When I used to teach elementary school, one of my favourite principals used to say May and June went by so fast we might as well call them “Mayjune” – all one month. Well yes. Here we are at the beginning of July and life is bursting out all around…
Wild things You’re under my skin Calling me back To your island convention I’m a spy, an outsider Armed with telephoto capability Uninvited I stare Insulated, from my car A nine dollar ferry crossing- cash only Brings me to you Your all-you-can-eat buffet And a taste of your wildness Your…
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…
Sunday morning I had an island in Lake Ontario and eight Snowy Owls all to myself. Spectacular! I got down to Presqu’ile Park as the sun was rising and headed down the beach. The day was calm and warm, so I knew the crossing to Gull Island would not…
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…
August is my favourite month. Harvesting veggies and fruit, watching butterflies and countless other pollinators in my gardens, and coming upon different baby birds and migrants just passing through keeps my life interesting. I never know who I might find around the yard. These photos were all taken…
Piping Plovers are nesting at North Beach Provincial Park on Lake Ontario this summer. Last year’s female from Wasaga Beach got together with a male from Michigan, and 4 baby plover chicks hatched. The male above is the one from Michigan. Presqu’ile’s male from last year showed up at the…
They’re here! A few weeks back I was at the garden centre and saw that they were selling praying mantis egg cases! Praying mantises eat a lot of insects that can harm our flower and vegetable gardens, so the cases of eggs holding these little killers were for sale…
