nature
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Nature’s Economic Paradox
Several times this summer I have come across comments or opinions relating to fertilizers (specifically Nitrogen) on various social media platforms. Usually these comments are in the realm of needing to feed the world, the high cost of the fertilizer to the farmer, or how emissions from producing nitrogen are necessary and therefore shouldn’t be Continue reading
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Bumblebees Love Oregano
Was delighted to check on the herb garden and see an enormous amount of Bumblebees having a great time on Oregano flowers…and not just one species of Bumblebee but two. Nothing is more fascinating than watching bumblebees in late summer. They are easy to approach, and slowly walk all over each flower. Having a wide Continue reading
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The Human Scale and Our Recent Past
At Riding Mountain in Manitoba, there is a bridge and low-tech dam built by conscientious objectors in the early 1940s at Whirlpool Lake (more archival photos here). What is striking to me about these sorts of things is everything absent from modern life. This bridge was built by hand. There was no trip to the Continue reading
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What Ghost Pipes Can Teach Us About “Nutrients”
Recently I was lucky enough to see some Ghost Plants aka Ghost Pipe on a hike. These creatures are fascinating enough but when I got back to farming, I noticed some in my own back yard. One of the things I hear most when talking about farming is the topic of “nutrients.” The Ghost Pipe Continue reading
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“Too Much Nature”
Was able to get to Riding Mountain for a couple days of camping, choosing Whirlpool Lake as the destination. On the way out a local told me there was “too much nature” out there at that there Whirlpool Lake. I’m pretty sure he was joking, but it’s also kind of true. There were fish half-submerged Continue reading
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No-Mow for Monarch Butterflies
Last week was orchids, this week is Milkweed. We’ve been leaving a little stand of Milkweed on the edge of one of our fields and it is a hotspot. We aren’t going to mow this section and let the insects do insect things. The Milkweed emerging from bushy flowering clovers makes for quite a hub Continue reading
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Nature Comes Developed
We’ve spotted a Yellow Lady Slipper orchid Cypripedium parviflorum in a ditch near the farm. This beautiful flower lies a mere six inches (or 15 centimetres) from where the grass in the ditch is dutifully mowed by the neighbours. I have always found the term “development” as it relates to urban planning or suburban expansion Continue reading
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Staying Curious
When we are curious we begin to see things differently. One of the most important things about working with nature is simply staying curious about it. The last two weeks during rather extreme weather for our region I have been outside a lot, watching nature change from “just getting out of bed” to “sprinting at Continue reading
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The Coyote and the Farmer
Recently I have taken up the hobby of wildlife photography. I was out practicing and crawling around to try and get a photo of some ducks when I got treated to an incredibly lucky moment….with a coyote. He looked right at me. I looked right back. We stared at each other. The experience of tranquility Continue reading
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Major Shifts
Our farm received at least 10cm of snow over the last 24 hours, and in 5 days the temperature is projected to swing up to 16-18C. Winter will soon feel like it is finally over. Spring is always an exciting time! After a long period of snowy frozen days it is novel (at least in Continue reading
About Graham
Graham is an ecologist-farmer from Canada working on educating about the wonders and beauty of the natural world, and how we can design biodiverse food production systems.
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