a quality macro lens, one can capture some really sharp images. If you’re into spiders, there are tons of different species out there to discover—each with its own unique features!
I’m not sure what kind of insect is in the photo below, but I had to do a lot of my own body bending to get it to look at my camera. It’s always a challenge getting the perfect shot when they’re so small and unpredictable! But hey, it’s all part of the fun, right?
It was really sad to see that the red ant was draining the life out of him. At first, I didn’t even realize what was happening, but I could tell he wasn’t doing well. There was an ant latched onto him, probably trying to kill him, while he was just crawling around, seemingly unaware that he was in danger. It’s such a harsh side of nature, seeing one creature so vulnerable to another.
I didn’t even realize there was a little creature on the stone when I was editing my photos. I might have actually captured a tick in the bottom left corner of the photo below – crazy, right?
Not all ticks carry Lyme disease, so maybe the one that bit me when I was a kid wasn’t the dangerous kind. I was only five or six years old when my mom removed a big tick from my wrist. I didn’t have any reaction to the bite and just tossed the tick away.
I only spent about forty-five minutes on the boardwalk today, but I found so much cool stuff. This is just the beginning of my adventure – stay tuned for more!
“Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known.”
Carl Sagan
COMMENTS
Michele said: May 30, 2012 at 15:40
“Hi – love your blog. And your photos! Where is the head of the St. John boardwalk? How do we find it?”
Anna Lozyk Romeo said: May 30, 2012 at 17:31
“Michele, thank you for your kind words! The boardwalk is right on St. John’s Sideroad for the McKenzie Marsh, just east of Yonge Street. The Nokiidaa boardwalk is at the intersection of Hadley Grange and St. John’s Sideroad, right across from the blue house on the corner (east side).
I hope this helps, but if not, just look up the intersection of Yonge Street and St. John’s Sideroad on Google Maps. Good luck, and thanks again!”
Marvin said: May 30, 2012 at 20:20
“Nice new template! I like! Such lovely pictures! You have the best macro!”
Max Coutinho said: June 1, 2012 at 14:32
“Anna, Gorgeous, gorgeous pictures! You live surrounded by beauty and magic. By the way, I like spiders and lady bugs too. Cheers.”
Anna Lozyk Romeo said: June 4, 2012 at 19:41
“Thanks Marvin, glad you enjoyed it.”
Anna Lozyk Romeo said: June 4, 2012 at 19:42
“Max, it’s always so nice to see you here! I could get used to spiders, but definitely not crawling on me, LOL. Ladybugs are nice though, the real ones! Hope all is well, and I’ll see you soon on your side.”
