What Is This Giant Bug??

Spending more time outdoors in spring and summer, I come in contact with a large variety of creepy-crawlies! A few days ago, for example, I saw a bug I have never seen before in our yard...

He was crawling into the shade of our carport... and he stopped long enough for me to snap a few pictures. Later I measured the size of the brick he was standing on...















It was about 12 centimeters or 5 inches square - which would make this beetle about 7.5 to 10 centimeters or 3 to 4 inches long (and about 2.5 centimeters or an inch wide?)

I showed my pictures to several neighbors who are more knowledgeable about nature than I am. Willy said it looked like a water beetle he often sees in the river. They are apparently real toe-biters! (But the nearest river is about 5 miles away!)

Rob took out his insect book. Examining the pictures, we decided it looked a little like an elephant stag beetle...

Later, I did a google search for images of "elephant stag beetle" and came up with this blog post where someone found a large beetle (that resembles this one) on his deck. He also thought it must be an elephant stag beetle but later determined it was a water beetle!

Any other ideas out there?!

(I always wanted to live near water, perhaps overlooking a lake or river... Now I've changed my mind!! I don't want insect "neighbors" as large as these!)

Mother's Day

Mother's Day sometimes brings cards...














And flowers...














(It's nice to be appreciated!)


















But it especially brings back memories...














A time to reflect and be thankful!

The World: A Different Point of View

I have never had any interest in space travel, but the views must be amazing! I was recently sent this link to a NASA film - " a series of time lapse sequences photographed by the Expedition 30 crew aboard the International Space Station." It gives a taste of what astronauts see when they orbit around the world, The first time I viewed it, I was struck by the amazing sights.Then I noticed the names of the places I was seeing in the bottom left hand corner...

How could one look at scenes like that through the window day after day and not begin to see the world in an entirely different way?!

Sketching Flowers Outdoors

My neighbor Mary (an avid gardener) thought I might enjoy the "nature journal" drawing class she was taking, so she invited me to come along. The instructor, Kerri Weller, is a former medical illustrator who now does botanical art. I was first introduced to some of her drawings at the botanical drawing exhibit Terry and I attended a few weeks ago.














The class met outdoors at the Fletcher Wildlife Garden, a garden run entirely by volunteers at the Central Experimental Farm.














After informing us that nature journals should include date, time, weather, location, as well as both the English and Latin names of the plant we were drawing, Kerri sent us out to find plants that looked interesting to draw. We were to study the plant for at least five minutes before beginning to draw it, noting its structure and height (with a ruler) and examining it closely with a magnifying glass.














One of the plants I studied and sketched was this tiny lake iris, an endangered species that grows around the Great Lakes.














Halfway through the morning, Kerry invited us into the building used by the volunteers for a coffee break.














We were able to see the native species they were propagating for their annual sale (which I don't want to miss on June 2). I would like to try growing another of the plants I sketched: pretty pink Prairie Smoke (also called Old Man's Whiskers)














After studying - then drawing three plants from various angles (45 to 60 minutes each!), I felt sure I would never forget any of them! But I'm glad I have the journal, just in case!

Looks more like a science class than an art class, Terry commented when I showed him my sketch book.

Actually, it's a little of both!

Beautiful Old Mansions in Downtown Montreal

On a recent trip to Montreal, Terry and I strolled down Rene Levesque Boulevard - known as Dorchester Street when we lived there. It was then, as now, a busy street that feeds onto the Ville Marie expressway.














An older street, it is undergoing transition. Which is perhaps why I noticed a few old mansions that remain from older days.














The Van Horne-Shaughnessy House (which now houses the Canadian Centre for Architecture) is an impressive structure with interesting third floor windows.















It was vacant and run-down when we lived a few streets away. I'm glad it has been restored.














It has been designated a historic site.














I don't know if the two old buildings across the street are also protected from demolition.














The land around them has been cleared. I wonder if the plan is to make way for new high-rise development.














As I admired these beautiful old mansions in the heart of downtown Montreal, I tried to imagine how this boulevard might have looked a hundred or more years ago with other elegant homes on this ridge now overlooking the expressway. Was the St. Lawrence River once visible through their upper floor windows?














Were there a lot of homes like these? (Or were there simply fields and gardens in between?)

This Wikipedia article casts a little light on the subject. They were apparently part of what was once called the "Golden Mile."

Another old house - several blocks away, but also in the "Golden Mile" - was the subject of a Montreal artist's blog recently... I'm glad others are appreciating the beauty of these lovely old buildings, too. They are a historic treasure in the midst of a modern city. Too bad we often drive by them so quickly we don't even see them!

Early May Flowers

Spring arrived early - in March - in our part of Ontario... Then our weather turned cool again. More flowers than normal bloomed in early April... but growth slowed down when normal temperatures returned.














Some of the April flowers are still in bloom - like these hellebores...














One of my neighbors commented that these looked like hellebores too - but they're Canadian anemones. They just started blooming this week, and it looks like I'll have quite a few.


















The red tulips are still in bloom. I sprinkled them with red pepper to keep the squirrels away, and I only lost one! (I wonder what happened to the yellow and variegated ones I photographed last year...)














The white ones haven't really opened up yet.














My white "mystery" plant - the one I couldn't identify in early April turned out to be this white hyacinthe...














The ivy ground cover in the back yard is still in flower...














The tiny cheerful blue forget-me-nots have also just started to bloom...














The tulip tarda is also still blooming...

The biggest change in my early May garden is that the flowering fountain cherry no longer buzzes with bees. Its flowers are disappearing. But nearby the bleeding heart is in bloom...


















 It doesn't look as full and strong as it did last year! (Or in 2010, for that matter!) I wonder if the soil is becoming too acid from spreading pine branches overhead.)














This hardy lamium plant is blooming too... though blades of grass are growing in its midst! (Early spring brings weeding, too!)














Driving past a city park, I noticed these lovely white daffodils... and yellow dandelions. I don't have white daffodils...














I have a few yellow ones...

But it's dandelion season in our neighborhood, too!

Decision Fatigue

I recently came across the expression "decision fatigue" in Reader's Digest - and the term immediately caught my eye! Yes! I know the phenomenon well!

Apparently judges are prone to it - an Israeli study found that judges grant more parole requests earlier in the day than after making a few rulings...

I'm not a judge, but I can identify! My day isn't filled with important decisions - but whenever I set out to tidy the house and have to decide what to get rid of...

... like this pile of magazines, it hits me all the time!

I can handle big decisions - like where to go on my next vacation... It's these little decisions that tire me out every time!

Searching online for the Reader's Digest article that introduced this concept to me, I came across another article on "decision fatigue." It, in turn, links to a New York Times article...

(There you have it - decision fatigue - a common malady experienced by housewives, judges... and probably referees and umpires as well!)