Greg Shchepanek

 Rideau Lakes, Ontario Northern Green Frog ( Lithobates clamitans melanota ) Foley Mountain Conservation Area, Ontario, Canada. Every year on my birthday, I go on select short trips with my best friend Roy. This year we visited the Rideau Lakes Region and stayed in Sharbot Lake for the night. During the day we visited some Conservation Areas and one Provincial Park. The first we stopped by was Mill Pond Conservation Area, where we found beautiful moist woods and probably the worst area for bugs to annoy us, mostly Deer Flies and Mosquitoes. It seemed that there was not much to photograph other than a number of Northern Green Frogs that we found here and there particularly in the streams and ponds we explored.  Northern Green Frog ( Lithobates clamitans melanota ) Mill Pond Conservation Area, Ontario, Canada. What proved to be a beautiful location was a Beaver Pond that we found on Foley Mountain Conservation Area. After enjoying a great lunch at the Westport Brewing Co, we did an ext

 Ottawa's Second Largest Protected Area Round-Leaved Sundew ( Drosera rotundifolia ) Went to the Mer Bleue to see the Sundews in flower but unfortunately was a little early for the blooms. Some were in bud but no flowers could be found. Some of the flowers were in bloom and some had passed their prime.  The Mer Bleue bog is a most special place it being the second largest protected area in Ottawa. It is also a Ramsar Site which makes it a wetland of international importance. The area hosts a very large bog, networks of marshes and a variety of wet areas, this year the water was very high and the bog had wet patches throughout the boardwalk path. The main marsh at Ridge Road.  Ramsar site no. 755. Bog Laurel ( Kalmia polifolia ) Labrador Tea ( Rhododendron groenlandicum ) Bog Cranberry  ( Vaccinium microcarpum ) Three-leaf False Solomon's-seal  ( Maianthemum trifolium ) Bunchberry  ( Cornus canadensis ) All in all it was a good trip and the bugs were not bad and the mosquito

 In Search of Orchids Yellow Lady's Slipper Orchid ( Cypripedium parviflorum ) Hispid Buttercup ( Ranunculus hispidus ) Seems to be a feature on yellow flowers for the Marlborough Forest Conservation Area, Ottawa's largest protected area and home for some rare orchids. Always a highlight to the trip is the  Ram's Head Lady's Slipper Orchid which I was unable to photograph this year as I was late for its blooming this year. It was so disappointing to see that I had missed the flowering period and all there was to see was the dried up bloom. But I did notice that they were extra small this year and far less plentiful than in other years observing these delicate orchids. Ram's Head Lady's Slipper Orchid ( Cypripedium arietinum ) Marlborough Forest, Ontario, Canada. Conservation Status: vulnerable (N3N4) in Canada (NatureServe). Photographed May 25, 2014. My Work Online :  Well regarding the sale of my photographs, it is now up to 65 photos for sale online at :