Amy MacPherson

@amymacpherson

Living in Ottawa on unceded Anishinabe territory. Photos and opinions my own unless otherwise specified. Don’t expect much, though, since I’m mostly just lurking here while procrastinating. She/her. Banner: trees against a sunset sky PFP: calico cat

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Amy MacPherson @amymacpherson· 17d

Found this tiny cutie on my swamp milkweed today! Meanwhile a female Monarch was laying more eggs on the common milkweed nearby. Haven’t found any on the butterfly milkweed yet… 🌱🐛🦋

A tiny black, yellow and white banded Monarch caterpillar with stubby little black horns crawling across the underside of a leaf. It has eaten a hole out of the leaf already and is moving on to a different picnic spot.

Amy MacPherson @amymacpherson· 18d

#OttCity if you’re looking for some furry friends, Corn and Cotton are waiting for you at the Barrhaven PetSmart adoption centre. SO CUTE. Must go together. If we didn’t already have a house full of animals…

Sleepy tuxedo kitten named Corn just waking up from his nap, opening his yellow eyes. He is curled up in a grey cat bed inside a kennel with his calico sister, Cotton.

Tuxedo kitten stretching and showing off his adorable black toe beans, which contrast beautifully with his white socks.

Calico kitten attempting to solicit scritches by rubbing against the bars of the kennel. Sadly for both of us the plexiglass barrier prevents contact. Her tuxedo brother wants to know if we are here to let them out to play.

Tuxedo kitten leaning in for his close up, while his sister settles back down into the cat bed behind him.

Amy MacPherson @amymacpherson· 18d

Look what arrived in the mail today! Husband is very pleased with his birthday present, especially the Get a Warrant one, which he thinks might make a good passport holder. Thanks @neolithicsheep.bsky.social! Happy to have been the first Canadians to buy from suncircleranch.com

Two hand stitched leather document holders on a wooden table. One is a very pale blue with dark stitching. The other is tan with an elegant pattern burned into it, framing the message “Get a Warrant”.

Amy MacPherson @amymacpherson· 20d

Getting there! These ones were big enough to easily grab without squishing, at least!

A large mosquito called a gallinipper being gently pinched in someone’s fingers. It is not smiling for the camera, it’s too busy trying to escape.

Amy MacPherson @amymacpherson· 24d

Saw this post shortly after unboxing my copy of your book, which just arrived this morning!

Front cover of John Wiswell’s new book, The Dragon has some Complaints.

Amy MacPherson @amymacpherson· 24d

Spent some time in my garden today and was gratified to see my milkweed patches being used for their intended purpose!

An orange and black Monarch butterfly laying her eggs on a slender green swamp milkweed plant growing beside the wall of a house.

A freshly laid Monarch butterfly egg on the underside of a swamp milkweed leaf.

A tiny yellow and black banded Monarch caterpillar, found shortly after hatching on the underside of a common milkweed leaf.

Amy MacPherson @amymacpherson· Jul 1

Ebony wants to know who’s making all the racket outside on this stormy Canada Day…and why does it feel like #Caturday again already? And most importantly, isn’t it dinnertime yet?

A black cat stares moodily out a rain-drenched window. She appears displeased with the view.

A black cat with yellow eyes sits on a windowsill with her tail hanging down. She would like to speak to the manager about several issues, including the noisy storm outside and the disturbing lack of dinner.

Amy MacPherson @amymacpherson· Jun 27

I always enjoy seeing your daily bullfrogs, thanks so much! I don’t get to see frogs daily in real life, but here is a magnificent one we found during fieldwork yesterday. He was massive!

A burly golden-green bullfrog sitting in a sun-dappled hollow surrounded by dense vegetation. His prominent eardrums are twice the diameter of his eyes.

Amy MacPherson @amymacpherson· Jun 21

Some friends joined in the celebrations at Pollinator Appreciation Day today!

A black and yellow hornet sits on a green cloth. It is an aerial yellowjacket, which may not do as much pollinating as some other bees and wasps, but still provides valuable ecological services in the garden.

A large black bee with a fuzzy yellow midsection crawling over an orange pencil while exploring a colourful pile of pompoms. According to iNaturalist, it is an eastern carpenter bee. Not sure if it was looking for a cozy nest location or a snack, but it eventually left the craft table.

A tiny brown and yellow calligrapher fly with a striped abdomen perching on the edge of a white display board against a green background.

A pair of large brown dogs with black ears and faces standing on either side of a man wearing black pants in a gravel parking area. While not pollinators, these Belgian Malinois were lovely, well behaved ladies and I appreciated the chance to meet them.

Amy MacPherson @amymacpherson· Jun 10

My merch arrived! With some delightful bonus freebies! Thanks merchfairy.kitrocha.com (@mostlybree.kitrocha.com) for the quick international service! Most of these are gifts for family members, but I love the tiny bonus frog so much that I’m keeping it for myself. ❤️🌈🐸

An open box with a variety of colourful fidget toys peeking out, along with a sticker and a card that reads “Need cute stuff in bulk? Want custom swag? We’ll work with you to make all your merch dreams come true. merchfairy.kitrocha.com”

Tiny multi-coloured and slightly sparkly frog toy perched on my fingers.

Amy MacPherson @amymacpherson· Jun 8

@tkingfisher.com my husband texted from the bookstore, asking for input on which of your books we already had in hard copy…I think we’re going to need a bigger bookcase!

A stack of books by T. Kingfisher sitting on a beige ottoman along with some red and blue fuzzy blankets.

Amy MacPherson @amymacpherson· Jun 7

LOL, I get those looks too.

A calico and white cat and a brown, black and white dog staring at the viewer through a glass sliding door. A white tent gazebo is reflected in the glass, framing them.

Amy MacPherson @amymacpherson· Jun 6

Recently checked on the bee hotel at work and discovered a new self-appointed concierge, eager to greet all guests with a welcoming embrace!

A large, fluffy jumping spider lurks in the space between a wooden bee nesting block and the surrounding blue framework of a bee hotel. The spider is mostly grey with banded legs and has big bright eyes. It is a bold jumping spider, Phidippus audax.

Amy MacPherson @amymacpherson· May 30

Of course I also enjoyed seeing how my already-established plants were doing!

Blue-eyed grass flower with six pale blue petals around a bright yellow centre. It’s actually a type of lily, but it looks like a clump of grass at first glance.

Flat-topped aster, two species of ferns, and some young spotted jewelweed in a fenced corner of the yard by the rain barrel.

Bright orange and dark purple petals of Sorbet variety mini pansies. Not native, but I love them!

Amy MacPherson @amymacpherson· May 30

Today was the last day of the native plant spring retail sale at the Ferguson Tree Nursery in Kemptville, so naturally I had to pick up some new garden friends! 🌱🌼 🌱

Newly planted anise hyssop (with nursery info tag) in naturalistic garden bed with leaf litter.

Photo of a garden with common milkweed, New England aster, woodland sunflower, Canada goldenrod and wild blue indigo surrounding a newly planted grey-headed coneflower and a blue watering can.

Newly planted butterfly milkweed in front of a prairie smoke covered in pink flowers.

Two small cardinal flower plants with a slightly larger great blue lobelia, planted in a small clearing amid grasses and sedges.

Amy MacPherson @amymacpherson· May 30

SUCH a great movie, just a beautiful job by everyone involved. We bought it immediately to watch as often as we wanted. Love it!

Screenshot from the movie Dungeons and Dragons: Honour among Thieves showing the magnificently rotund red dragon Themberchaud emerging from his lair and roaring as he prepares to feast on the party and their foes.

Amy MacPherson @amymacpherson· May 29

LOL, very true! Congratulations on getting yours done early.

Screenshot from Pokemon Go showing progress towards the weekly group challenge goal to spin 150 pokestops or gyms. The person posting has contributed 45 spins, “Jason’s alt” has 23 and Jason has 2. They still need 80 spins over the next 3 days and 4 hours.

Amy MacPherson @amymacpherson· Mar 18

Looking forward to reading this newly-arrived book, once it’s cleared inspection! Guess I should also finish work for the day too… @kbspangler.com @alepresser.com @neolithicsheep.bsky.social

Copy of a book entitled SideQuested Vol.1 by Ale Presser and K.B. Spangler, featuring a cover drawing of a young woman paging through a large book. She looks like she’s about to set off on an adventure. The book is lying on a large blue cushion and is being sniffed by a white and calico cat who has just walked into the top of the photo.

View of a calico and white cat’s head as she continues to sniff and inspect the new SideQuested book that has just been delivered.

Amy MacPherson @amymacpherson· Mar 16

Went snowshoeing in the winter woods today and it’s really hard to believe that tomorrow will be 14C and thunderstorms…

A group of leafless deciduous trees in front of a dense stand of evergreens in winter.

Snowshoe hare tracks in the snow, with my snowshoed foot beside them for scale.

Tiny rodent tracks in the snow, beside my showshoed foot.

Amy MacPherson @amymacpherson· Jan 18

We had a surprise visitor in our backyard today; while I knew they were present in the neighbourhood I didn’t expect to see one sauntering around in broad daylight! My daughter took this shot while I was out shopping, but I was lucky enough to see it myself later as it continued its explorations. 🦊🌱

A handsome red fox loping along the top of a snowy wooden fence in between suburban backyards. We later saw him lifting a leg on a neighbour’s shrub, which I’m sure their dog will find interesting.

Amy MacPherson @amymacpherson· Jan 17

Took a while to track down a photo of the good boy who came with the house! As you can see, he didn’t seem to mind the change in ownership (or furniture).

A large German shepherd snoozing peacefully on a blue and pink floral patterned sofa.

Amy MacPherson @amymacpherson· Dec 29

Spent the day at the Royal Ontario Museum, enjoying the collections and special exhibits including wildlife photography, Crawford Lake and sharks! A bit disappointed that they didn’t have @whysharksmatter.bsky.social’s book, but at least they included this species in the display. #SharksNearMe

A diorama display of several shark species, with blue lighting to make it look like you’re underwater. One of the sharks is a sand tiger shark.

Amy MacPherson @amymacpherson· Dec 27

Mind you, both the text and artwork are a bit dated now. It’s a great example of how much knowledge we’ve gained over the years!

Pages of information on dinosaurs, with illustrations showing several commonly known species such as Tyrannosaurus, Allosaurus and the duck-billed Trachodon in awkwardly upright poses. Brontosaurus is also shown in an awkward pose and is described as spending almost all its time in ponds and swamps where the water could help support its body.

A beautiful but outdated illustration of a Tree of Life accompanying the chapter on the Plant Kingdom. The lowest branch on the left is labeled “Fungi,” which are not plants, and that branch includes “Bacteria,” which are neither plants nor fungi, although they are often found living together.

Amy MacPherson @amymacpherson· Dec 27

I don’t know how much my Dad appreciated this Christmas gift in 1956, but it became a treasured part of my childhood in the 70s. I spent hours studying its beautiful artwork and fascinating text, in between field trips outdoors to look for living examples.

Front cover of an old hardcover book titled The Golden Treasury of Natural History by Bertha Morris Parker. The words are framed by gold and black drawings of various plants and animals from prehistoric times onwards, including an old-fashioned upright rendition of a carnivorous dinosaur.

Title page of the book with a beautiful colour illustration of a green leopard frog sitting among grasses, toadstools and red clover. There is a bumblebee on the clover and a small yellow and black beetle on the smaller toadstool. The text reads “THE GOLDEN TREASURY OF NATURAL HISTORY” by BERTHA MORRIS PARKER, LABORATORY SCHOOL, UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO RESEARCH ASSOCIATE, CHICAGO NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM.
SIMON AND SCHUSTER • NEW YORK

Page about prehistoric mammals from the Ice Age, showing a mammoth, a cave bear and a pair of sabre-toothed tigers.

Page describing the metamorphosis of frogs, with accompanying illustrations showing their progression from eggs to tadpoles to juvenile frogs.

Amy MacPherson @amymacpherson· Dec 24

…the void will stare back at you. Condescendingly.

A brightly lit Christmas tree with a calico and white cat underneath it. A black cat is now visible sitting on a chair to the left. She is staring towards the viewer. Bonus points if you also noticed the festively adorned skull of a deer on top of the wall unit beside the tree. It has bows on its large antlers and a bright red ball in place of its nose.

Amy MacPherson @amymacpherson· Dec 24

‘‘Twas the night before the night before Christmas, and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse…although the two cats in this photo would have welcomed an early gift like that. Yes, 2 cats. Have fun finding the 2nd one, but remember, if you stare at the void too long…

A brightly lit Christmas tree in a shadowy room. A white and calico cat is curled up on the mat beneath the tree. There is a picture of a tiger on the wall behind the tree, which does not count as the second cat.

Amy MacPherson @amymacpherson· Dec 20

Reinforcements were called in as one of the techs was bitten early on. The war cries continued, despite much cajoling with treats. Eventually they decided to call it a draw and returned her to us with most of the samples taken and the shots given.

Brown treat tube lying on a white counter top. It is almost empty, having been generously dispensed in an attempt to bribe or distract Ebony from further mayhem.

Amy MacPherson @amymacpherson· Dec 20

Derailed both cats’ morning routine today by stuffing them into their carriers and taking them to the vet’s office for their annual checkup and vaccinations. They felt BETRAYED. Cinder protested loudly, all the way there. Ebony quietly plotted vengeance.

A black cat with greenish yellow eyes crouched beside a white weighing scale on a steel table. She is calmly contemplating violence.

A calico and white cat resting in a padded carrier cage. She is not currently complaining, because she has already been weighed and given a quick checkup and nail trimming and she thinks she’s safely done for the day. Alas.

Amy MacPherson @amymacpherson· Dec 11

That’s how I acquired my full-mount juvenile red-tailed hawk. It missed its target at the neighbour’s bird feeder and crashed headfirst into their glass door, breaking its neck. A dramatic example of the risks birds face in our built environment!

A taxidermied brown and white hawk, with yellow feet, posed on a segment of tree branch in front of a beige wall.

Amy MacPherson @amymacpherson· Nov 22

Copycat! She often does this, it’s adorable but still makes him nervous.