Tiger Tiger Burning Bright

William Blake had a different tiger in mind when he penned his immortal words, but it could equally apply to this more delicate tiger currently sipping nectar from the lilacs.

The tiger swallowtail takes it's name from it's tiger-like stripes, and the long forked swallow-like tail, so no surprises there. They overwinter in Canada as pupae, emerging in May. The female will have only one brood. She lays her eggs on poplars, birch trees, apple trees: there is no shortage of host sites in Canada!

Avoiding becoming a bird's breakfast is always high on a butterfly's list of things to do. The caterpillars, bless them, are large green creatures. They do their best to look like a small snake. And, to add to the illusion, they possess a nifty little device, called an Osmeterium. This is located just at the back of the head, and when threatened it comes into action, pushing out a ‘Y’ shaped organ that resembles a snake’s tongue.

What it is really is a fleshy glandular sac, orange colored and when extended measures about quarter of an inch. It unloads some nasty smelling substances, and usually the predator backs off at that stage. The organ is unique to Swallow Tails.

From snake to tiger, the metamorphosis of this butterfly is truly amazing. Had Blake known about these astonishing Swallowtail butterflies, perhaps he would have dedicated his poem to them.

TIGER, tiger, burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?

In what distant deeps or skies
Burnt the fire of thine eyes?
On what wings dare he aspire?
What the hand dare seize the fire?

And what shoulder and what art
Could twist the sinews of thy heart?
And when thy heart began to beat,
What dread hand and what dread feet?

What the hammer? what the chain?
In what furnace was thy brain?
What the anvil? What dread grasp
Dare its deadly terrors clasp?

When the stars threw down their spears,
And water'd heaven with their tears,
Did He smile His work to see?
Did He who made the lamb make thee?

Tiger, tiger, burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?

Face to Face with the Past

They've been around since the dinosaurs stomped through the primordial swamps. And they have pretty much remained as they began. When you look into the eyes of a snapping turtle (something that is not so easy to do, actually) you are looking into a time machine.

When David found this little chap hanging out near one of the woodpiles, he did the neighbourly thing: he scooped the little guy up and transported him to the lake. The snapper was very grateful. These turtles are happiest in freshwater lakes, and the corners of our bays are ideal for them. They like the cat-tails and bullrushes, and the muddy bottom of the lake in those areas.

As their Latin name suggests -- Chelydra serpentina -- snapping turtles can strike like a snake. They are unique in that aspect among turtles. They will defend themselves by striking viciously and they are so fast it's hard to see them coming, so it is best to give them their space. An adult snapper can weight up to 40 pounds and be about 14" long in their rough carapace.

But, we hasten to add, you have to aggravate them first. Turtles do not lie in wait in the trees planning to jump on you. People are not their first choice of a meal -- and while they are savage and efficient hunters, when in the water, they are quite unaggressive towards people and will usually just slip away from you.

On land, however, where they feel vulnerable, they can be quite fierce. It is best to give them their space. Often at this time of year you will see females on the edge of the road, digging their nests into the soft gravel shoulders. Don't ever mess with a female about to lay her eggs! But do take care -- car kills are the leading cause of death among these ancient and amazing creatures, and have been extensive enough to put them on the endangered list. Turtles don't move all that fast -- you should be able to avoid them while driving. Really...

David wisely wore gloves to handle this fellow. Even a small snapper like this can give you a nasty bite if you are foolish enough to stick a finger in his beak. It's a good chance to see their fat fleshy tail, their five clawed feet and that signature sharp beaked face, however!

He - or she? - is back in the lake now, and we wish our snapping turtle well. Even though, no doubt, later in the year we will be heartbroken when one of the wild ducklings vanishes, yanked down from beneath the water by a snapping turtle. Everybody has to eat. Every species has a place. We have to let Nature work. Fluffy ducklings score high on the Cute Factor, but take another look at the face of this snapping turtle. The species has survived for some 230 million years. you have to respect that, too.

White Woods and Science

Come spring, the woods transform into a carpet of wildflowers. Tiny star shaped May flowers, little purple wood violets, the yellow of adder's tongue.

And trilliums. Being in Ontario, we're particularly fond of the Trillium, which is our Provincial flower.

The blooming time is brief -- limited to the month of May -- but while they are out, the woods turn white - and pink, and red - with their signature 3-petals.

We've all heard the admonishment, 'don't pick the trilliums.' Don't dig them up, either. Enjoy them where they belong instead. These plants are more vulnerable than people might imagine. They do not transplant well, often dying in the process. They take 5 to 7 years to grow enough to begin seed production. They are not cultivated in nurseries -- any you see for sale have been harvested in the wild, causing habitat destruction and putting pressure on the species. So it is best to just let them be.

They possess a number of unique features. One example is that these are plants whose seeds are spread through myrmecochory, or ant-mediated dispersal, which is effective in increasing the plant's ability to outcross, but ineffective in bringing the plant very far. As you can imagine, ants don't drag seeds over mountain ranges as a general rule. Yellow-jacket wasps and harvestmen spiders (which are better known as Daddy Long-legs, and aren't true spiders) also help with the seed dispersal of the trillium. Again, this is a short-haul system of transportation. Which led ecologists to question how it and similar plants were able to survive glaciation events during, oh, say an ice age.

And that is where deer enter the picture. For better, or for worse. The height of the trilliums is an effective index of how intense foraging by deer is in a particular area. Deer love the taste of trilliums. Given a choice, they will select a trillium over any other available browse. Which is perhaps not great news if you are a trillium quietly blooming in a secluded patch of forest. In the course of normal browsing, deer munch up the larger flowers, leaving shorter ones behind. Scientists, who are a crafty bunch, use this information to assess deer density and its effect on understory growth in general.

When foraging intensity increases, individuals become shorter each growing season due to the reduction in energy reserves from less photosynthetic production. One study determined that the ideal deer density, based on trilliums (T. grandiflorum in the study, which leans towards the Latin names) as an indicator of overall understory health, is 4 to 6 animals per square kilometer. This is based on a 12 to 14 cm stem height as an acceptable healthy height.

In practice, deer densities as high as 30 deer per square kilometers are known to occur in restricted or fractured habitat where natural control mechanisms such as wolves and other predators are lacking. Such densities, if maintained over more than a few years, can be very damaging to the understory and lead to extinction of some local understory plant populations.

Now, riding the horses last fall, it wasn't unusual to spot up to 24 deer in a one hour hack -- which would indicate our deer population is too high. The wolf pack is working on that, and while we do think the deer are beautiful creatures, and we have our personal favourites, we would encourage you to cheer the wolves on. It's better for everyone if the deer population is under control.

It's not all bad news for the trillium, however. The same deer that munches off the big blossoms also contributes to the survival of the species, by carrying away the seeds. An ant may get your seeds only about a metre, but a whitetail deer will prance off through the forest for about a kilometre before, well, before defecating the seed to be be delicate in terminology.

Everything has a balance. We should be taking care not to upset that. We all need to learn to tread lightly on the planet.

Signs of the Times

I was judging at the Will O Wind Horse Trials on the weekend. It was a fun getaway, a chance to visit with a lot of old friends, and to watch a lot of nice horses compete.

Ann and Geoff do a wonderful job on this competition -- their courses are among the very best in Canada. Magnificently built, and incredibly decorated. That's one of the reasons their site has been selected to host the cross country portion of the three day event when the Pan American Games roll into Toronto in a few years.

With so many people coming on the farm property, the owners go to extreme lengths to ensure the safety of their beloved dogs.

I had to share these signs. They take me back to years gone by when we had a sign at Bondi that read "Please drive carefully. BLIND CAT." That was Rosemary's beloved siamese Tia... and the sign would cause guests to park up by the road and walk in to the office. Tia got around very well... we think we must have used braille, because she still went outside, still hunted. Still caught mice. When my dog, at that time a miniature poodle named Amy, lost her hearing, we contemplated adding to the sign, "DEAF DOG."

Then, as my father pointed out, we would probably have to add another line: "LAME HORSE", so we relied on Tia's sign to slow traffic.

There was another sign on display in the stabling area. Dreamcrest always arrives with a lot of horses, in a big van. And one thing about Ian and Kelly -- they always call it as they see it! Those of us who transport horses are always set on edge when other drivers' tailgate. It is very important that the horses get a comfortable ride, so they don't become unwilling to get into the transports in the first place. And we are often on single lane roads that require driving with care. Most trailers carry the warning: Caution. Horses.

Dreamcrest goes a little farther in the explanation.

Spring in the Air

As soon as you step out the door now, the scent of the apple blossoms and the lilacs permeates the air. It's glorious.

The only downside to spring blossoms is that they don't last long enough. The hyacinths in the gardens are almost finished. You really have to be here to experience the freshness of the air, and the glorious perfume of the flowers.

And the lilacs, which are among my personal favourites. Wow.

Crunch

Dave told me, at 11.30 p.m., that the incident was NOT bloggable...

All the same. His feelings have changed on the matter. He and Mike were coming home from Georgian College last Friday, when another car made an illegal turn in the intersection, and kissed Dave's car goodbye.

Dave and Mike were both fine and uninjured. They were shaken, but not stirred. The police charged the other guy - who was in a hurry to get to Tim's to pick up a coffee for his mother. As Dave pointed out, the other guy had a worse day: it was his birthday, he was in his Mom's car, getting her a coffee, and he totalled her car...

He also totalled Dave's. It was a learning experience. You can be doing everything right, and still get in an accident. You can drive as defensively as you can, and still get hit. Airbags deploying is an education in itself.

That experience continued on the weekend, while the boys went car shopping. That involved doing some math -- an 1999 Chevy van doesn't pull in a lot of replacement value insurance. What was needed was reliable wheels to get to and fro college. They ruled out the Chevy Impala... they drooled over a few unaffordable dream cars.

They found one. It comes with all the bells and whistles, including a sunroof that makes Achmed almost delerious with glee. We were more impressed by the safety features.

Drive on! But take care out there.

Top Models, All of Them!

Our guests take the most extraordinary photographs while they are visiting us. Of course, we do our best to provide wonderful subjects, with outstanding backdrops and interesting lighting effects. Our wildlife are all instructed to 'work it' for the camera (although not all of them are good at following instructions, and many of them just can't past their camera shyness)

Sue enters her local horticultural society photo contests every year, and every year she submits pictures taken at Bondi.

This year, she won Frist Place in the category of Still Life, with one of her hummingbird close ups. As she points out, it is Life... and at least briefly, it is still. We agree. You can see the tiny bird's tongue still protruding from her beak in this shot.

She also won an award for a picture she took of a bumblebee in the hollyhocks, completely covered with pollen. The bee is pushing the pollen in the pollen sacs on the abdomen, to help carry some of it back to the hive.

She didn't win an award for the chipmunk robbing the birdfeeder, but we don't know why... we think it's great! But the chipmunk harbours no hard feelings, and has offered to pose again for her, anytime!