The balsam root blossoms on the hill were visited by these furry brown bees yesterday. These are the first bees I’ve seen on the flowers that were not shy. They wouldn’t scare. […]
Brave Bees… Perhaps
Rivers on the Land
I made this image of the sagebrush buttercups to show a friend how they run in lines off underground stems, but then I noticed something else. It’s faint, but can you see […]
Grassland Education: Reducing Climate Risk 8
The Okanagan Valley is home to a nearly extirpated grassland ecosystem, that exists only in a few endangered pockets. Even so, it is a key grassland area for studying the effects of […]
Living Inside the Mountain or Flying With the Ravens
When it got down to 20 Below last week, ice appeared along the ditch of the Grey Canal Trail in Vernon. This is not ice from the water the city has been […]
Big Game Tracking in the Intermontane Grasslands
Suppose you’re hunting voles. I know, it’s not on any list of grocery items, but just suppose. It’s winter. It’s 20 Below. And you’re hungry. There are a lot of holes. Which […]
Good News for the Similkameen Grasslands
The Similkameen Spotlight has released a story of love and care in the grasslands. You can read it here: https://www.similkameenspotlight.com/news/millions-of-dollars-invested-in-protecting-former-princeton-ranch/. In short, the Nature Trust of British Columbia is investing in this […]
Sagebrush’s Generosity
When the bank falls away, big sage shows her roots. Look at that: no great fussiness, just a few roots sinking down deep in a narrow column. These roots are easily twice […]
Water Harvesting
Someone got the idea that hanging cheap Chinese decorations on syilx trees would make things better. Maybe they will. Look at how the snow has collected on these dangling balls. Now, consider […]
Rototilling 101
First, plant some flowers. Watch them grow. Nice, eh! Bees will burrow into the soil and lay their eggs. Nicer yet! Voles will come and root around, as voles will do. By […]
Hunting the Porcupine
I went up the hill to find the porcupine. February, 2019 He likes it up there with the mountain ash. The way lies through a deer sleeping area. Here’s one of the […]
