The Story of Stinging Nettle
My brother and I used to ride our red wagon down a hill, at the bottom of which was a sizeable patch of stinging nettle. Despite our parents’ warning, the inevitable happened, and we both took a tumble into the nettles. The resulting stinging rash made me carefully avoid any further encounters with this plant. Continue reading »
Red Squirrels
Nothing livens up a walk through the woods like the loud chattering of a red squirrel, as it darts across the trail and up a tree. Despite its small size the red squirrel has plenty of attitude, and will often greet the passerby with a battery of scolding vocalizations. During these unseasonably cold days of early spring, the squirrel’s antics are a welcome sign of life. Continue reading »
Coastal Conifers
My toddler son Alden recently learned the word for “cone”. He now stoops to examine every cone he finds and often collects a few, clutching them in his fists. Cones litter the ground this time of year, having been knocked down by winter storms. Continue reading »
All About Oysters
It’s easy to find an oyster shell on the beach. Some are worn smooth by wave action, but most have a fluted surface that gives them a decorative look. Turn one over, and the inside is smooth and white, with a smudge of purplish-brown.
The tasty meat of the oyster is highly prized. BC’s oyster industry harvests an average of 5500 tonnes a year, most of which are grown along the sheltered waters of eastern Vancouver Island. Oysters thrive here, and one would assume they have been around forever, but this is not the case. Continue reading »
Filed under Nature Writing | Comment (0)Snow Crystals
“It’s snowing!” has been a familiar refrain over the holidays and into the New Year. Love it or hate it, we usually experience at least one snowfall every winter. Taking a closer look at snow, and the individual beauty of snowflakes, may give us an all new appreciation of the dreaded (to some) white stuff. The question of how snowflakes are created is a complex subject that involves a lot of physics. But this shouldn’t stop us from trying to understand a few basics. Continue reading »