Lakeville Corner Almanac

  Toads always surprise me when I find them. They seem to be masters of disguise, blending in so well that you don't notice them until they suddenly hop out of your path.

The beaches around the lakes provide great habitat for white-tailed deer . Plenty to eat, lots to drink and the proximity to cottagers gives some protection from predators like coyotes. Most mornings I will find fresh hoof prints along the beach from their early morning passing. I rarely see them on the beach in the day. This picture resulted from an early morning kayak run on a quiet morning. A short while later a jet-ski buzzed by and off these two ran with their mother.

One of the pleasant things about camping is "Nature's Soundtrack", complete with bull frogs croaking. It's enjoyable for the first few hours. After that you tend to want to sleep, darn it! It's amazing how loud these guys can be at 3am. This picture shows a juvenile in a nearby stream. So likely it wasn't him keeping me up all night.

  The name for Red Admiral butterflies confused me when I first looked them up. Why on earth would an orange butterfly be named red? It likely goes back to the fact that many cultures don't have exact translations for English colours. Even the word orange (meaning the colour specifically ) didn't exist in English until the 16th century. This guy was found on Apple Island so that likely means there are stinging nettles nearby.

From the air you can a better idea of just how large Grand Lake Meadows really is. This footage is from early August when the flora is at its peak.  Who knew there were so many shades of green? Around time 2:55 you can see a faint line through the grass in the centre of the frame. That most likely would be from a moose foraging for something tasty.

Wild blueberries are the best. I've been picking the blueberries that grow in the area since childhood. If it was a good year and you can pick them before the local wildlife cleans the bushes then you can get enough for a great blueberry cobbler. Perhaps there will even be enough left for some blueberry pancakes. Worst case you get enough to stew a bit and smear on your morning toast. These things make the domesticated berries from the grocery store taste like chalk.

Have you ever been that person who arrives too early to the party? I'm sure that's how these Mallards feel. I snapped this in late April, near the peak of the spring freshet. It was a cool spring and so there was still a thick layer of ice. Times like this can be very destructive when the wind picks up as the ice can exert many tons of force on trees and cottages. All the trees on the beach close to the water-line have a very well defined slant to them for good reason.

French lake is mud and silt bottomed lake. When the lake starts to dry-up and shrink during the hot months of July and August there can be a significant amount of mud flats exposed. This is great feeding for sandpiper shorebirds like this Greater Yellowlegs . This one looks like a juvenile, trying to fatten up before the fall migration south.

When you are exploring the swamps and back-waters of the lakes, there is no better friend to have around than the dragonfly . Dragonflies are voracious eaters of other insects including deer-flies and mosquitoes.  I especially love it when they hitch a ride on my sailboat. When they are around, the biting insects simply disappear. I like them so much I named my boat "The Dragonfly" and hitch-hikers are welcome.