What a beautiful day we have. Let’s visit Peewee Pond!
For some people, Peewee Pond may look deceivingly unremarkable when it is truly a hidden gem for nature lovers. We know better than to judge a book by its cover and eagerly stride toward Peewee Lake, located south of Hidden Lakes #1.
En route to Peewee Hill, we pass an endearing display of bunchberries showcasing their delicate white flowers. The plants look like a carpet of glossy green foliage with showy white petals on the shade-dappled forest floor. Besides being a feast for the eye, flowering bunchberries provide nectar to insects, such as bees, flies, and beetles.
After going up Peewee Hill and down a slope dotted with wildflowers, we reach Peewee Pond, surrounded by willows, spruce, and pine trees. Dead tree stumps rise from the shallow dark water, and soggy sticks float at the edge of the standing pool.
We carefully edge closer to the water, see mallards feeding on duckweed along the edges, and spot an American Robin having a solo pool party at the pond, splashing in the water to cool off and clean its feathers. Droplets fly as the robin churns the water with its wings. The bird looks rather scruffy with its wet plumage.
After some vigorous shakes, the robin flies off to dry in the warm sun on a nearby branch; after some detailed preening, it looks shiny again. Robins belong to the thrush family and are known for their cheerful and melodic songs.
We sit in the cool shade for a short break when we spot a mallard hen leading her fluffy ducklings along the grass on the other side of the pond. The duck family is swimming purposefully, with the mother duck constantly being alert as she is very protective of her offspring.
Our eyes scan the environment, and something odd hanging on a grass stem above the water catches our attention. We look closer and are thrilled to discover a freshly emerged dragonfly! After having lived in the water as a larva for years, it crawled on emergent grass, the exoskeleton split down the back, and the dragonfly emerged. During this stage, the dragonfly is very vulnerable to predation.
We left the dragonfly and used a small path along the water's edge to continue our stroll around the pond. Colourful butterflies flutter and dance through the air, accompanying us briefly. A fat black-and-yellow bumble bee busily collects pollen from nearby dandelions. The nearby bushy-tailed red squirrel is alarmed, warning others about our presence with a loud chattering sound. Squirrels are an essential food source for some animals, and warning calls allow other squirrels to take cover when a predator is near.
After a few steps, we notice four brightly coloured swallowtail butterflies congregating on moist soil, extracting essential minerals and salts from the damp ground as their usual diet of nectar does not provide those nutrients. This behaviour is called mud-puddling. The palette of colours and hues of the swallowtail wings are dazzling.
We sit on a bleached log in the cool shade, rest, and feel peaceful among the busyness around us. Life feels good! We scan the pond area with our binoculars and are excited when we spot the mallard hen and her ducklings resting on the other side. The mallard hen rests on one leg, scanning the environment vigilantly for any approaching danger; the ducklings nap in the balmy sun, nestled together on a stump. Ducklings’ fuzzy down feathers lack the additional insulating support and waterproofness of adult feathers; thus, they are prone to hypothermia when they spend too long in the water.
The dapper-looking Chipping Sparrow has successfully foraged for caterpillars for its rapidly growing chicks; the nesting season is a very demanding time for those little birds as their offspring has a voracious appetite for protein-rich food. The sparrow carefully inspects its surroundings before it heads toward the nest to deliver its bounty.
Before heading home, we return to the emerging dragonfly and are delighted to see its body and wings straightened and hardened; with some luck, the dragonfly will take into the air soon, mate, and lay eggs to start another life cycle!
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