My spouse muttered this while she was looking over my shoulder… as I update our blog. Well, yes. Early Spring is cold and somewhat icy. The trillium and ground cover sprout after a winter of hibernation. And the blackflies come out. Blackflies… the first couple of weeks, they are just warming up their little bodies. Then, once they’ve revved up and have nice bright and still days — they strike humans. Clouds of biting insects that avoid the shade. Today is June 11th. The black flies had their bloody-meat-feast, laid their eggs and died off (they seem to rip a bit of flesh off when they bite). They’ve been replaced with mosquitoes. Now THESE little bastards are out. They prefer the shade and dusk. Have you read the science fiction series. China Mieville’s Perdido Street Station… New Crobuzon (book #1 in the series)…. the one about an alien species… where the females inhabit an island and are voracious carnivores. If you have that mental image, you can appreciate what occasionally happens on the North Bruce Peninsula.
By the way, apparently mosquitoes DO fill a niche in our biosphere. Harvard entomologists posted an amusing article in March 2024. And we are INDEED installing bat houses, hummingbird feeders, dragonfly habitat, and mason bee houses. Just no stagnant pools of water near our living zones.
Autumn. That is my favourite time to work in the bush and clean up our property. I can safely fell widowmakers and SOME dying trees (I leave some stumps up for animal habitat). I’m a gentleman farmer and forester!
Mid-summer. That’s my favourite time to appreciate my property’s biodiversity. Look out for some reptiles. And ultimately attempt some macro-photography. I’m a gentleman botanist!
Winter. That’s my favourite time to stargaze. The humidity’s low, the nights are long, and telescopes get good viewing. I’m a gentleman astronomer!
tuesday, june 11, 2024 updates from the site
BCB&B, neemtree, bdb, and blog 