Category: Nature

First Snow

October 27, 2016

Today it snowed for the first time this year. It’s actually been snowing all day on and off, and even as I type has become heavier.

Unusually for the first fall it’s sticking, rather than instantly melting like first snow usually does. I’m sure it will all melted away in a day or two.

It’s bitterly cold out right now. I didn’t wear gloves and could only stay out for a couple of minutes to take these photos since my hands started freezing (plus I have a cold). The snow is thick and slippery, and is weighing down the trees since it has come before some of them have shed all their leaves.

That’s a dogwood in our front yard. I don’t think I’ve ever seen the branches (which usually stand straight up) touch the ground like that. I was a little alarmed about the giant branches of the big trees out front which were touching the roof. I gave them a vigorous shake to try and dislodge some of the snow and raise them a bit.

I went out for a drive earlier and saw cars in ditches and police lights everywhere which is common when winter first comes. Right now though the sounds of sirens are almost nonstop. It’s a little eerie since the snow dulls a lot of sound and only the sirens are carrying.

As I said this will all be gone soon. But I hope it’s a good sign of more to come. Last year’s winter was depressingly snow-free. This year I could do with more of it. As Florence always says, snow on the ground is when Earth is at it’s most beautiful. 😉

Kew

July 31, 2016

Today we visited the Royal Botanical Gardens, known as Kew Gardens. We spent hours there and saw many things. Here’s a taste:

That’s the Palm House, one of the star attractions. It’s a gigantic greenhouse with full sized palm trees growing inside (and a basement aquarium!). One cycad on display is over 250 years old!

The Princess Of Wales greenhouse contains 10 ecosystems and (it seems) at least a trillion plants. This is where some of the world largest water lilies are on display. Nearby, we found this guy.

The gardens are hundreds of acres and contain all sorts of varied arboretums and plantings. Between exhibits we stumbled upon a hydrangea grove.

A highlight of the gardens is a treetop walkway many meters above the ground. It’s a bit of an effort to get to the top (the lift was out of service) but was absolutely worth it!

Bees were everywhere, but notably concentrated in flower gardens planted beside a long walkway between the major greenhouses. Overlooking the flowers was a seasonal exhibit honoring bees called ‘The Hive’:

Here’s a shot from inside:

It’s hard to believe this will ever be removed, such is the work that went into it (lights and sound are based on the activity at a nearby beehive that the structure is wired to) and how popular it was with visitors. I’m glad we saw it.

Overall Kew was great and certainly lived up to expectations. If you’re ever in London, this is an easy recommendation.

Wildlife XIV: The Cage

June 10, 2016

I placed the wildlife camera on the back patio over my trip, carefully aimed at one of our bird feeders, which itself is cleverly designed to keep the squirrels out via an impossible-to-penetrate cage.

Here’s one of the first photos it took:

As you can see, the cage works imperfectly!

All told 191 photos were taken in a single day. This was because the seal on the camera had apparently failed and water had gotten inside, which seems to have prevented it from taking photos for most of the time it was placed. I’m not sure if it is permanently ruined or not; I’m drying it out now before trying again.

At any rate, in the several hours of the first day it was out almost every single one of the photos was similar to the above, featuring suspicious squirrels:

Brave squirrels:

Friendly squirrels:

And even in a few shots – thankfully! – a bird:

That little bird is a wren (named ‘Kylo Wren’) who is currently building his nest in our wren house and singing for a mate. We assume he’ll be successfully; many little wrens have been hatched in that house over the years.

Also, you’ll note the chipmunk in the last two shots. This is the first time I have gotten clear, focused shots of chipmunks on this camera. This is no small achievement since they spend most of their lives invisible and moving at light speed. I guess the lure of the 110% delicious cracked cown and sunflower mix I put out was too much for them 🙂

My neighbour recently told me she has seen groudhogs (yes multiple, possibly a parent and child) wandering in our backyard. They will be the next target of the camera assuming it still works.

Robot Claw