Wanderer’s Eye

Long Point Chapter

Aniruddha Dhamorikar

Preface

There are places on Earth where over thousand birds stage during migration and where birders and experts flock to cherish this grand

congregation, one of such places is Long Point. Situated in Lake Erie, Long Point Sand spit was created over the last 4,000 years due to the

high shoreline availability of glacial till, strong winds, variations in climate, hydrological cycle and seiches. These forces continue to shape Long

Point, the largest sandy peninsula (or Sand spit) on the Great Lakes.

Long Point’s Inner and Outer Bays and their associated marshes are one of the most biologically important areas – not only for resident birds

but for migratory waterfowls of North America as well. This is because Long Point falls under the Atlantic flyway of migrating birds, providing

them stopovers for feeding. One can easily guess why thousands of birds decide to stop at Long Point Bay – it is diverse in its floral and faunal

diversity – from various aquatic plants and animals to diverse insects on land – this land is as rich in providing fuel for the migratory birds as it

is to feed the resident song-birds. Long Point is well known for its waterfowls, but this often leads to ignorance in the minds of the nature

enthusiasts who come to cherish the biodiversity at Long Point. Besides Waterfowls and song-birds, some mammals such as Grey Fox and

Badgers are on top of the food pyramid – but what we easily miss out here is what supports this wildlife – the lesser-known creatures such as

snakes, arachnids and insects.

This is a photo-documentation of the fauna of Long Point and the surrounding areas, consisting of Port Rowan and Turkey Point, which I

observed over the two months.

Acknowledgment

Long Point Waterfowl (LPW) has given me the opportunity to work as well as learn about the Great Lakes ecology. I am thankful to LPW

staff for encouraging me to explore and for the guidance. I would like to thank Scott Petrie and Ted Barney for entrusting me with the work I

love doing. I would like to thank Robin Churchill, without whom I would not know so much about freshwater invertebrates as I do today.

Casey Peet-Pare and Laura Robson, for teaching me how to track snakes, and manage the species-at-risk species such as Hog-nose snakes, and

to my colleagues and friends for their support and guidance.

Last but not the least; I would like to thank Holly Sanderson, for selecting me for the Master’s in Environment & Sustainability degree, and to

my classmates who made me feel at home.

Insecta

Insecta is the most diverse Class of Kingdom Animalia. They are easily recognized by the presence of six legs and a hard exoskeleton. It

may sound surprising, but insects are the one that run the planet. They not only form a nutritious base of a food-web, but are also help

maintain our gardens and forests by providing ecological services such as pollination and decomposition.

Insects are omnipresent, and the first ones to stumble upon, whether you are home or in your garden, are ants. These so common, yet

not-so-well-known bugs are as important to an ecosystem as the plants. Surprisingly, we do not know enough about ants to merely ignore

them. This fact is backed by new research and discoveries carried out every year. At Long Point, I managed to photograph and study a few

species of ants, along with other bugs such as bees, wasps, beetles, butterflies and dragonflies. This section is a little effort to appreciate the

beauty of lesser known critters we share our homes with.

Other than plants, they form the base of a large food-web at Long Point for song birds or waterfowls, and the ecosystem of Long

Point and surrounding area would not exist without insects. Hence their abundance is appreciable by watching birds stage at Long Point during

migration who consume insects and other invertebrates along with plants.

Formica ant Formica sp.

Ants, Bees and Wasps of Long Point

Formica ants are one of the most abundant ants at Long Point. Known for their big mounds of nests made up using plant materials such as pine-needles, they are

also capable of nesting high above the ground.

Camponotus sp.

False Honey ant Prenolepis sp.

Carpenter ant Camponotus sp.

False Honey Ants are the first ants to be seen as soon as Spring

arrives, hence they are also known as Winter Ants. The

photographed ant is a female who has shed her wings and is now

looking for a site to establish a new nest.

Carpenter ants, notorious for their habit of burrowing in furniture

and causing economic damage, are actually beneficial in a natural

ecosystem. In their natural environment, they nest in fallen wooden

logs, thereby hastening the decomposition rate and enriching the

soils.

Green Metallic Bee

These solitary, iridescent bees are commonly seen collecting pollen. Observations worldwide have shown a decline in bee populations,

without whom the plants cannot pollinate, and fail to reproduce. This failure will not only impact an ecosystem but our basic food supply

as well.

Megachile sp.

Leaf-cutting/ Resin Bee Megachile sp.

True to their name, this is one of the largest genera of bees. They build nests underground or in natural cavities. Like any other bee, they

are beneficial for pollination. Interestingly, I have observed these bees undergo daily torpor in flowers.

Spider Wasp Spider Wasps are specialized for hunting spiders. Like many wasp species, they primarily feed on nectar, but hunt to provide food for the

larva. A Spider Wasp will maneuver itself such that it stings the spider under its abdomen. The paralyzed spider is then carried into a nest

cavity and the wasp lays an egg on it. The paralyzed spider is kept from decaying - fresh food for the emerging larvae.

Tiger Beetles of Long Point

Cicindela formosa

Tiger Beetles are the fastest beetles in the world. True to their name, they either ambush or stalk their prey – just as a Tiger would. C. formosa is a

large, common beetle seen on inland dunes and coasts of the Great Lakes. It is the largest Tiger Beetle of Canada. Other species of Tiger Beetles

seen at Long Point are displayed on the next page.

Cicindela scutellaris Cicindela sexguttata

Cicindela lepida Cicindela punctulata

Ladybird Beetles of Long Point

Ladybird Beetles of Long Point

Seven-spot Ladybird Cocinella septempunctata

Ladybird beetles are efficient pest controllers of aphids and scale insects. For this reason, many species of Labybird beetles were introduced to

North America, such as Seven-spot Ladybird, Multicoloured Asian Ladybird beetle and Russian wheat-aphid Lady beetle photographed below. I

recorded five species, out of which only two – Spotted Ladybeetle and Glacial Ladybeetle are native to Canada.

Multicoloured Asian Ladybird beetle

Spotted Ladybeetle

Russian wheat-aphid Ladybird beetle

Glacial Ladybeetle

Other Beetles of Long Point

Flower Longhorn Beetle Analeptura lineola

Belonging to the Order Coleoptera, beetles have the largest number of known species. Many new species are discovered every year. The beetles of

Long Point are abundant in numbers as well as in diversity. Some other commonly occurring beetles of Long Point are displayed on the next page.

Click Beetle Stag Beetle Milkweed Longhorn Beetle

Longhorn Beetle Green Immigrant Leaf Weevil

Flies of Long Point

Robber Fly

Flies are amongst least appreciated insects in the world. It is because of their association with dead and decaying matter, and the fact that some

spread diseases such as mosquitoes and other biting flies. Yet there are beneficial flies such as Robber flies, who actively feed on mosquitoes –

thereby acting as biological pest controllers, and there are flies such as Hover flies, which assist in pollination. Some other common flies are

displayed on the next page.

Picture-winged Fly Hover fly Crane fly

Robber fly Tachinid fly Bee-mimicking Robber fly

Butterflies of Long Point

Juvenal’s Duskywing Erynnis juvenalis

Butterflies are one of the most intricately evolved insects. There are various shapes, sizes and colours of butterflies, from a dull-looking Duskywing,

which prefer to be well camouflaged on the ground, to Swallowtails, which flaunt their brilliant colours – warning predators of their toxicity. These

organisms, famed for their metamorphosis, are as beautiful and diverse as the birds at Long Point are. There are thirteen species I could document.

Juvenal’s Duskywing Erynnis juvenalis Male

Female

Hobomok Skipper Poanes hobomok Male

Least Skipper Ancyloxypha numitor

European Skipper Thymelicus lineola

Red Admiral Vanessa atlanta

Question Mark Polygonia interrogationais

Common Ringlet Coenonympha tullia

Little Wood Satyr Megisto cymela

Pearl Crescent Phyciodes tharos

Mourning Cloak Nymphalis antiopa

Monarch Danaus plexippus Male

Bronze Copper Lycaena hyllus Male

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Papilio glaucus Male

Dragonflies of Long Point

Calcio Pennant Celithemis elisa Dragonflies are one of the oldest living organisms. They were present in the times when dinosaurs roamed the planet. Most of their lifetime is

spent as aquatic nymphs, where they are voracious predators of fish as well as mosquito larva. On land, the adults are specialized in

aerodynamics, feeding on anything they can hold onto. The dragonfly diversity at Long Point is astounding, thanks to the extensive

freshwater habitats.

Twelve-spotted Skimmer Libellula pulchella

Widow Skimmer Libellula luctuosa Female

Common White-tail Libellula lydia Male

Immature Male

Female

Damselflies of Long Point

Sedge Sprite Nehalennia irene Damselflies are cousins of Dragonflies. Although the life-stages on-land and under-water are alike, they considerably differ from Dragonflies.

Long Point serves as an ideal habitat for damselflies as well. Well-known for their bright colours, they are efficient predators of mosquitoes.

They are also an indicator of a healthy habitat. I documented several species, most of them remain unidentified. Here I have displayed some

of which that have been identified.

Skimming Bluet Enallagma geminatum Male

Enallagma sp. Lestidae sp.

Serpentes

Smooth Green Snake Opheodrys vernalis

Serpentes is the Suborder under Reptilia, where all the snakes are classified. Long Point hosts a diverse population of snakes, from the

common Garter Snakes to the threatened Eastern Hog-nosed Snakes. Snakes form an important part of Long Point’s ecosystem, since they

serve as predators as well as prey.

Eastern Hog-nosed Snake Heterodon platirhinos

Sometimes mistaken for cobra for flattening its neck, a Hog-

nosed snake is in fact harmless. If approached, the snake will hiss

at first, and raise its hood to appear threatening. If aggression fails

to scare the approaching predator, the snake rolls over its back

and wriggles, excreting over itself – to give it a pungent stink,

misguiding the predator that it is a dead, rotting snake.

This marvelous snake is listed as a species-at-risk; hence

conservation measures must be strengthened in places such as

Long Point, where this snake is flourishing.

Eastern Fox Snake Pantherophis gloydi

Eastern Fox Snake is the second largest snake of

Ontario. They are diurnal, predating especially on

rodents. The population has been on a decline due to

draining of wetlands and unnecessary killing. Although

non-venomous, it is killed by many because of its

resemblance with the Massassauga rattlesnake.

The Eastern Fox snake is a threatened species, thriving

in the wetlands of Long Point – another reason why

Long Point is so ecologically significant.

Northern Red-bellied Snake Storeria occipitomaculata occipitomaculata

A small snake flaunting a bright red-

coloured abdomen, the Northern

Red-bellied snake is a common snake

in the woodlands of Long Point.

These non-venomous snakes

exclusively feed on slugs, hence are

considered excellent garden snakes.

Eastern Garter Snake Thamnophis sirtalis

Eastern Garter Snake is one of the

several subspecies of Garter snakes.

It is the commonest snake seen at

Long Point. They are non-venomous,

feeding on any organism they can

empower – from an insect to a frog.

It is not surprising to find tens of

Garter snakes basking together

during spring.

This rather interesting behavior was photographed at Long Point, where an Eastern Garter Snake decided to bask on top of an

Eastern Fox Snake. This behavior is not surprising, since Eastern Fox Snakes – albeit their large size - are docile snakes, and do

not feed on other snakes. A Garter Snake, on the other hand, is benefitted by this behavior, since it gets a place to bask.

Aves

Tree Swallow Tachycineta bicolor Birds of Long Point are a major attraction to tourists as well as scientists. It is not only a safe haven for resident birds, but an important stop over

for waterfowls and a breeding habitat for many such as this pair of Tree Swallows. Tree Swallows are migratory birds, spending winter months in

Mexico and breeding in North America. Likewise, other song-birds and warblers breed at Long Point during summer. I was fortunate to observe

these birds and photograph them.

Tree Swallow fledgling Waiting to be fed by its parents

Barn Sawllow Hirundo rustica

Baltimore Oriole

Icterus galbula

Eastern Kingbird Tyrannus tyrannus

Yellow Warbler Dendroica petechia

Song Sparrow

Melospiza melodia

Savannah Sparrow

Passerculus sandwichensis

American Robin, juvenile Turdus migratorius

Red-winged Blackbird Agelaius phoeniceus

Female Male

Red-winged Blackbird, hatchlings

Killdeer

Charadrius vociferus

Great Blue Heron Ardea herodias

Mallard, pair

Anas platyrhynchos

White-tailed Deer, fawn Odocoileus virginianus

These are but a fraction of the biodiversity of Long Point I could document. Whether it is a small insect or a large mammal, all of these play an important role in this ecosystem. Only through appreciation of their ecological services, conservation and protection of the freshwater ecosystem – whether you are a tourist or a local farmer – can we achieve our dream of a sustainable world.

References

BugGuide. (2010). Retrieved from http://bugguide.net/node/view/15740

Donald Stokes, L. S. (1996). Field guide to birds - Eastern region.

Emmitt, R. (2005). Species List. Retrieved from Butterflies of Carolinas & Virginias: http://www.rlephoto.com/species_list.htm

Marshall, S. (2000, March). Tiger Beetles of Ontario. Retrieved from University of Guelph: http://www.uoguelph.ca/debu/tiger-beetles.htm