I was out of town last Wednesday but I managed to make it to Beechwood a couple of times later in the week. I do try to put in my hours somehow! The group removed some honeysuckle and Japanese knotweed while I was away, I believe, and I continued the assault on garlic mustard. It's started to go to seed, so it's crunch time. (By the way, I can report that garlic mustard is spreading through the Owen Sound area as well. It's everywhere.)

During one of my wetland visits there was a turkey vulture circling over the valley; I tried to look alive at all times. I also saw one of our most elegant birds, a cedar waxwing:

Before reaching the wetland I set down my bag to pull out my camera and happened to witness a violent struggle taking place nearby. A daring jumping spider (that's really its name!) had seized a caterpillar. The victim flailed around desperately but it was no match for the spider, which gave a couple of mighty tugs and dragged it off for dinner. By the time my camera was operational this was all I could capture:

Scene from the mulch pile:



Meanwhile, back at the equipment box, that yellow jacket/wasp is still hard at work, but it doesn't seem to be making much progress. I also surprised a whole mess of flying ants. They didn't appreciate the light of day, and soon disappeared.