Dreaming of spring and summer

Tomorrow will be the very first day of spring, at last, but we still have a way to go before all our snow disappears. March is said to be our snowiest month, too. Our temperature this morning, 19 March 2018, is 0C (windchill -3C) with a temperature of 3C for this afternoon.

I came across this old photo from my archives, taken on 23 July 2014, to help fill in the gap between now and when there should be a lot more to photograph. Apart from the recent Great Gray Owls, I haven't really been getting any new photos. The next two months are going to be busy months for me, so I'm not sure just how much I will be getting out with my camera.

After a volunteer shift on 23 July 2014, I wasn't too far away from the Erlton/Roxboro Natural Area, where I was finally going to go on a botany walk. Having been to this location several times before, I knew it was a short, easy, flat trail, and that I could go as far as I wanted and then turn back early, which is what I did. I had missed pretty well all the botany and birding walks the previous few months, which was quite depressing. The main thing I wanted to see were the Nodding / Musk Thistles, as these are my favourite species of Thistle. They are called a "weed", but I love to see them. The sun was unfortunately in the wrong direction, so I was only able to get a handful of shots, but better than nothing.

With a couple of hours to "kill", I spent them at the Reader Rock Garden, which was just a few minutes' drive away from the evening botany walk location. This is where I took this Dragonfly shot on a Poppy seedpod. Think it is probably a female Cherry-faced Meadowhawk?