The double-flowered plum my father planted to give away to friends has found a home here, while he has gone to sea forever. After two years, she has a visitor! I like […]
Bees of the Earth, Flowers of the Air
Dandelion Swan Song
Aren’t the orchards pretty in the springtime, with their quaint tractor wobble reminiscent of human fragility and everything? You, too, can achieve this effect on your own yard. These babies will […]
Mourning Cloak Lays Her Eggs
Who said Chinese elms have no place here, eh. It wouldn’t be spring without the mourning cloaks! In the Similkameen they are deep purple, the colour of spring catkins. Here in the […]
It’s Lambs Quarter Time!
Farming is tough. The weeds grow. Look at these lambs quarters take over the world! But, reallllly look at them. Mmmmmm. Instead of a field of trouble, it’s a crop, better than […]
The Power of Shadows
Butterflies are shadows. Simple to prove. Here’s a leaf shading rock. And a whole flock of shadow butterflies. They’re not the only shadows. The Síya? twigs below are shadows of the past. […]
The Thing About Leaves
Leaves don’t hang from trees and trees don’t look like this: They look like this: Cottonwood Leaves are drawn out of the trees by the sun. Gravity might pull them down … […]
Beauty and the Feast
The mountains have bloomed for Easter. Beautiful Arrow-leafed Balsam Root! Beats me why the whole city doesn’t shut down and take to the hills. And yet, for all that gorgeous display, the […]
The Language of Opening
In just the way the balsam roots open… … they find the openings made by deer, and I find them. Just as the siya? opens as clusters of flowers, long enough to […]
It’s That Time of the Year, Hurry Hurry Hurry
Gather that grass, then fly the wrong way as a decoy. Then fly, fly, fly! Don’t delay. It’s nesting time. Quick, get at ‘er. ~ With thanks to the starlings.
Ponderosa Pine’s World
The land has a spirit. You can find it in a dead ponderosa pine. You can find it in a living stone. In the long life record of pine bark and pitch. […]
Okanagan Okanogan 