Thanks to Bruce Miller for sharing this gorgeous piece about getting through the mid-winter blahs. I've been inviting contributions forever to this blog, so you can imagine how thrilled I was to receive this... and to get a new piece of language to describe this point in the season where it feels as if winter has … Continue reading Snow Freedom Day is on its way
This little local was caught on camera in the Upper Pemberton Valley on January 26. Thanks to Connie Sobchak for the permission to share.
The Christmas Bird Count is set for next Tuesday. Here's the word from our man about bird-town, John Tschopp: The many birds in our yard tell me, that the Christmas Bird Count (CBC) is not far off. This year's count will take place on Dec. 15, a Tuesday. We will meet at Grimm's Deli, next … Continue reading Snow, rain or shine, on December 15, we count birds.
I've been thinking a lot about mushrooms this fall - they're underfoot everywhere, it's hard to miss the mushroom buyers on the corner, and I still have "pick up mushroom book and learn to ID fungi" on my life to-do list. This comes via the David Suzuki Foundation, who send me interesting tidbits since I … Continue reading Mushroom season has been bountiful, and it brings a boatload of hope, too
What is a group of butterflies called? Kaleidoscope . Also known as a swarm, rabble or flutter. This afternoon, my backyard looked like a butterfly-congregation, a lepidopterical interpretation of the Pemberton paragliding launch. There must have been a dozen butterflies swirling around. Swarming, apparently, is the technical word. My 2 year old wanted to touch … Continue reading Sighted: A flutter of butterflies
Last summer, I was working on an article about Colour. I started seeing colour everywhere, and wondering, what purpose does it serve? One day, after pedalling my bike up Reid Road and noticing all the Western Trumpet Honeysuckle blossoms, popping orange-bursts amongst the screen of green, I thought: Why do flowers have their amazing bright … Continue reading The Western Trumpet Honeysuckle – Nectar for Hummingbirds
From our birding correspondent, John Tschopp, a springtime report: The mild, sunny weather attracted the first of our smaller migrants. On March 14 I observed three Western Meadowlarks and a single Mountain Bluebird. They were kind enough to pose for a picture. Another bird to announce its arrival was a Red-breasted Sapsucker ringing the bell … Continue reading Birdwatch: Spring brings Western Meadowlarks and a Mountain Bluebird to Pemberton
Current State of Frenzy The realization came to me the other day as I was really givin’ er up Happy Trail on a beautiful spri-nter day. I was having a little bit of a panic attack. I realized that in my current energetic state I may have once again taken on too much - work, … Continue reading The Cardinal Directions and the Medicine Wheel
Last week, I got an email from a friend, Erica Osburn McNolty, to let me know that she'd heard the first frogs while out walking the neighbourhood before bed. 10 March 2015. A few. Not many. Not for more than about 15 seconds. But definite croaking along Oberson Road. She keeps track - the sound … Continue reading Pacific Chorus Frogs noted, (and phenology geeks united)
On Saturday, during the rain, I took a walk with my 2 year old. We didn't cover much ground. But over the 500 metres we covered, we saw almost 30 earthworms. (I stopped counting at 20.) We were singing a made-up song about going on an earth worm hunt, "not to catch them, we just want … Continue reading Seasonal Observations: Earthworm Meet-Up
The Wellness Almanac 