Strolling in Winter near Montreal We were out a few days ago counting winter birds and thought a couple of minutes strolling through the snowy forest with us might be calming for your soul. Immediately by the start off this short walk there were four different species of Woodpecker in the trees [...]
In Baie-D'Urfé, and in other similar towns blessed with lots of trees, we often speak of the importance of our trees. This extract from an excellent book about urban nature, speaks to that understanding and explains why providing small, replacement trees ("oh, they will get big in a few years") are not [...]
Around the edge of the garden is a quite dense thicket of bushes and trees where the outdoor staff, the "Wild Things". do whatever it is they do. Just every now and again I venture in there to see what's happening and to collect the rent. [...]
This is Thanksgiving Weekend in Canada and yesterday was our Golden Wedding - what better way to celebrate both than a walk in the golden light of the Arboretum. After 50 years our feet know the paths to follow rather well. [...]
Golden Light Three years ago a group of Arboretum volunteers created the "Canada 150 Trail" to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the creation of Canada.Quite by chance it was found this year that the Birch Alley that forms part of the trail is directly oriented towards the setting sun for the few [...]
Species #9 to #15 Dates: 8 -14 March 2020 These were the "Lifeforms of the Day" for the second week ... they originally appeared on this Facebook page. If you would like to follow that page you will get a new species to enjoy and learn about each day until some embuggerment or [...]
As luck would have it ... This Thanksgiving Monday it was cool and showery looking out of the window, as one does, I was struck by the combination of birch tree trunks and golden birch leaves forming a backdrop to a berry-rich rowan tree that has begun to lose it's leaves and thereby [...]
This has been a busy couple of weeks, culminating today with the planting of a new community orchard in our little town of Baie-D'Urfé. This is NOT me ... Those of you who knew our garden in England 21+ years ago will remember that we had lots of fruit trees, bees [...]
Another error of common naming A common tree/shrub in North America is the Sumac, around here mostly the Staghorn Sumac (Rhus typhina), athough there are several other species in the genus. A good row of them grow along the boundary of the Garden at Fritz where I volunteer every summer and shelter [...]
I have had a city park near to me pretty well all my life and because they have always been there I have rather taken it for granted that they always would be. Some parks have been wide open with trees and grass and sometimes a lake. While others have been more formal [...]