There’s a place I know, and the sun was bright, so I thought, hey, why not go have a look? On February 22, no less! That’s pretty early. But most welcome!
The First Sagebrush Buttercup of the Season
Saving the Grasslands One Garden at a Time
In forest fire season, even the grassland hills are suffering in the smoke.Note how the golf course road zig-zagging back and forth here manages to take all the water away. Note as […]
This is For My Grandmother
Martha (Marsel) Leipe liked to laugh and hum light opera tunes from the theatre group she was the secretary for, back in a country that doesn’t exist anymore. During all her years in […]
Human and Inhuman Environments
Where humans became human. Bella Vista Hills Imagine living here. It’s possible. Where humans became inhuman. Vernon Now, imagine living here. The temptation to pave the Bella Vista creek bed above would […]
In Praise of Saskatoon Blossoms
The hills are bright with saskatoons. Isn’t that fine! They have the scent of pear blossoms. If you haven’t smelled pear blossoms lately, well, they smell like fresh cream and wildflower […]
Sagebrush Buttercup in Its Natural Environment
Sagebrush buttercup, the first of the grassland wildflowers is blooming in the US Okanogan, and up into Canada, on the south slopes, on sandy hills south of the big lakes. Note the […]
Honouring the Humble Tumbleweed in Picture and Song
Ladies and Gentlemen, the humble tumbleweed… You can see her mother’s bones beneath her. And what did the Sons of the Pioneers sing about her? See them tumbling down Pledging their love […]
Western Tanagers Are Really Flowers NOT Birds
See, here’s how it goes. Yellow: Crab Spider Up to No Good Red… Mushroom Shrooming See how this works? Let’s practice some more. Yellow … Tiger Lily Red… Beetle on Milkweed Red […]
Evolution and the Colour Blue
Take a look. The colour blue is the one first seen out of darkness. Look at it … The Rise Vineyard, Bella Vista Our fences can’t hold it, nor can they hold […]
Beautiful Moth: a Little Jewel for You
If yarrow weren’t beautiful enough, what about the moth, eh! Now tell me seriously, you want to move to … Mars? You’ve got to be kidding.
Okanagan Okanogan 