We would like to thank everyone involved for making the day run so smoothly, from the vendors to the volunteers. We couldn’t have done it without you!
The less than perfect weather didn’t seem to keep anybody home either…we had just over 1000 people down at the Visitor’s Centre throughout the day!
And when the sun finally decided to show it’s face, the guided butterfly hikes spotted 6 species of butterflies including Monarchs, Painted Ladies, Cresents, Sulfurs, Cabbage Whites and a Black Swallowtail.
Dale and Laura are the two people who really made it all happen!
Another creature we were delighted to see that day was a Blanding’s turtle hatchling. Back in June when these turtles leave the water to dig their nests, we noticed a large female looking quite interested in the gravely soil around our parking lot. Luckily the nest wasn’t predated by raccoons or skunks during the summer and we have seen 2 hatchlings so far.
Blanding’s turtles have a black, highly-domed carapace (upper shell) with yellowish spots or streaks. The plastron (bottom shell) is yellow with black markings. The tell-tale sign of Blanding’s turtles is their bright yellow throat and notched upper jaw which gives them a permanent “smile”. Adult Blanding’s turtles have a hinged shell, which allows them to close their shell tightly when predators come knocking.
Unfortunately Blanding’s turtles are listed as a threatened species in Ontario due to loss of wetland habitat and road mortalities. So if you are lucky enough to see one of these little turtles wandering around on the road, give them a hand to the other side.
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