a place where nature, photography and writing meet
I knew that if I could just be patient, sooner or later I’d manage to catch one of the Monarch caterpillars in the process of transforming into a chrysalis. This evening, it finally happened — and it was worth the wait! What a strange process! Some might even describe it as a little bizarre. Some […]
One would think I had nothing else to write about apart from butterflies, but it seems that they’re at the forefront of life around the farm just at the moment. They seem to be everywhere and always getting in front of my camera when I’m out for my daily insects walks. That said, there’s a […]
It’s cool and rainy and I felt like taking the day off from posting, but then *this* came along and asked to be reported. Yesterday, I had mentioned that caterpillars “become very restless and prone to wander far once they begin looking for a place to pupate.” This morning, I found the chrysalis of an […]
For the past few weeks, I’ve been saying that I’d try to photograph the transformation of a Monarch from caterpillar to chrysalis (pupation). Unfortunately, until this week, I struck out repeatedly as each caterpillar seemed to choose a time when I wasn’t available to watch. This week, I finally managed to catch most of the […]
We’re into what I think of as the dog days of summer. Yesterday the skies were clear and the weather was hot. Today, it’s a little overcast, but supposed to go to 30C (about 86F). We probably won’t have much more of this kind of weather before the arrival of the cooler days of autumn. […]
Welcome to the 30th edition of I and the Bird. We’ve received a wonderful collection of interesting and informative submissions from near and far. Topics range from species identification and behaviour, to birding trips to a variety of destinations, to avian health issues. I hope you’ll enjoy reading each piece as much as I did […]
This is a story. It happened a long time ago. Our family cottage was built among the dark and brooding coniferous woods along the Ottawa River. We drew our drinking water from a well located up a forest trail. In summer, my younger brother and I had the small task of drawing the occasional bucket […]