…while taking a keen interest in something or other.
Last week, I was burning some time visiting the Old Strathcona Antique Mall while my bicycle was being repaired. I always find it amusing to see unusual items or the odd juxtapositions on the shelf, some planned, some accidental. Here are a few that caught my attention, unstaged by me. If you recognize any of... Continue Reading →
A Naturalistic Garden is primarily a method for the urban or sub-urbanite to feel closer to the natural world. It is a garden to relax in rather than to fuss over. It is a garden that invites visitors of all types, from bugs to birds to like-minded humans. It is a garden that allows us, for at least a short while, to escape the pressures and tensions of modern life and to actively connect with our biophilic needs. In this, it can be considered as part of a remedy for lives and lifestyles that have become separated from the natural world which formed our being.
These are cell phone photos taken in our garden in mid-June 2022. We had an amazingly moist spring for our location in Edmonton, Alberta, and the garden was lush and green. My wife and I had put a lot of effort into this green space in the early years. Although our daughter is now hundreds... Continue Reading →
The Scarlet or red lily leaf beetle (Lilioceris lilii) I must confess that when I first discovered this beetle on one of our martagon lilies in 2015 it gave me a smile and added enough spring to my step that I could have managed the clicking-of-the-heels. This leaf beetle --with its scarlet and black colouration--has... Continue Reading →
This is a Laphria sp. of robber or assassin fly, showing a fine mystax, the bristly hairs on the face which are believed to help protect it from injury when it tackles its prey. They are sit-and-wait predators that attack and capture other flying insects--including bees and wasps--while in flight. They then use their dagger-like hypopharynx to penetrate into... Continue Reading →
Looking back to warmer times... The Bronzed or Shore Tiger Beetle (Cicindela repanda) is a common tiger beetle in Alberta, but this was the first time I was able to photograph a mating pair, up on a sandy terrace above the North Saskatchewan River in Edmonton. I tried to obtain shots of individual specimens, but... Continue Reading →
Lurching Toward Oblivion 