Welcome to the Archives … Where Quiet Moments in Nature Become Stories… Please Enjoy
Fifty or so short stories recounting amazing memories of wildlife and habitats…. Thank you for reading.
The natural world offers no end to hidden treasures, from delicate mushroom microsystems to awe inspiring views shaped over millennia. Wonders abound highlighting the importance of conserving nature. By protecting the beauty and balance of the wild, we ensure that future generations can also experience the magic of the Wild Kingdom. — Gord, Christine & Rosie
Archives
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Woodland Lichen
The diversity of vegetation in British Columbia’s Rainforest is amazing, especially in the cool humid environment of North Vancouver Island’s coastal forests. During snow free seasons, hikers are rewarded by volumes of lush foliage…
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Mushrooms: The Incredible World of Fungi
Fungi has an essential role in the natural function of forest ecosystems. Wood-decaying fungi are the primary decomposers breaking down dead wood and recycling nutrients back into the soil! They are also instrumental in…
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The Nimpkish Valley
The Nimpkish Valley links the west and east coasts of Vancouver Island and in ancient times served as an important First Nation commerce route via waterways and forest pathways. Such routes were commonly called…
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The Iconic Bald Eagle
The Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) is actually a subspecies of Eurasia’s Sea Eagle, and prefers to home around water; rivers, lakes, and ocean environments with an ample supply of their main food…. fish. Bald Eagles…
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September in the Tlakwa
September is mating season when massive heavy antlered male elk (bulls) are on the move, seeking slender females (cows) to start a new generation. Like clockwork as soon as leaves start to turn yellow…
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A Vancouver Island Morning
Went beach combing this clear brisk January morning with Rosie my Australian Shepherd and thought: “what a magical place Vancouver Island is!” A veritable treasure chest of breathtaking beauty tucked away on an Island…
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Lake Surprises
A stillness laid upon the lake, creating magical reflections of snow capped Insular Mountain prominences, exacting in every detail right down to fluffy white clouds. Perfect conditions for the kayaking & wildlife viewing we…
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Douglas-Fir Flowers
Spring is a renewal time for Mother Nature, especially visible in the Pacific Northwest outdoors, we knew this and why we were out and about. Still, can you imagine our amazement happening upon a…
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Turkey Vultures – Flying Environmentalists
We could see glimpses of the lake through a screen of Hemlock firs before we broke silently into the headwaters of our destination…. To our surprise a “committee” of a six medium sized brown…
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A Short Day on the Trail
Leave pavement behind and Nature miraculously appears… everywhere to the fortunate, affording many reasons to put on wool socks & hiking boots. Perhaps a Pine Marten, a Black Tailed Deer, a Barred Owl… So…
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Wool Pants & Suspenders
Yes I replied… wilderness camping allows me to throw away professional complexity and scars of emergency care by connecting with nature in wonderful natural environments… When a need to sooth a restless mind arises…
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The Quatse River
Nestled in the Pacific’s coastal paradise of beautiful North Vancouver Island, Kwakiutl traditional territory, is a small but mighty Quatse River system. It is made huge by an amazing diversity of plant, trees, fish,…
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Visitors to Hardy Bay
On this day winds were calm, sunshine high, a misty blue haze, and an outgoing tide offering a clear view of a multitude of fascinating shorebirds, foraging in Hardy Bay’s nutrient rich tidal pools.…
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Nature’s Rare Hair Ice
Along side the Quatse River we noticed numerous small tennis ball sized white wavy beard like formations… attached to bark-less alder branch debris. On closer inspection these were fragile curly hair structures…. spectacular “Hair…
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Suquash Shore
Our plans are to explore a remote beach area at an old mine site this afternoon…. driving to a coastal location well known for it’s abundance of shore life, including interesting weathered stone architecture…
