The September 7th deadline for entering the 2021 Urquhart Butterfly Garden Photo Contest has come and gone. We are grateful to have received many excellent photos of a diverse array of garden wildlife.
Photo Contest Award Announcement:
The 2021 Photo Contest Award Winners will annouced on our website on the morning of Tuesday, October 12th, 2021. Stay tuned!
Cooler nights and a profusion of aster & goldenrod flowers have signaled the arrival of autumn in the garden. Our ‘Summer Series’ Education Programme has ended for 2021. We are grateful to all of our event leaders and visitors who made the year successful.
Hummingbird migration is drawing to a close but several are still visiting the salvia, red sage and other flowers. Visit our new ‘Filmed in the Garden’ to view a great video on Ruby-throated Hummingbirds by Mark Williams.
‘Filmed in the Garden’ features several videos shot in the Urquhart Butterfly Garden in 2021. Current videos feature the Great Golden Digger Wasp and another with great shots of Preying Mantis, both by Mark Williams. Thank you Mark!
Monarch butterfly numbers are building and will continue strong until successive cold fronts, north winds and sunny days carry them south. Watch for them flitting around the Butterfly Bushes or drifting by overhead.
Another great spot for autumn butterflies is the Crabapple trees near the cedar hedge at the west end of the Garden. On sunny days butterflies can be seen along the path feeding on the rotting fruit on the ground.
Other welcome sights include American Goldfinches and Eastern Chipmunk feasting on the Cup Plant seedheads as Cedar Waxwings pluck berries. Don’t forget to watch for the bird migration overhead.
Up next in our 2021 Education Program Summer Series:
Urquhart Butterfly Garden Centennial Park, Dundas
Butterfly & Nature Identification Walk – Matthew Mills
Free Workshop Saturday September 11 at 10 am
Our own staff naturalist Matt Mills will lead our final walk of the year a Guided Nature Walk and tour of the garden. Early fall is a time of change for wildlife in the garden, but there is always plenty to see.
Monarch butterfly migration is underway, and we may see small groups in the garden or migrating overhead. A day with north winds could bring the hawk migration right overhead and insect diversity will be high in the abundant fall flowers.
The session is open to all, and you will leave with a new knowledge and understanding of the wonderful diversity of wildlife at the Urquhart Butterfly Garden.
Saturday September 11 at 10 am.
You are requested to bring your binoculars & a chair. Be prepared to spend 1 hour in the full
sun of the garden – a hat and sunglasses are helpful.
The event will be cancelled in the event of rain.
The Urquhart Butterfly Garden is immediately adjacent to Centennial Park and the Hamilton Air Force Association at 128 King St. E in Dundas.
There is plenty of free parking and the location is easily accessible by public transportation or bicycle.
………………………………………………………………………………………………….
For more information contact:
Joanna Chapman
jchapman@295.ca
905-627-8917
Funded by the Dougher Fund of the Hamilton Community Foundation
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The Urquhart Butterfly Garden,
Centennial Park, Dundas.
Birds of the Butterfly Garden & Canal Park
Brian Wylie
Saturday, September 4 at 10 am
Brian Wylie is a very observant naturalist and birder. Brian can tell you about our birds, their lives, and migration patterns. It is surprising how many species of bird are hiding in plain view.
By early September many birds are getting ready to leave us for the winter. He will explain why some Robins leave us in the fall others stay and overwinter here.
Brian Wylie has been interested in birds and other creatures since he was a child, and for many years been a very active member of the Hamilton Naturalist’s Club. He welcomes both young and old to his workshops, and has a great facility for explaining the mysteries of nature to young children. Join Brian on September 4 at 10am, for a free workshop.
Funded by the Dougher Fund of the Hamilton Community Foundation
………………………………………………………………….
For more information contact:
Joanna Chapman (905-627-8917)
email: jchapman@295.ca
Urquhart Butterfly Garden
Centennial Park, Dundas
Butterfly & Nature Identification Walk
Matthew Mills
Free Workshop Saturday August 28th at 10 am
Our own staff naturalist Matt Mills will guide a Butterfly and Nature Identification walk and tour of the garden. Late summer is an excellent time to view a diversity of butterflies in the Urquhart Butterfly Garden.
Monarch numbers begin to build as they stage for migration, good numbers of summering species are still on the wing and rare butterflies blown north on summer heat waves are possible. Bird migration begins in earnest in late August so we will watch for movement overhead and new visitors in the garden.
The session is open to all, and you will leave with a new knowledge and understanding of the wonderful diversity of wildlife at the Urquhart Butterfly Garden. Saturday August 28 at 10 am.
You are requested to bring a chair and wear a hat. We will spend 1 hour in the full sun of the garden. The event will be cancelled in the event of rain.
The Urquhart Butterfly Garden is immediately adjacent to Centennial Park and the Hamilton Air Force Association at 128 King St. E in Dundas.
There is plenty of free parking and the location is easily accessible by public transportation or bicycle.
Funded by the Dougher Fund of the Hamilton Community Foundation
……………………………………………………………
For more information contact:
Joanna Chapman
jchapman@295.ca
905-627-8917
Up next in our 2021 Education Program Summer Series:
Urquhart Butterfly Garden
Centennial Park, Dundas
Bees & Bugs
Jenna Braun
Free Workshop Saturday August 21st at 10 am
The abundant flowers of the Urquhart Butterfly Garden provide habitat for an
excellent diversity of native bees, wasps and insects.
Jenna Braun, ecologist and entomologist, is full of fascinating facts about the
insect world – a world which many of us overlook.
Jenna has studied native bees and insects for many years and communicates her
enthusiasm easily. This is an great workshop for kids to see and handle insects up
close and safely.
Join Jenna on Saturday, August 21 at 10 am.
Please bring a chair
On a bus route and lots of free parking
Cancelled in the event of rain
Funded by the Dougher Fund of the Hamilton Community Foundation.
Urquhart Butterfly Garden at Centennial Park, Dundas
Dragonflies & Their Kin
Brenda Van Ryswyk
Free Workshop
Saturday August 14 at 10 am
Dragonflies are amazing creatures. They zip through the air, with an ability to fly up & down, hover like a helicopter, and even fly backwards and upside down in their quest for a meal of flying insects. They have extraordinary eyesight, and their complex eye structure enable them, to see almost 360 degrees without moving the head.
Brenda Van Ryswyk, well known dragonfly expert, will be leading a workshop which will tell more about the the astonishing lives of these beautiful creatures, and how to locate and identify them.
The Urquhart Butterfly Garden is adjacent to water, so its an excellent location for dragonfly viewing. Join Brenda on Saturday, August 14 at 10 am
– Cancelled in the event of rain
Funded by the Dougher Fund of the Hamilton Community Foundation
Urquhart Butterfly Garden Summer Series 2021 : Saturday August 7 – September 11
The Urquhart Butterfly Garden will begin a Summer Series of workshops on Saturday August 7 at 10 am.
Our own staff naturalist Matt Mills will be the first of the Saturday guides with a Butterfly and Nature Identification walk. It takes a trained eye to point out hidden butterflies and to distinguish the identifying features. Can you tell the difference between a Monarch and a Viceroy? Do you know why stinging nettle is such an important plant in a butterfly garden? Discover these answers and much more.
The session is open to all, and you will leave with a new knowledge and understanding of the wonderful diversity of wildlife at the Urquhart Butterfly Garden. Saturday August 7 at 10 am.
You are requested to bring a chair and wear a hat. We will spend 1 hour in the full sun of the garden. The event will be cancelled in the event of rain.
The Urquhart Butterfly Garden is immediately adjacent to Centennial Park and the Hamilton Air Force Association at 128 King St. E in Dundas.
There is plenty of free parking and the location is easily accessible by public transportation or bicycle.
………………………………………………………………………………………………….
For more information contact:
Joanna Chapman
jchapman@295.ca
905-627-8917
The beautiful sunshine and soaring temperatures of midsummer have arrived and the butterflies have followed. The garden is in full flower and an excellent diversity of species may be seen on sunny days.
A Tawny Emperor – a first for the garden – was photographed last week. Other spectacular species, including Milbert’s Tortoiseshell, are present for the patient visitor.
The photo contest continues through August. Unique photo experiences abound in the height of summer so be sure to seize the opportunity.
We have a free summer education series set to begin August 7 and run until September 11. Come visit each Saturday morning as local experts teach about wildlife in the garden. A schedule is posted below.
***UPDATE August 01, 2021***
Please note that the Photo Contest rules previously stated 3 photos in 4 categories for a total of up to 8 photos. This was an error and has been corrected. The rule now states Enter up to 3 photos per category (maximum 12 photos).
Spring is rushing into Summer. Butterflies are coming, new ones every day. There is also lots of interesting bug activity for the sharp eyed nature watcher. We have young rabbits and some chipmunks along with the usual voles, however there has been a mink visiting, so small mammals will need to be very careful.
The mulberries are ripening and the birds are flocking to them, see how many species you can spot.
Matt Mills, nature interpreter and gardener, started work in early June. He’s always happy to answer your questions and is very skilled at identification, so don’t be shy with your queries.
Our regular postings of photos Seen in the Garden will begin again this week. The Photo Contest starts on Friday, June 25, so good luck with your sightings!
JC
