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What’s with our autumn trees? Before they drop their leaves to prepare for colder days ahead, it seems that green is no longer in vogue (except for the stalwart evergreens, of course). But those deciduous trees! Yellow, bronze, brown, orange, red – their leaves… Continue Reading “The Science and Beauty of Fall Colours”
Coyote Track We’re surrounded by wildlife, but we often don’t know it’s there. While some of our wild neighbours are easy to spot, like squirrels and backyard birds, others are shy, furtive to the extreme of adopting nocturnal habits to avoid humans. But… Continue Reading “Who Goes There? Winter Tracking is Fun!”
Let’s use technology to learn! Here’s a list of my favourite apps that will help you learn about and enjoy the nature around you. 1.Seek and iNaturalist Seek helps to identify animals, plants and mushrooms that you encounter on your walks. I use it… Continue Reading “Family Friendly Nature Apps”
Maples Almost all of our maple syrup comes from sugar maples, but you can tap any kind of maple for syrup. Sugar maples tend to have sweeter sap (between two and three percent sugar) than other species. Silver Maples I live in a swampy… Continue Reading “My Adventures with Tree Syrup”
https://studio.youtube.com/video/jPK5Ai43kQo/edit As I was walking a trail at Georgian Bay Islands National park, I was startled by a buzzing right beside me. It was a Massasauga Rattlesnake! I’m sure it was more startled than I was. They are venomous, but only two people have… Continue Reading “Meeting a rattlesnake”
It can’t rival the splendour of autumn, but for a brief window in spring we see a rebirth of fall leaf colours. Last fall, green chlorophyll faded to reveal the brilliant orange, yellow and red of other pigments. In spring, especially with some tree… Continue Reading “fall colours in spring?”
Spotted like the cat they are named after, Leopard frogs emerge from their muddy bed below ice and water to join nature’s amphibian spring chorus. The mating call of the males is beautiful (at least to female leopard frogs), a mix of snoring, rattling,… Continue Reading “Leopards!”
When spring gives winter a bit of a shake, when puddles are frozen during cold nights, but melt during warm days, it’s maple syrup season! Tapping pierces the outer and inner bark of the maple tree, and sap in the (you guessed it) sapwood… Continue Reading “sweet treat from the wild”
In most of Canada, our common back yard snake is the Garter snake. Often mistakenly called Garden snakes, these beautiful reptiles can be found in gardens, on lawns, in fields and forests, and almost every other habitat. They are harmless to humans, but definitely… Continue Reading “backyard snakes”
In almost every stream and river, and some ponds, we have “miniature lobsters”. Much smaller, but packing muscular pincher claws that they use to catch their prey and defend themselves, crayfish patrol our water systems. During the day, most are usually found under rocks… Continue Reading “How to pick up a crayfish and not get pinched”
Dan the Nature Man 