Don’t you love summer weekends? There’s no other time in which one can feel truly justified in doing absolutely nothing of consequence. Last weekend was one of those times – no responsibilities, no timetables, just four days in which my husband, our dog and myself could do anything (or nothing) of our choosing. We spent… Read more »
It was one of those days- sunny, warm, green, lush. No season other than spring could offer such a prize as a day like this. It was a day of laughter, camaraderie, observation, learning, and sharing. It was a native plant tour; a bus load of people from as many walks of life as there… Read more »
Ahh, the weather is finally warming up enough for the plant kingdom to fully come back to life. Splashes of green and jewels of colour are once again making their mark on the winter weary landscape. Along with this new surge of floral vitality, however, comes the bustling activity of life of a different sort,… Read more »
I try not to make my work the subject of too much of my writing. I feel that I should branch out, be more creative, pull information from outside sources. But we just get so many fascinating creatures in that I cannot help but be inspired by their miraculous adaptations, morphology and behaviours. Besides, only… Read more »
Oil: such a simple word, such a basic substance. We cook with it, eat it, bathe with it, use it as fuel. It heats our homes, powers our cars: in short, it allows modern life as we know it to carry on. Think of the loveliness of an essential oil, scented by the flower or… Read more »
Turn on the television on any day at any time, and you will be sure to find at least one show featuring animals; open any book, and there will almost surely be at least one reference to animals. While it may seem that we live in an entirely human-dominated world, animals are in fact all… Read more »
Well, there’s not much denying it: it’s winter. The telltale signs of a snowy yard, an icy sidewalk, and a bitter howling wind have all arrived in my neck of the woods. Forget the technicalities of December 21st and its heralding in of the winter months. Let’s be realistic: for many Canadians, winter is already… Read more »
Fall; it’s one of those times. It means something different to each individual. On the West Coast it no doubt means rainfall. Here in central Canada the biophysical world has decided that the term means leaf fall. In the north, this season may well bring snowfall. For wild animals fall is a time of preparation,… Read more »
What are we on now – our fifth hurricane of the season? Or is it the seventh? It’s hard to keep track; right now we seem to be hearing of a new severe storm each week. Sitting pretty in Southern Ontario, I hardly have to consider the gale-force winds and nasty weather that has so… Read more »
Somehow, again, we’re heading towards the end of summer. The long, light-hearted days are already shortening and the lakes and ponds will soon begin to cool. We’re heading back into fall’s months of busyness when we just don’t have time for those hour-long swims, for noticing each quarter degree change in the water’s temperature. I… Read more »