Wanderlust and Words

Did you know? Cabbage White butterfly were introduced in Quebec in the 1860s and have since spread across North America. They can be found from Nunavut to northwest Mexico.   I’m sure that none of you have a problem identifying a Saskatoon Berry  and if you’ve done any gardening at all you will be able to recognize a Cabbage White butterfly at a glance. But you may be less familiar with Water Boatman and Tiger Salamander . And I only learned to recognize Garry Oak and Camas after multiple trips to Vancouver Island. Four years ago my brother, Andrew McKinlay, was hiking in Big Bend National Park in Texas and was frustrated. He was seeing all sorts of interesting plants, insects, trees, and other wildlife but was struggling to identify them. “What I need is one app that lists the most common plants, trees, animals, insects, reptiles, and birds that I’ll find in a particular area,” he said. “There are lots of specific bird, flower, or insect guides, but nothing toget...

We wait so long for spring to arrive on the Prairies. But when it does, oh, what a delight! Lilacs and caragana always remind me of the early European settlers who used them in shelterbelts and farmyard gardens – they must have been desperate for colour and shelter. Where will this path lead me? Age brings strength as well as wrinkles. New life. It’s windy on the Prairies! Buckeye – a happy reminder of the candles on European horse chestnuts. Life should always contain a few surprises. The University of Saskatchewan's Patterson Arboretum was established in 1966. It's open to the public, free of charge, from sunrise to sunset all year round.

The New Forest was set aside by William the Conqueror as a private hunting reserve over 900 years ago. It is now a national park, although it includes villages, areas that are logged commercially, and is grazed by ponies, cattle, pigs, and deer. Around 5,000 ponies roam freely in the New Forest, and you’ll find them stopping traffic in the middle of the road or sheltering in a residential driveway. Deer roam the grounds of Burley Manor (above). The New Forest is a mix of open heathland and forest. It provided timber for Britain’s naval shipbuilding, and there are still some lovely old trees to be visited and admired. The Knightwood Oak , with a circumference of 7.38 metres, is believed to be 600 years old. “Ancient oaks may be 400 to 800 years old, while beech can reach 300 to 400 years. The most ancient of all are yews, some of which are thought to be over 1,000 years old. Typically, the oldest trees have a great girth, a hollow trunk and a much reduced cro...