The annual summer picnic today with Stroud Valleys Project. We gathered around 2pm in the sensory garden of Stratford Park. Mike had spotted some Japanese Knotweed in another part of the park, so we went off to look at that first. I’ve not seen it before, so good to have an ID now. The leaves look a bit like Hazel.We had tea and cake after a talk from Clare, and then a chance to catch up with people, some of whom I only see once a year at this event. The sun was very warm, and by around half…
South Fork of the Little Wind River
Saw these flowers on my walk to 1RG this morning.
Tags: #photos #sketches The rocks are in a different configuration, but that has always been true. There are still rocks. And there are still waves, and still sand. The creatures that are here have been here since long before I came on this shore. Crabs and clams and sea palms all cling to the rocks. Damp cold sand clings to my hands and feet, getting between my fingers and toes. Barnacles and anemones and starfish hold hard in the surf, beaten by the waves yet they persist as the tides rise…
Heat mediated by a breeze. A hummingbird clearwing moth visits the garden, sipping nectar from bergamot tubes with a straw-like tongue swifter than thought. I read up on the species: its migratory habits, its lack of any hearing, its taste for purple.
Since July 27, 2025 I have observed 371 Common Milkweed (Asclepius syriaca) plants, almost entirely around Toronto. That makes me the #1 observer in Toronto, #4 in Ontario, #7 in Canada, and #17 in the world.
The other evening I forgot a wet bathing suit outside. When I brought it into the house the next morning, about five earwigs dropped out of it and scurried away frantically.For no rational reason, I am deeply repelled by earwigs in particular.This is not fear.Earwigs are essentially harmless. They have never bitten me, attacked me, or otherwise inconvenienced me, apart from the temporary occupation of my bathing suit. They are simply earwigs. Yet something about them evokes an immediate,…
Ringed (banded) racing pigeon in the wild in France (photo from Wikimedia) 15 July 2026 Peregrine falcons eat birds for a living and leave the remains behind, usually just feathers and bones. Every once in a while they eat a banded bird and if we’re lucky the band remains on the gravel at the Pitt peregrine nest. Can we identify who they ate? Right now there’s a small blue metal band near the green perch that’s been on the gravel for about a year, disappearing and reappearing at random. Blue…
Twelve days after our first attempt, another weather window has finally opened. I slept badly last night, have already increased my use of the toilets by at least 50%, and have lost my appetite. I even struggled to finish a freshly baked croissant this morning. Capsula is ready again. We changed the fuel filter, drained even more water from the fuel tank, tested the engine, and reprovisioned. At 6pm. Maybe 9. We slip the lines. Anne, Hafnafjörður, July 2026
On the bright side, a flock of barn swallows kept me company.
Duncan Rawlinson photographed this small island near Tar Island in the 1000 Islands region of Ontario, Canada during October 2025. The aerial view reveals a rocky granite outcrop crowned with trees displaying fall colors—bright chartreuse and rust tones against the deep blue water of the St. Lawrence River. Aquatic vegetation floats in a dense patch near the island’s base, while a second smaller island sits in the distance. Late afternoon light brings out the texture in the exposed rock and the…
