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 I confess, I made up most of these habitat names. On this page I discuss habitats I have come across, and what can be seen there most often.

 

Woodland Edge & Wildflower meadows[]

Habitat, woodland edge
Pictureneeded

This habitat is one of the many habitats with plentiful insects, to find the most insects try searching on warm spring and summer days.

Common finds:

Hover flies

Mayflies

Damselflies

Bees & Wasps

Moths (Shaking leafy areas is one way to disturb moths in the day)

Ladybirds

This sort of meadow is normally the most beautiful. These meadows consist of only wild species of flowers and plants and can attract many pollinators, damper ones,at night, can be the best area for spotting fireflies.

Common finds:

Insects:

Butterflies & Day-flying Moths

Bees

Hummingbird Hawk-moths

Grasshoppers & Meadow Katydids

Ladybirds

Leafhoppers & Spittlebugs

Birds:

Grassland Sparrows

Hawks & Kestrels

Meadowlarks

Overgrown dry soil meadow & Upper overgrown dry soil meadow[]

Habitat, Overgrowndrysoilmeadow
Habitat, Upper drysoilmeadow

 

These are areas of dry, hard soil untouched by colonization. The hard soil limits the amount of plants that grow here, and mainly consist of Common Hempnettle, Goosefoot, Foxtail barley, , , various mustard family plants and occasionally some Wild Sunflowers.

Common finds:

Insects:

Tiger Beetles

(On open areas)

 Plant Bugs

(Sweeping with nets can reveal hundreds of them among the weeds)

Field-living Shield Bugs

Damsel Bugs

Parenthesis, 7-spotted and Sinuate Ladybirds

Common and Orange Sulphur butterflies

Purplish Copper butterflies

Minute Pirate Bugs

Birds:

Swainson's Hawk and other hawks

American Pipits

(In Fall)

The higher areas of dry soil meadows tend to have more plants and consist of and alot of withered and dead plants, these areas are the best spots for sweeping. Common finds are similar to the lower Overgrown meadows.

Flat meadows & Scrubland
[]

Habitat, flatmeadow
Habitat, flatmeadow2

A patch of clover will attract Greenish blues and Heliothis moths.

Habitat, Scrubland

A flat meadow is a field that is frequently mowed and kept flat, these usually consist of grass and very few wildflower species. A common example would be a school field.

Common finds:

Insects:

Leafhoppers & Spittlebugs

Small Grasshoppers & Meadow Katydids

Clover & Forage Looper moths

Silver y-marked moths

Sulphur Butterflies

Greenish Blue butterfly

(If amounts of White Clover are present)

Heliothis sp. moths

(Rare; if amounts of White clover are present)

Scrub land are usually tied with Overgrown drysoil meadows, these are areas were most of the plants have not started to grow. Common finds include Tiger beetles and a stray Road duster grasshopper.

Hilltops & Basic woodland[]

Habitat, hilltop
Habitat, basicwoodland

Edmonton river valley.

I found this hilltop in a school field, and managed to make the photo look more natural. I didn't study this habitat much but is probably similar to the flat meadow, since it is just a higher spot in one. This habitat attracts sun-basking insects and common finds include:

Sulphur butterflies

Silver-y marked moths

Big-eyed bugs

(On ground)

Aspen woodland & Open woodland[]

Habitat, aspen woodland

Near Elk Island NP

Habitat, open woodland

Kingston center, Edmonton


 

 

Mountain: Coniferous woodland & Alpine stream[]

Habitat, mountain, coniferous forest

Jasper NP.

Habitat, mountain, alpine stream

Jasper NP.

 The trees in this forest that are coniferous create shade all year round.

Common finds: (Not studied habitat in summer)

Snakeflies (possibly....)

 

 One look at that river and I can guess whats found here, I did find some mayflies on a cabin door.

Common finds:

Mayflies

Stoneflies

Caddisflies

Coming soon: Badlands, Mountain: Open birch forest, flats, mixed forest.[]

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