Paul Finnie

@1canoe2paddles

In Ottawa, Ontario. Just here to follow what I used to like on Twitter.

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Paul Finnie@1canoe2paddles· 8d

Did you know there are many different kinds of bumblebees? I didn’t learn that until not so, so long ago. This bumblebee, on goldenrod in the sun and heat at noon today, is very stylish, having two orange stripes and one yellow stripe. I'm no expert, but I think this kind is called Bombus ternarius.

A bumble bee with wings folded stands on a cluster of goldenrod flowers, which, zoomed in, look a bit like a bunch of little dandelions. The bee is facing upward and we see it partly from the side. Its abdomen is black with a yellow stripe near the bottom and two orange stripes further up. It has a black head, and a yellow fringed black midsection.

Paul Finnie@1canoe2paddles· 11d

Despite drizzle the bumblebees were out this morning. They are still fixated on the ever-more-ragged bee balm, but they are now taking an interest in the coneflowers. They circle around the flower, step and drill. They almost always go around clockwise! Are they left-footed? Are coneflowers chiral?

This photo zooms in on the central part of a cone flower, which has red-orange tipped spikes and a few flecks of yellow. The many slender pink petals arc down and outwards. A bumblebee on the right is walking around around the central area, step by step. The background is blurry green.

Paul Finnie@1canoe2paddles· 12d

Goldenrod is coming into bloom now. Here, a bumblebee works a patch in the full sun and heat we had here on Thursday afternoon.

A single bumblebee, with its wings folded in walks on a tuft of tiny bright yellow-orange flowers. There are slender green leaves behind the bunches of yellow flowers.

Paul Finnie@1canoe2paddles· 12d

Mood. (This picture is from early Thurs. evening, just ahead of the long weekend, in Ottawa.)

A racoon rest, lying stretched out across a short length of cedar fence, with a foot on one corner and head on the cross beam. There are some maple leaves overhead.

Paul Finnie@1canoe2paddles· 18d

The bee balm is looking ragged these days, but the bumblebees can’t seem to get enough. They’ll fly flower to flower, sometimes knocking fading florets off. Coneflowers are coming into their own, but they ignore them to fly and climb all over the bee balm. Check out this bee's huge pollen baskets!

You are looking at a ragged, fading pink flower with lots of tiny, slender pink florets. The background is leafy green. At the bottom of the picture a quite large bumblebee clings to the lower side of the flower and drinks from one of the florets. This bumblebee has two orange pollen baskets bigger than its head by its hind legs!

Paul Finnie@1canoe2paddles· 18d

Recently these mirrored monoliths appeared next to the Supreme Court on Parliament Hill in Ottawa. I am guessing this means we will soon be evolving to a higher plane. I have been throwing bones in the air in the hope that I will get upgraded, but it doesn’t seem to work like it does in the movies.

You are looking towards a grassy park with a walkway with a few small trees. The sky is blue with puffy cumulus clouds here and there. Two curvy mirrored monoliths stand side by side, reflecting the sky and buildings nearby.

You are looking directly at a tall, slightly convex mirrored monolith. You see the reflection of several puffy cumulus clouds, the blue sky, and city buildings at the base.

Paul Finnie@1canoe2paddles· 24d

Clear sky yesterday, so we went to Stittsville to bike the Ottawa-Carleton Trailway, a former railway now part of the Trans-Canada Trail. There, signs represent the planets placed according to the size of their orbits. Here is a video from the trail of a Jupiter gravity-assist "slingshot" flyby.

Paul Finnie@1canoe2paddles· 29d

Some call this flower bee balm, others say wild bergamot. It is in full bloom in Ottawa now. Bumblebees are all over them this evening. They have to work, shoving their tiny beaks into each little floret and working their way around before flying to the next flower, but it seems to energize them.

A single pink flower-head is in the middle of the photo, with maybe a dozen slender pink florets in a crown shape. One bumblebee hangs down in front. Another bumblebee is on the far side. The background is mostly leafy green, with several more similar flower-heads nearby, but just out of focus.

Paul Finnie@1canoe2paddles· Jul 12

Wildflower season is on in Ottawa and you don’t have to go far to see it. Here’s a cluster of 5-petaled pink flowers (“sweet William catchfly”) each pinky-sized, and even smaller 4-petaled yellow ones (“yellowcress”). The pink flowers are finely outlined in purple which really makes them stand out.

Clusters of young wildflowers on a leafy green background. In the center right of the frame a dozen five-petaled pink flowers are in full bloom. The petals are outlined in fine purple lines. They also have a vase shaped base with pink and purple pinstripes. There are a few more of these flowers, some not yet open, at the bottom left. At the top left, a cluster of four-petaled yellow flowers have formed at the very a long green stem, with many little kinked flowerless stems branching out from the main stem.

Paul Finnie@1canoe2paddles· Jul 11

Here's a snapshot of Hurdman Station from June 2024. It was hot and sunny and passengers here are mostly deciding it is more comfortable standing in the direct sun than sitting or standing in the shade but extreme heat of the shelters. On the plus side, if you like sauna, it is included in the fare.

Passengers waiting for buses at Hurdman Station in Ottawa. Most are standing on the sidewalk in the sun. There are buses, trees and apartment buildings in the distance. The sky is blue and slightly hazy and there are some cumulus clouds.

Paul Finnie@1canoe2paddles· Jul 8

A bumblebee works a tower of white flowers ("white jolanda speedwell") yesterday in the Sensory Garden at The Leaf in Winnipeg www.assiniboinepark.ca/leaf/about-t...

Thin cone-shaped spires of tiny white flowers tower in the foreground. A single bumblebee works the most mature flowers in the middle of the biggest spire, in the center of the frame. Behind a gap of green another patch of white flowers is visible in the distance.

Paul Finnie@1canoe2paddles· Jun 28

Yesterday I biked the Osgoode Link Pathway. Although it was hot, there was some shade. The trail is hard packed with fine crushed stone. It is flat, treed and very straight. You pass forest, farm and mansions. You see chipmunks, robins, butterflies... A good trail to relax, breathe and just pedal.

Paul Finnie@1canoe2paddles· Jun 22

These tiny flowers are showing up in the grass around here these days. They are each about the size of your pinky fingertip. Nice!

This is a close up on a tiny flower with five pink petals that have toothed ends. The flower is white in the center. There is a a thin jagged purple ring around the center of flower. The petals have a faint lighter purplish line in the middle making a kind of five pointed star. You can see some very small round white spots near the purple ring.

Paul Finnie@1canoe2paddles· Jun 20

Strawberries are in now at the Orleans Fruit Farm! They also have rhubarb, radishes, and garlic scapes! Yum. Also swiss chard if you are a rabbit. Do humans eat that stuff, too? I doubt it.

Rows of square and rectangular baskets full of fresh, bright red strawberries are laid out on a table. Signs in English and French give the prices by the pint, quart or 2L quantity. The small baskets are green cardboard. The 2L baskets are white plastic. There are a few more baskets on a table in behind which will be put out soon.

Paul Finnie@1canoe2paddles· Jun 17

Green. (this evening, after the rain, in Ottawa)

Looking straight at the moss-covered trunk of a maple tree beside a gravel path. The tree is surrounded by long grass and plants. There are large trees in the background. The sun is low, with the light coming in from the right casting long shadows to the left. The leaves cast shadows on the tree trunk, which first opens up into several huge branches and then into many leaves, moving upward. The sky is clear and blue, but water has pooled on the path from recent thunderstorms.

Paul Finnie@1canoe2paddles· Jun 15

If you go you pretty much have to stop at Euphie d’ici Café et Smoothies Bar at the Embrun end for a smoothy. So good!!! But warning: don’t drink them too fast! Those smoothies are COLD! Major brain freeze! Iiieee!!!

A sign hanging from the ceiling of a patio says “Euphie d’ici Café et Smoothies Bar”

Paul Finnie@1canoe2paddles· Jun 15

Saturday we biked the New York Central Recreational Trail which is actually in eastern Ontario, named for the railroad it replaced that used to run to NY. The 8.5 km long, level, paved trail connects the towns of Russell and Embrun. It was hot at 27°C, but the trail was shady and pleasant. So nice!

Paul Finnie@1canoe2paddles· Jun 14

We're not quite there yet but the Ottawa River was seemed pretty solstice-y just before sunset on Friday night. The edges of the trails were covered with white fluff that carries seeds from trees (not shown) - you could easily scoop up enough to make a pillow.

Looking into the sun across the Ottawa River a little before sunset. The surface of the river has horizontal rippling waves that the sun is reflecting off making a line. The river is mostly blue. The sky above is light mostly, transitioning to red on the horizon. There are trees framing the sun on the left and shrubs below and to the right. You see forest across the water.

Paul Finnie@1canoe2paddles· May 30

Big waterfowl drama late Tuesday afternoon at the new Biindaasige Park in Toronto! I saw a Canada Goose family walking and I thought I might just get a quick video of the goslings going by…

Paul Finnie@1canoe2paddles· May 30

There were signs up for Turtle Protectors (Mishiikehn Gizhaasowin in Anishinaabe language) at the new Biidaasige Park in Toronto. Here's a link to some info about them: turtleprotectors.com. Ambe Mishiikehn Gizhaasowin! Go Turtle Protectors!

A sign on a post with an Ojibwe-stylized turtle image and text that says "Turtle Protectors - Mishiikehn Gizhaasowin". It gives contact information for the Turtle Protectors in Toronto.

Paul Finnie@1canoe2paddles· May 30

In Toronto, they like raccoons so much they made a picnic terrace for them at the new Biidaasige Park. I just saw some kids playing there, though, no raccoons.

A play area and picnic tables are mostly obscured by newly planted trees and a sign that says "Welcome to Raccoon Picnic Terrace". The sky overhead is blue with some wispy white cloud.

Paul Finnie@1canoe2paddles· May 30

Late afternoon Tuesday I finally made it to Toronto’s Biidaasige Park, the newly re-naturalized former industrial area where the Don River meets Lake Ontario. It is already great! Many birds, especially red-winged blackbirds. It will get better and better as the new trees mature! Wonderful!

Paul Finnie@1canoe2paddles· May 17

It was interesting to see this fern grow from a tiny fiddlehead sprout to fully fanned-out fronds in just one week. I took a photo each day over a week’s time and laid them out to make this collage. The last one was today. From thumb-sized to knee-high in a week, they grow so quickly!

A sequence of seven photos of the same fern, each taken a day apart, running left-to-right. The fern has five stocks and a nice green color. It is surrounded by brown leaf litter, mainly oak and maple leaves. On the smallest panel at the far left, you just see several tightly curled little fiddleheads. Each day the straight stock lengthen, and little leaflets form, but the curled fiddlehead shape remains at the top. On the far right, on day seven, the fronds have mostly completely unfurled. A narrow sunbeam shines down on some of the leaves on the last day.

Paul Finnie@1canoe2paddles· May 10

There are signs of spring everywhere in the Ottawa area. One sign: trilliums are in bloom in the forested areas of Ottawa! They aren't in bloom for long, so if you are anywhere near the area, keep an eye out. (Don’t pick them, though, they say that tends to kill the whole plant.)

A white flower with three petals and an orange center is in the middle of the frame facing you. It is surrounded by lush green leaves. Behind is another facing away from you. The forest floor surrounding the flowers is covered in brown, decaying leaves, making quite a contrast with the flower. There are some fallen branches in the background.

Paul Finnie@1canoe2paddles· Apr 28

If I am not mistaken the parking lot at this park has only been salted in winter very recently. I'd say the sidewalk is about 20 years old or so. These cracks are wide, deep, and chalky. I think it is likely the salt which is causing this rapid deterioration.

A sidewalk across a driveway at a city park. A sign in the grass says Dr. John Hopps Park, Ottawa. The sidewalk has wide, chalky powdered cracks in three or four places.

Paul Finnie@1canoe2paddles· Apr 27

Spring is a great time of year for waterfalls, and the Ottawa River is high this year. Although there's a dam there, Chaudière Falls are still spectacular, and they were at full power today. The falls were thundering, and although it was a sunny and warm 19°C, you could feel their cooling power.

Paul Finnie@1canoe2paddles· Apr 26

Here's a garter snake out for a swim at the newly restored Macoun Marsh in Beechwood Cemetery in Ottawa. It was 14°C and sunny at the time. That's good enough for snakes, I guess! (No turtles though.) The restoration work looks finished but plants around the water will need a season to grow back.

Paul Finnie@1canoe2paddles· Apr 25

I hadn’t seen a turtle out in Ottawa yet this year, but it was 14°C and fairly sunny so I went to Mud Lake, one of the nicest urban wetlands here, where many painted turtles were out sunning themselves. (So this will be my last #FirstTurtle post of 2026, and also a 2nd, 3rd, …NthTurtle post.)

A wide log floating in a lightly rippled lake arcs from the front right to the back left of the picture. Many painted turtles lie single file all along the log, even on top of each other in places, except where branches and debris are in their way. The turtles are mostly dark green and sun is reflecting from their shells. The water on the left bottom side is flat and reflects trees and white lightly clouded sky. The water on the top right is rippled with light and dark horizontal stripes.

Paul Finnie@1canoe2paddles· Apr 23

Check out this video of a tiny musk turtle hatchling taken last week at the excellent new Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre building in Peterborough, ON. ontarioturtle.ca They take injured turtles and rehabilitate them, even doing surgery! Many thanks to staff member Selena for explaining it all!

Paul Finnie@1canoe2paddles· Apr 20

On Saturday, on a road trip to Halton Hills, Ontario, I saw my #FirstTurtle of 2026 basking in the sun at Willow Park Ecology Centre, at Silver Creek and the Credit River. The park was pretty waterlogged, and the creek was really flowing. If you are in the area, it's a very nice, short nature walk.