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Living With Nature

Lunar eclipse
Nature journal for October. With the weather so mild, large flocks of birds are still foraging along the river. October 27 featured a total lunar eclipse.
Bacchanal
Nature journal for September. The meadows are a riot of colour and the air resonates with insects in their final bacchanal.
Eastern Ontario Tourism: Bon Echo Provincial Park
As the author has been travelling most of the month, the nature journal departs from the usual subject once again. This month's offering is a description of Bon Echo Provincial Park in Eastern Ontario.
Unfamiliar water
This month's journal diverges from the normal subject to cover a three-night canoe trip in Algonquin Provincial Park.
Pregnant with moisture
Nature journal for June. Humidity increases as wildflowers bloom abundantly. A search for sacred space brings one into closer awareness of details in the environment.
Flooded with song
Nature journal for May. Heavy rain floods the river and birdsong floods the woods.
Redolent with violets
Nature journal for April. Ephemeral spring wildflowers are bursting. Birds are singing, and so are frogs in the ponds. Nature, so long in waiting, is happening now.
Rippled and bedazzled
While ice and snow do battle with spring, the river pushes steadily toward a higher energy state. Winter birds increase their singing and waterfowl return to the pond.
Golden blush
This February has an unusual number of sunny days. Not only is the length of daylight increasing, but its quality changes markedly. The birds become excitable.
Frost flowers
Nature journal for January. The temperature plummets. Fantastic ice crystals form on the windows and along the verge of the river.
Ice palace
Nature journal for December. The river begins to freeze and geese return to the pond. A beaver lodge and an ice palace. A hike at Rattlesnake Point, an outlier of the Niagara Escarpment.
Spirit parades
Nature journal for November. A month of unstable weather and dramatic skies.
Panic-stricken clouds
Nature journal for October. Leaves are falling in the woods along the Eramosa. A Thanksgiving visit to Amber Fox farm.
The sensory realm
Taking a walk and focusing on sensory stimuli is one of the best ways of relaxing the mind.
A raft turned nature reserve
Over the years our floating raft evolved into a miniature wetland habitat, even hosting a common loon nest.
Summer activities for kids
This summer plan activities to help your children develop positive values about respecting and protecting the environment.
Texture
Texture is a tool to the artist, and a key to our perceptions and enjoyment of the world around us.
Relieving gardener's itch indoors
I used to think the craving came from perusing glossy seed catalogues in late winter. But now that I live in an apartment and avoid reading those things, gardener's itch still strikes me. Here are some tips for relief.
Nature's heart of loving-kindness
Enhance your practice of meditation by visualizing a cherished place close to nature.
Finding insects in winter
Insects make a fascinating subject of study, even in winter.
A festival of change
A celebration is an opportunity for transformation. This festive season we can share ideas with our communities and loved ones, and commit ourselves to new habits.
Allergies: because we're too clean
While recovering from surgery I noticed my allergies went away. My immune system is too busy doing what it's supposed to: fighting off infection. Research shows clean living is causing a dramatic increase in allergies and asthma.
The simplicity of wilderness adventure
A couple days in the wilderness reminds us how much impact our smallest actions have.
A novice adventurer's checklist
One of the hardest aspects of outdoor adventures, extreme or otherwise, is planning what to take. Here's a novice's checklist for a two-night canoe trip.
Outside the gay ghetto
Gay and lesbian culture is highly urbanized and estranged from nature. During Gay Pride, let's applaud those who live courageously outside the ghetto, embracing a simpler lifestyle.
A damaged tapestry
What would happen if a major group of organisms became extinct? There would be more than a loss of diversity. It would affect the entire biosphere profoundly.
The Pelee phenomenon
This rare warbler was hungry and tired, and it had more important things to worry about than a crowd of silly people on the West Beach of Point Pelee National Park.
Erie's resurrection
A disaster is often what it takes to wake people up to environmental degradation. That's what happened in Lake Erie, and saved from death the beach where I grew up.
Winter cottage ordeal
I had dreaded a February weekend at our retreat on Lake Fletcher. There are unusual demands involved in making the place habitable, then closing it again. It is an annual winter ordeal. But it has its rewards.
The chemistry of love
What happens to your body when you fall in love? Our behaviour might be different, but the chemical mechanisms are similar between humans...and squirrels!
Pappy's ducks
While feeding ducks at the park, I'm reminded of my grandfather, who attracted waterfowl by the dozens to his backyard on the Detroit River.
Natural time
Scientists can break seconds down to the trillionth part, and yet we never get closer to mastering time. Let's take a New Years look at where time is carrying us.
A gift for Potvin, Part 2
What do you buy for the cat who wants nothing but food and a stroking hand that never tires?
A gift for Potvin, Part 1
It was an ancient custom in my family, that pets gave and received gifts. No one knew where they found the time or money. It was a mystery as profound as Santa.
A festive fable
As a greeting to the author's friends and readers, here is a seasonal fable, "The September nymph."
Game review: SimPark
SimPark teaches natural history while stimulating your child's creative imagination. This is a great Christmas gift for the budding naturalist.
Wood burning awareness
In the new energy crisis we must reconsider alternative sources. For people seeking a simpler lifestyle, wood heat has been a traditional favourite. But there's some argument as to whether using wood fuel is harmful or beneficial to the environment.
Seeking god in nature
Recent speculation points toward a convergence between science and religion. Does nature give evidence for the existence of God, or does she speak only for herself?
Meeting the genius loci
The genius loci is the spirit of a place. People have always felt inclined to see divine beings in nature. Whether or not there is anything supernatural about it, the Earth possesses profound intelligence.
War's environmental impact
Another form of collateral damage which seems to be almost universally ignored is damage to the environment.
Wildflowers of the Bruce
The Bruce Peninsula is home to many rare wildflowers. This week we take a photo tour of some of the lovely and unusual species blooming there in late summer.
An autumn destination
Instead of hibernating like a chipmunk, stay active like a red squirrel. Ritual autumn walks help make it a time of beginnings, not just endings.
Larkwhistle garden
Continuing our photo tour of the Bruce Peninsula, we pay a visit to Larkwhistle, the garden of writer Patrick Lima and his partner John Scanlan.
Exploring Georgian Bay's west shore
A photo tour of some of Southwestern Ontario's most breathtaking scenery, and a description of some of the adventures you will find along Georgian Bay's southwestern shore.
Funeral for a pet
Ritual gives us structure for celebrating the passages of life and death. But breaking with tradition may enable us to transcend conditioned concepts and move to a place of healing.
An apple memory day
One beautiful September morning I went looking for elderberries but found apples. The beauty of that day has shown me how memories provide balance in times of crisis.
The nature of war
In a call for peace rather than vengeance, let's revisit the lesson of the battling dragonflies.
The balance of life
A page from my summer journal. Around the peaceful waters of the bay, the constant struggle for life continues, and death lies always in the shadows.
The Golden Staircase, Part 2
The most challenging, and beautiful, part of our adventure still lay ahead.
The Golden Staircase, Part I
One day in July, my father and I set out on a canoe and hiking trip to explore an alternate route into the jewel in the crown of Central Ontario's wilderness, Algonquin Provincial Park.
Dragons on the dock
Order Odonata, the dragonflies and damselflies, is one of the easiest and most enjoyable groups of insects to observe. What is not to admire about these elegant and nimble hunters?
Exploring biodiversity
Starting a checklist of flora and fauna on the author's cottage property uncovers some surprises, and launches a journey of wonder.
Blueberry Island
One of Lake Fletcher's most significant landmarks is and island where the writer had his first camping experience at about five months of age.
Desert plant adaptations
How do plants adapt to living in dry conditions? Besides various structural modifications, they have a different approach to photosynthesis.
Water's allure
Ancient humans may have been more aquatic than is suggested by traditional concepts of our evolution. Maybe that's why water holds so much enchantment for us.
Wetlands: primordial nursery
Witnessing the metamorphosis of a polliwog into a toad serves as a reminder that our vanishing wetlands are both the birthplace of life on land, and an essential link in modern environments.
Primordial music
Participating in the annual breeding bird survey inspires reflection on the complexity and diversity of bird vocalizations.
The meaning of beauty
We each have a different definition of beauty. But in a society increasingly alienated from nature, it's important to review the importance of beautiful things and places.
Forestalling the plague
Modern medicine poses a moral dilemma. We are creating a progressively weaker and sicklier human species, as well as fostering more virulent diseases. But to stop treating illness is unthinkable.
Age of beetles
Scientists have described about 300,000 species of beetle, or 40 per cent of all insects. That means that almost one in five of Earth's animal species is a beetle.
Age of insects
Canada's national newspaper makes some puzzling statements about the primacy of humanity. On the contrary, except for the havoc we're causing, we're a relatively insignificant species.
Emissions policy update
So forests can't compensate for greenhouse gas emissions after all. It has served as another side-stepping technique for policy-makers. When will they stop avoiding responsibility?
An ecologist's eye
The ecologist uses his grid to name and count things, looking for connections. But in nature there is rarely a black or a white. We must learn to live with greys and half answers.
The passions of Rachel Carson
Her unconventional relationship with an older, married woman helped sustain the popular nature writer who is credited with founding the environmental movement.
Bloom where we are planted
A garden parable. What if each of us could choose one plant to grow?
The view from heaven
It's reserved for the gods. That's the message from NASA, keeping a stunning silence on the unprecedented voyage of millionaire space tourist Dennis Tito.
Tree story contest winner!
In observance of Arbor Day, here are the results of the Tree Story Contest, announcing the winner!
Ephemeral is beauty
The beauty of spring flowers is not directed at us, but at attracting those creatures which pollinate them. Why are we so attracted by that which is fleeting?
Gay as animals
Wild kingdom is coming out of the closet. The long-suppressed evidence of homosexual behaviour in other animals forces us to reconsider what it means to be gay, and its place in society.
Nature and poverty
I could spend my life canoeing in Ontario without retracing my path. Each passing day would reinforce the illusion that this world has enough space and resources for everyone.
O why should I have spring fever?
If anything, spring fever is more challenging for me than the winter blahs. Longer days seem to trigger hormonal changes. Suddenly, I feel like a caged lion!
Practising stillness
Being still is difficult, even conflicting with the way most of us live. Review the benefits of stillness, and learn an enjoyable exercise for bringing it back into your life.
Butterflies in paradise?
A brand new butterfly conservatory has opened a few minutes away from my home. My daughters love it. But is it paradise?
Tracking with Paul Rezendes
Just as one may know a person without understanding him, the same is true of nature, and even more so. Tracking wild animals is one way of gaining insight into the wisdom that nature offers.
Trees we have known
Take a closer look at the spiritual nature of individual trees and meet several from the author's life. Join the Tree Story Contest in honor of Arbor Day.
Myth and spirit of trees
Trees are prominent in mythology around the world. What did our forbearers see in the spirit of the wood?
Earth versus human spirituality
Spirituality often inflates the importance of humanity. But in fact our species is dangerous or at least irrelevant to the balance of life on Earth. So why are we here, and what should we believe?
Contemporary ideology and its cost
While surfing the internet to understand such concepts as particle physics and the nature of consciousness, I encounter more rhetoric than thought. But in arguing over beliefs and theories, it's easier to blame one another for what's wrong with the world than to take responsibility.
Ten wonders of nature
In celebration of Imbolc, here are 10 marvels of nature, to reawaken our sense of Earth's majesty.
Read the natural history classics
The internet brings classic works of nature writing as close as your fingertips. Living With Nature presents a recommended reading list.
Bring the treetops indoors
Epiphytes, plants that grow on other plants, are essential to forest ecosystems. Learn about them by growing ferns, bromeliads and orchids indoors.
Houseplant wisely
In midwinter, add life and refreshment to your indoor space. Find the plants best suited to your home.
Woodland solace
Dreading the reunion of extended family, I savour the brief precursor of solitude as forest encloses me.
Start a nature journal
Tap into the rich source of understanding and wisdom within, and draw closer to the world around you.
Victory at Winter Solstice
As the weather turns more unpleasant, I've kept reminding myself that if I stop getting outside each day, I'll only be letting myself down. A perfect winter day rewards my efforts with beauty and hope.
Barn owl at risk
The decline of this common species represents human failure to appreciate the importance of a beneficial creature in the ecosystem.
Top 10 nature news sites!
The Internet provides unprecedented access to daily news about environmental issues and natural science research
Contemplating simplicity
Breaking old habits of consumerism can be painful. One of the best way to encourage change is to remind ourselves of the benefits.
Miracle insulator
Liquid water is the miracle chemical, dissolving and bringing together the compounds that conduct life's processes. But in winter, water provides double service. Ice itself protects the earth from environmental extremes that would eliminate liquid water.
Masked bandit on the wing, Part 3
The decision of whether to reintroduce our baby cedar waxwing to living as a wild bird was difficult for our family.
Masked bandit on the wing, Part 2
At sunrise we were awakened by the song of a giant cricket in the living room. Or perhaps it wasn't a cricket at all! We went running and discovered the bedtime snack had brought our baby bird around.
Masked bandit on the wing, Part 1
To introduce my own tale of raising a wild pet, here are three classic novels by prominent conservationists who did it. And the conventional wisdom why no one should.
The organic religion
For years the satisfaction of growing food organically eluded me, but this lesson may be one of the most vital for the future of our families and our Earth.
Tilling the virtual soil
Originally intended to explore practical living in harmony with the environment, this column has not exactly diverged, but certainly deepened its exploration. After a year, Living With Nature shouts for definition. Here's a critical look at what kind of environmental resources are available on the internet, and why I have changed my top five sites.
Seasons of unseen growth
During autumn my body begs for extra sleep. The outdoors seems to slow and wane. Fall may seem like a time of fading and senescence. In reality this season of change is most crucial to long-term health and growth.
Ancient nature consciousness, part 2: shamanism
Various crises in my life have driven me back, time and again, to nature. These intense episodes may relate to the most ancient known form of religious experience: shamanism.
Sumac lemonade
Along the edge of every meadow stands and army of staghorn sumac. "You can make a drink like lemonade from their berries," I told my childhood friends. But like so many things put off until tomorrow, I never did. Until today.
Jewels of the autumn meadow
The meadow is never more glorious than when late summer glazes into autumn. But its most brilliant and varied flowers are the asters.
Ancient nature consciousness, part 1: Druidism
In our era it is increasingly difficult to address environmental issues without some meaningful discussion of spirituality. There is much to be learned from the beliefs and practices of people who lived closer to the Earth and were more directly attuned to its moods and powers.
September sunlight's precious power
Rich and sweet but somehow plaintive, September's sun summons us to make the best of summer's remaining light. Continuing to get outdoors on a regular basis may be valuable to your health through the winter months. This article provides resources on Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).
Alvars, rarest of habitats
In memory of Diana: the day she died I paid my first visit to one of the earth's rarest and most extreme habitats, alvars. The beauty of its wildflowers draw me back each year.
Camping the Bruce Peninsula
Between Lake Huron and Georgian Bay, this narrow promontory boasts extraordinary scenery, geology and plant life along the northern extent of the Niagara Escarpment Biosphere Reserve.
Perusing the mysticism of Uncle Walt
Reading, one of the simple joys of summer, has returned me to the mystical fount of knowledge from the heart of Walt Whitman.
Vacation of the senses
The family associates various words specifically with the cottage to express the heightened perceptions we seem to experience there.
Dear Silvan, what's in my chimney?
If it's not baby birds, it could be bats, raccoons or flying squirrels. The author reveals his prejudices and qualms about wildlife invasions.
The overlooked spectacle of metamorphosis
Many of us have marvelled at a monarch caterpillar transforming into a pupa and adult. The bizarre phenomenon of metamorphosis is actually a common strategy in nature for survival through extreme conditions.
Unearthing the red-backed salamander
Every summer we find red-backed salamanders (Plethodon cinereus under logs and stones. This plain and common species, though easily overlooked, bears some startling characteristics.
My lover the lake
Every other relationship changes, but the lake is always there, as near or as far as I make it.
Caution: falcon crossing!
A business trip to London, Ontario, turns into a close encounter with peregrine falcons.
Walkerton tragedy highlights microbial ecology
The deadly E. coli outbreak in Walkerton draws attention to a fascinating and essential aspect of life on earth.
Songsters of summer solstice
How better to spend the summer solstice than in surveying nature's most vocal celebrants? The author participates in the Breeding Bird Survey.
The trees are calling for rain
I was momentarily jealous of my friend's ability to read the maple leaves in downtown Toronto. My family was too long removed from the land to pass down this kind of folk wisdom.
Understanding the season of abundance
June is an intense period in the cycle of life and death. Over-production can puzzle and even appall us, but plays an essential role in the strength of our environment.
Walking meditations
A daily walk can help restore inner health and peace. Here are some active meditations to heighten your experience.
Jellyfish and environmental chaos
Around the world's seas, jellyfish populations are increasing, illustrating the strange principles of chaos theory. It is a difficult realm of study, but essential to our understanding of the environment.
Hijacking ecology
Some ecologists complain the environmental movement has hijacked their science. What on Earth do they mean?
Native forbs for a dry garden, Part II
Here are six North American wildflowers I have grown, all adapted to well-drained soils.
Native forbs for a dry garden, Part I
On a sun-baked corner by a busy highway, I never dreamed I could plant such a prolific garden as the one now bursting along the front sidewalk.
The nobility of just being
On our first springtime visit to the cottage, my daughters and I pause from our normal activities to do, well, nothing.
Campaign to save Clear Creek
Rarely does the community get a chance to save 576 acres of Carolinian habitat in Southwestern Ontario.
In danger: Canada's Deep South
Although I grew up in Southwestern Ontario, I never realized it was once the richest and most diverse habitat in the country, an area known as Carolinian Canada.
Waiting for the Apocalypse
There are startling parallels between religious belief in an Apocalypse and radical environmentalism. Both predict imminent disaster and allow believers to abdicate from a responsible role in society.
Watch those warblers
A storm swept away one lowly nest, but warblers and other songbirds face their greatest threat in mankind. We can turn back the process of habitat destruction. Research and co-operative action are required.
Native trees as bonsai
Many native North American tree and shrub species can be grown as bonsai, allowing the gardener to build a deeper connection with the life of these plants.
Nature in miniature
Why bother growing bonsai? Because the art teaches a respectful approach to the spirit of an individual tree. Whether grown indoors or out, a bonsai plant or landscape is a miniature study of nature.
Canada Blooms 2000: A March fantasy
A glimpse behind the scenes at Canada's most outstanding, and prestigious, garden show: March 22 to 26, 2000
The butterfly industry
Butterfly conservatories house tropical species throughout the year thanks to farms that provide income for communities in countries like Costa Rica, Papua New Guinea and Malaysia.
Winter interlude
A weekend visit to the cottage in winter is physically challenging and invigorating, but undaunting to children.
Develop your observation skills
For a more profound experience of the environment, we must learn how to clear our heads of clutter. Here are some exercises to develop your observations skills.
The poet as prophet, part II
The best nature poetry is neither overly sentimental nor coldly scientific. It reflects knowledge of both the Earth and the human condition.
The poet as prophet, part I
Anyone who sees a flower or sunset can describe its beauty. The task of the nature poet is to relate what he or she perceives to broad human experience, and in language that can be understood universally.
Winged wanderers of winter
Or feasting finches frolic at the feeder. Spring might be everyone's favourite time for birdwatching, but winter is full of surprises and a chance for bird enthusiasts to participate in researching some unusual migratory behaviour.
Defying the deep freeze
As record-breaking cold paralyzes Ontario, the author prefers to imagine he is somewhere else in time.
Mysterious green crust on a blasted planet
Lichens are the dominant form of vegetation on eight per cent of the earth's land surface, and a major contributor of nutrients to barren environments such as desert and tundra. They are a key indicator of ecological change and a warning signal of decline. Use the internet to learn about them and use them to monitor environmental health where you live.
Create an indoor sanctuary
Just because it's winter doesn't mean you can't potter in your garden. Whether you're a backyard refugee or a landless apartment-dweller, bring nature into your home with an indoor sanctuary.
Surviving the Third Millenium
Will we and our environment survive another thousand years? For the answer we must consult past trends, and commit to some New Millenium Resolutions.
Waterlily: the practice of pleasure
A reading by Annie Dillard stirs musings on religion, pleasure, the poetry of Rumi, and the beauty of a waterlily.
Worms under the sink
Red wrigglers and green thumbs: this holiday season decorate beneath the kitchen sink with a worm composter to keep a steady supply of organic food for your house plants and spring garden.