This summer I received an education. A random purchase of a praying mantis egg case at our local garden centre led to a fascinating summer sharing my garden with a family of praying mantids. When these little predators emerged by the dozens from their egg case in early summer, they…
These are my Snowy Owl mittens. Aren’t they the cutest? They even have different personalities. With two layers of warm wool, my hands have never been warmer when I’m out and about. I have had chronically frozen fingers in winter ever since I can remember. Thank goodness these mitts came…
It has been cold here! Really cold! The term the weather forecasters are using for this extended period of chilly weather is “polar vortex.” Whatever it’s called, it does not compel me to go outside for long periods of time. What to do? What about…
What’s a Bioblitz? Imagine a bunch of people all heading out into the same area for a day, trying to find and identify as many living things as possible. That is my kind of day! Different groups and individuals go out looking for different flora, fauna and fungi, such as…
I love where I live. I am on the corner of three rural roads. One road is being paved, one is dirt, and one is just a bumpy backroad that leads up a hill past a beaver pond. Today’s post consists of photos I’ve taken in the…
When we first moved to Northumberland County, Ontario 19 years ago I knew very little about poison ivy except for the old saying “leaves of 3, leave them be.” I learned about it soon enough. Northumberland County is covered with luxuriant poison ivy! To say it is widespread…
My garden has gone wild. That’s on purpose. Gardening for wildlife is so much fun. Pick some native flowers, shrubs, and trees. Add in some your favourite flowers that have lots of pollen and nectar, and enjoy the show. Even though we had the worst drought in years this summer,…
For this blog we are going on a trip- to Saskatchewan! Saskatchewan is bursting with scenes like this. Huge fields of crops, cattle, barns, hay bales, and fenceposts. But Saskatchewan has many scenes, including ones you may not expect. In the far south lies some really surprising geography, plants and…
Good Morning Presqu’ile! Oh how I love you! There are so many reasons to love Presqu’ile Park, no matter when you visit.You can show up early on a hazy fall morning, and observe as Presqu’ile’s beaches and offshore islands start to come alive with sound and activity. Migrating shorebirds start…
Mmmmmmmm! Coffee! Here in North America, we are addicted to it- consuming over 300 million cups of its deliciousness every day. That is big business. It also means that our coffee drinking choices can have a big impact. Let me introduce you to shade grown coffee.…
