An Outside Chance

fall on beach

PHOTO POST The weather along the lakeshore of late has been frosty, soaking, bone-chilling, blustery – with “warm” definitely not part of the list. Yet elusive rays of sunlight have teamed with the wind and waves to create beautiful sights. These sights are ephemeral, of course – even softball-size rocks roll around in the force … Read More

A modest investment with major dividends: cycling culture in the Netherlands

Also published at Resilience.org How would you describe the process in which a small country builds a 35,000 kilometer network of fully separated bike infrastructure – and traffic-calms 75 per cent of their urban streets to a speeds of 30 km/h (19 mph) or less? One apt analogy is “picking the low-hanging fruit”. While Dutch … Read More

reading the fine print

PHOTO POST Who knew there was a Green Heron in our neighbourhood? I’m sure many birders knew, but until this spring I didn’t know there is such a thing as a Green Heron, or that the Green Heron is hardly green at all, or that I had in fact seen and photographed a Green Heron … Read More

before and after flowers

PHOTO POST With most summer flowers now fallen away or drying, it is up to butterflies and damselflies, grasses and fruits, to provide flashes of colour. While monarchs are drawn to the late-blooming Silphium, their caterpillars chew through Milkweed leaves. A wide variety of dragonflies and damselflies drift across from the marsh to our gardens … Read More

house of orange

PHOTO POST The star that burns most brightly in our garden recently is the Butterfly Weed (aka Pleurisy Root, Butterfly Milkweed). This not-so-common member of the milkweed family is said to attract Monarch butterflies. So far this year the Monarchs haven’t paid much attention, but other insects have certainly noticed these blooms. The Musca domestica … Read More

heat of summer

PHOTO POST As the most intense heat wave in years takes hold of the lakeshore, the growth of some plants accelerates, others parch and wither, and many marsh-dwellers seek mid-day shade or the cool of twilight hours. With a still bountiful supply of moisture, green plants in the marsh are tall and lush, though the … Read More

Can nuclear power extend the economic expansion?

Also published at Resilience.org and BiophysEco. Richard Rhodes’ new book Energy: A Human History does an excellent job of describing the scientific and technological hurdles that had to be cleared in the development of, for example, an internal combustion engine which can convert refined petroleum into forward motion. But he gives short shrift to the … Read More

Energy: A Human History – a slim slice of history and science

Also published at Resilience.org and BiophysEco. “The population of the earth has increased more than sevenfold since 1850 – from one billion to seven and a half billion – primarily because of science and technology,” Richard Rhodes concludes at the end of his new book Energy: A Human History. “Far from threatening civilization, science, technology, … Read More

Colour in the eye of the beholder

Photo Post The marshes are a sea of green, wild and garden flowers are coming into bloom, and one 24-hour period this week saw a burst of nesting activity by the Snapping Turtles. Notwithstanding all the vivid hues, the tranquility of many midsummer days comes across beautifully in photos of minimal colour. In our … Read More

light lines

PHOTO POST Bright light and shadows run through this week’s post, with photos from garden and forest, marsh and lakeshore. This Mullein plant, lit from the other side by early morning sunlight, grows just beneath a bird feeder. The spot is a favourite hangout for squirrels, who encourage the Blue Jays to spill as … Read More