For many of us, the concepts of endangered species and endangered spaces conjure up images of far-off places, distant lands and unfamiliar ecosystems. The Amazonian rainforests, coral reef systems of the Caribbean, and the once limitless savannahs of Africa’s interior come to mind. Decline and disappearance are often associated with the world out there, as… Read more »
Walks at this time of year are always so invigorating. You can’t head out into the wild air, marvel at the spinning leaves, and have the wind take your breath away without returning home feeling renewed and refreshed, if a little disheveled. What is it that sets all this in motion? At the root of… Read more »
Well, as I sit here writing beside my fan, trying to stay cool in the unbelievable heat of the city summer, part of me wonders whether all that time and energy spent longing for warmth during the winter was so well-spent after all. Either I’ve gotten old and stodgy or summer’s extremes really have gotten… Read more »
Thursday afternoons have become my favourite time of the week over the last year. This time has come to symbolize for me abundance, freshness, flavour and friends. Thursday is market day in our neighbourhood. The sounds, smells and smiles market are like nowhere else. We are lucky enough to have, within a quick bus ride… Read more »
Sometimes it isn’t the prettiest plant that most inspires admiration, but rather the most tenacious. It is the survivor that, despite all odds, manages to thrive in even the toughest of conditions. True to this description, the spiny, lumpy, bumpy, often-portly cacti may not typically be considered the most attractive of plants, but are deserving… Read more »
For centuries, the avian world has held a special fascination for people. The incredible diversity of birds, with their often-beautiful plumage, impressive hunting tactics, captivating courting behaviour, their melodic vocalizations, and their aerial acrobatics — no wonder we so admire our feathered friends. Of course, given the ever-curious human mind, admiration very often leads to… Read more »
Language is an incredible thing. Within a page of text, phrases, sentences, and grammatical odds and ends, a few select words, placed together in just such a way, can leap from the page and grab the very heart of the reader. Little bits and pieces of language can be, for many of us, like a… Read more »
It’s finally spring, the time of year when the outdoor enthusiast in all of us is just bursting with energy to go, when those heavy winter clothes can at last be shed, and when nature’s call ceases neither night nor day. For many of us, our own gardens are our nearest and dearest sources of… Read more »
The father of a dear friend of mine passed away last week. Although I didn’t know him myself, I could feel my friend’s pain as she struggled to cope with the loss of this man who, even throughout her adult life, played such an important part in shaping who she was and how she looked… Read more »
While hiking the rocky shorelines of coastal British Columbia this February, I was struck with an acute sense of curiosity about a world of organisms about which I, and many inland dwellers, know so little. I am referring to the seaweeds. Rarely mentioned in general botanical literature, this group of marine algae is in fact… Read more »