Happy Pi Day! The importance of 3.14 in nature
Pi pie (Photo by Wikimedia Commons, Paul Smith)
March 14: it has many of us sharing photos of pies, Π and pies with Π on them. But our fascination with the number 3.14 goes beyond a good excuse to eat baked goods. The mystery and wonder of pi is evident everywhere around us, including in...
A close encounter with ticks that I won't forget
Adult deer tick (Photo by Scott Bauer/Wikimedia Commons)
Anyone who knows me knows I am not a morning person, by any stretch of the imagination. But on this particular morning, it was 8 o’clock, and I’d already stripped the bed and sofa covers, done a load of laundry, and taken a long, hot...
Beginner's guide to winter tree identification
White ash bud and twig (Photo by Quinten Wiergersma, CC BY 4.0)
Many trees are easier to identify without their leaves. When you’re out for a winter hike, it may seem that there aren’t many clues to identifying the trees around you. Because trees are sporting bare branches, you might think they...
How the pandemic turned me into an urban gardener
Seedlings in pots layed out on the veggie bed (Photo by Christine Beevis Trickett/NCC staff)
It’s amazing how slowing down and staying put in a place helps you connect with the life around you. I used to have quite a busy travel schedule, moving back and forth across the country several times a year to visit family or for work...
Finding hope for the planet in an old sweater
My sweater became a symbol of my increased awareness of environmental issues. (Photo courtesy of Christine Beevis Trickett/NCC staff)
During the pandemic, many of us have spent several months at home. To pass the time, some of us have started tackling projects that have been on our to-do lists for months, even years. For me, that meant cleaning out our spare rooms, which led to...
A McKenzie Towne Almanac
Inverness Pond, McKenzie Towne (Christine Beevis Trickett/NCC staff)
The slowing down over the past 10–11 months with the COVID-19 pandemic and its related restrictions has meant more time to be in one place and appreciate the nature around me. While where I live — McKenzie Towne, in southern Calgary...
The joys of capturing memories with watercolour painting
Nature was the balm we’d needed after months of physical distancing and pandemic-related uncertainties (Photo by Christine Beevis Trickett/NCC staff)
In the last few years, I’ve grown to love the joys of landscape watercolour painting as a way to capture time spent in nature, usually on annual canoe trips with my dad. Unfortunately, this year’s pandemic meant I couldn’t travel...
I just mailed, to say…
A painting of Mount Hereford in Quebec (Photo by Christine Beevis Trickett/NCC staff)
Let friends and family know you’re thinking of them with a handmade nature postcard If you’ve tried to pick up yeast or flour lately, you may have been surprised to find a lack of both on grocery store shelves. With everyone staying...
This holiday, take time to enjoy the winter wonderland
Winter hiking on the Niagara Escarpment (photo by Al Thompson)
With winter storms battering the country from coast to coast and the mercury dropping, it's easy to want to huddle inside by the fireplace. But most of us find that we're happier when we get outside. For my husband and me, some of our happiest...
Conservation is a labour of love
J. Bruce Falls, Richard Pough, Aird Lewis and David Fowle. First exploratory meeting for the Nature Conservancy of Canada, 1961 (NCC archives)
Valentine’s Day has become a time to celebrate the ones we love. But this year, I’m also thinking about those whose passion for natural areas has led to their long-time conservation of the places that Canadians love and enjoy. I was...
