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Garter snakes - there is a huge variety.

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These are some of the garter snakes I have caught and photographed over the years. Native to North America, the garter snake is one of the most common and oft-caught reptiles.  There are 35 recognized species, but about 50 recognized subspecies.  The common garter snake has the largest number of subspecies, with a total of 13 known for the common garter snake. The common garter snake also has the widest distribution of any reptile in North America, where it can be found in all Canadian provinces and territories, including Newfoundland, where they were first observed in 2010.  Since garter snakes are unable to travel great distances, they form isolated breeding populations where subspeciation has an opportunity to occur.   The photos above include the common garter snake (bottom left two), the western terrestrial garter snake (bottom right two), the plains garter snake (top right) , and the northwestern garter snake (center left).  The top two left snakes an...
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Oyster catcher - sometimes, small is good.

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Black oyster catcher in Ambury Park, New Zealand, 2018. I enjoy photographing wildlife and landscapes.  Occasionally, the two come together.  When this happens, the wildlife component may be relatively small, as in this case, where the bird is visible and identifiable, but hardly eye-catching.  Still, it makes for an interesting photo. What makes this shot work is the multiple aspects that draw your eye.  The rough but narrow rocky shoreline, the two trees of different sizes, the blurry but recognizable background, and, of course, the bird (which is on the right, rocky shoreline, by the way). Most of my bird photos are just of the bird itself, with some background or foreground relative to the bird's environment.  In this photo, the two are reversed, with the environment taking the stage and the bird remaining somewhat obscure.  However, the bird's presence is important as it gives important context to the image.  It also wouldn't be the same is the bi...
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Ground beetles vs darkling beetles - what's the difference?

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Shiny, dark predatory beetles with well-defined mouthparts and antennae are often ground beetles. Two groups of beetles that often get confused with each other are ground beetles and darkling beetles.  Initially, they look similar.  Both tend to be dark, often black, can often be found under stuff (turn over a board or rock and you may find one), and definitely look like beetles.  However, if you take a few moments, you will find there are significant differences. Ground beetles are shiny, often with glossy surfaces.  Darkling beetles are dull with little sheen. Ground beetles have thread-like antennae, while darkling beetles have beaded/clubbed antennae. Ground beetles have visible jaws.  Darkling beetles don't. Ground beetles are predatory, both as larvae and adults.  Darkling beetles are mainly detritivores, scavengers or herbivores. Ground beetles can move quickly and have longer legs, while darkling beetles are more sedentary with shorter legs. Ground ...
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Black tachinid fly - a beneficial fly (it's not a housefly)

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I photographed this tachinid fly while on a walk in Kelowna, BC.  March 21, 2026. Yes, it kind of looks like a housefly.  But it's not.  You can tell because of the long hairs coming off its abdomen (back end).  This is a tachinid, a kind of fly that is a parasitoid, meaning that it parasitizes its host and ultimately ends up killing it.  The thing is, its larvae devour harmful insects. The hosts of most tachinid flies are the larval stages of insects showing complete metamorphosis.  For example, some tachinid flies are parasitoids of caterpillars.  Harmful insect species such as gypsy moths, armyworms, and tent caterpillars can be controlled through tachinid fly propagation.  However, each fly species has its own particular species on which it lays eggs. So, if you see a fly with a hairy rump, Do not kill it with a swatter or thump. Instead, set it free and let it carry on, 'Cause it is beneficial through predation. Well, I tried.  Thanks fo...
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Water striders - Just when you thought it was safe to go into the water again.

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Water striders eating a fallen bee. Water striders are true bugs, belonging to the order Hemiptera (class Insecta).  All true bugs have piercing mouth parts, kind of like mosquitoes, whose job it is to pierce tissues (either plant or animal) and suck the liquid nourishment from within.   Immediately after piercing the host's tissues, water striders inject a potent saliva cocktail that both paralyzes the organism and facilitates the chemical breakdown of solids.  The fluids are then slurped up and the feeding continues.   I have known about water striders taking on small prey, such as springtails, but wasn't aware that they actually could overpower larger organisms.  This happens only when they are not breeding.  They will cooperatively take on prey larger than themselves.  By working together, they can both incapacitate and kill meals that will feed a community. I photographed this a couple of days ago while visiting one of the ponds on Knox ...
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The dark-edged bee fly - Bombylius major.

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The dark-edged bee fly is one of the earliest bee flies to emerge in the spring. Now there's a strange-looking beast.  I have written blogs about bee flies before ( Black-banded bee fly ) and even about the dark-edged bee fly (click here to see my previous post).  I have documented their behaviours as being nectar-feeders as adults but being parasitoids as larvae.  You can read about their life history in my other blogs. There are two reasons I like this photo.  The first is that it is the best photo of a bee fly that I have ever gotten, and the second reason is that the hairy abdomen and thorax can be clearly seen.  Since these insects emerge so early in the spring, they need to keep their body temperature elevated so they can fly.  When they beat their wings, the muscles release heat.  The heat is insulated because of the hair and allows the bee fly to keep active in cool temperatures. A strange thing about this bee fly is that is is present througho...
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Dusky shrew - a relatively common shrew I found in Kelowna, BC.

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Dusky shrew: The long, bicoloured tail helps with identification. Last year, while visiting Edmonton, I found a masked shrew ( blog here ).  Not to be outdone, I found a dusky shrew in Kelowna at a site I commonly visit, Munson Pond. All shrews are insectivores and have an insane metabolism, where they have to eat something like half their body weight each day to stay alive.  They have short lifespans, have several litters a year, and are active throughout the year.  In winter, they live in the subnivian zone, which is the area between the snowpack and the ground.  If insects are not available, they eat seeds, lichen, and fungi, and are known to have food stores (or larders) that they can access.  Dusky shrews are known to eat conifer seeds. The dusky shrew is relatively common.  It lives near water (I found this one 20 meters from the pond), and can be identified by the dark fur dorsally and the light fur ventrally.  The tail is also bicoloured, with ...
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