Alexa Cate Photography

What an exciting evening in Sharbot Lake! After spotting a little bear cub running across the front lawn, we frantically tried to get the dogs in the house, thinking mama bear was just around the corner. The little bear eventually got spooked and ran up the tree to safety. Sadly, mama bear never came around (that we saw), and at dark the bear cub scaled back down the tree, and wandered off into the forest. Praying that this little one finds their mama good luck little buddy!

It’s been a while since I’ve introduced myself on here, so hi, I’m Alexa I’m a local photographer in the Kingston, Ontario area who loves adventure and all things nature I am a biologist who’s super passionate about conservation and preserving our natural world for generations to come. I’ve always loved photography but only recently, (since covid) I have launched my photography website which you can check out in my bio ... Any photos that are on my website, Instagram, or Facebook page can be purchased as a print or canvas. Just shoot me a DM or email Starting today, I’d like to start donating 15% of all purchases to a environmental or humanitarian charity of YOUR choice In the wise words of Aldo Leopold, Conservation is getting nowhere because it is incompatible with our abrahamic concept of land. We abuse the land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect. With my photos, I hope to inspire people to learn more, get outdoors, and participate in environmental conservation. And most of all, support the collective shift of people viewing humanity as one with nature, as a community we to which we belong too. I hope everyone has a great Saturday and weekend full of outdoor adventures! : Self portrait

Golden coral (Ramaria aurea) A tough ID on this species! After lots of researching, I think I have come to the conclusion that this is a golden coral! These species are common to find the mixed wood forests in the fall, and have a ton of look alikes (hence all my struggles) . If anyone is familiar with their fungi ID, help a girl out and let me know if this is the correct ID!... Found along the Manitou trail network in Calabogie, Ontario. Little pockets of sunshine were lighting up fungi all over the forest

The Spotted turtle is one of Ontario’s smallest turtles and is sadly listed as endangered. In Canada, the Spotted turtle is found primarily in central/southern Ontario, mostly around Lake Erie, Georgian Bay and several locations throughout eastern Ontario. Some of the reasons their populations are declining are due to habitat destruction, road mortality , and illegal collection for the pet trade. Because of their small size, they are often targeted and taken from the wild ...to be sold in pet stores . If you happen to find a spotted turtle, you can report a sighting on iNaturalist to let authorities know you have made an observation! With this information they can track population distribution and numbers, AND you could become apart of a super cool citizen science project helping the turtles

Spent yesterday hiking around the Calabogie area in the Ottawa Valley. Cooler temperatures combined with some recent rain fall created some perfect conditions for fungi growing on the forest floor. I think the universe wanted me to find this shroom because for the five minutes prior, I was rambling about Amanita fungi species and how I haven’t seen one in a long time. Ironically just around the corner of the trail, was a yellow fly agaric sitting peacefully & perfectly undis...turbed! Yellow fly agaric or Amanita muscaria var. guessowii can be found growing solitary, usually near conifer trees. It is most commonly found in the fall, in the northeastern portion of North America. These shrooms are hallucinogenic, but it is not safe for consumption as you’ll become super sick Super stoked to have found this species and a big shout out to my lovely friend Emma for all her help finding some fun fungi I hope everyone is having a great long weekend!

The best part about moving to the middle of no where is all the wildlife that can be found right in your back yard So far we have seen everything from butterflies, deer, a turkey family, and a mama black bear and her little ones. Less people and more animals.. sounds like my kinda place Here’s a red spotted admiral butterfly on some flowering dogbane. Seams like lots of pollinators are loving the dogbane! Maybe I should be planting this in my garden