Daily life in Colorado - Part 2

Images since the last post.

Scenery

Mount Crested Butte

Happy holidays & Update from Peterborough

Happy holidays to everyone!  I returned to Peterborough last Wednesday to stay at a friend's house to take care of her pets while she's away for Christmas break.  The wifi access is limited at her place, so I walked to school almost everyday (with the dog) to use internet.  I am still taking photos everyday, but uploading them won't happen immediately, hence there are a lot of photos in this (and upcoming) posts spanning several days.

A festive photo from Ottawa two Sundays ago.

Frog-eating Mallard at Brewer Park

I took care of some business at the bank this morning at Billings Bridge Shopping Centre, and then I went to Brewer Park nearby (across from Carleton University) because the weather was nice.

Ice forming on the Rideau River.

Prairie Day at Aldverille Black Oak Savannah

Prairie Day took place this morning at Alderville Black Oak Savannah, and I was asked to take photos of the event.  It was an entertaining event although the poor weather (overcast with some rainy periods) seemed to deter people from coming.

Volunteers in front of the building welcoming guests.

Limber honeysuckle (Lonicera dioica)

More than three years ago, I saw this plant on one of my off-days here in Ontario.  I did not figure out what it was until just a few days ago (I initially called it a Kissing Plant because it looked like a pair of lips).

It is Lonicera dioica, commonly known as limber honeysuckle.  The leaves are opposite and simple, but the bases of uppermost pair are fused to form a saucer-like disc.  Quite interesting.

Snow Day in Bethany Hills

After last night's snowstorm, today was absolutely gorgeous with blue sky and no clouds at all.  Perfect day to attend the Snow Day in Bethany Hills, an event hosted by Kawartha Heritage Conservancy and its sponsors.

Waiting for carpooling.

Upon arriving at South Pond Farms, we were greeted by friendly volunteers where we registered for the event, received a brief introduction, and borrowed ski and snowshoe equipments.  It has been a while since I skied and I did not go very far (although I fell a lot) with the cross-country.  In the end, I opted for the easier snowshoeing and began my hike through the land.  After yesterday's snow, the land was pristine and gorgeous.  Everyone I meet were extremely cheerful and appreciative for the event and the beauty of nature in general.  Unfortunately, not much wildlife was heard or seen today, except for some tracks and sparrows that I saw and the chickadees that I heard.

Here are some photos taken along the trail.

End of 2012

Yesterday my parents treated some family friends to an end-of-the-year lunch.  After a satisfying meal, we all headed to Queen Elizabeth Park for a stroll.  I saw my first Steller's Jay of the year but it was too well hidden for a photo.  The weather was nice during lunch but became quite chilly when we were out walking around.

Not much wildlife was observed.

No bees, but good to see some effort put into bee conservation (although the website on the board does not seem to be functional - www.masonbeevancouver.com).

This is probably my last post of 2012.  Last night I spent some time reviewing what I had done this past year - I took two very rewarding trips to Ottawa and St. Louis to learn more about pollinator taxonomy and pollination ecology; I resumed with my project with a second field season in the Yukon (although the results weren't as rewarding as I had hoped); heavy workload in school - TAing and working on my thesis; and the year ended on a sad note with a friend passing away less than three weeks ago.

Not sure what 2013 will bring for me (probably graduation, work, applying for jobs and potential PhD positions, etc), but I think I will be ready for it...

May 2013 bring good health and fortune to everyone.  Cheers.

Back to biking in Richmond again

I patched up another puncture in my bike tire today so that I can finally go out and get some exercise.

My first stop was Garden City Community Garden.

After-dinner stroll around home

While my mother was preparing dinner, she found two snails in the yam leaves.  She passed them on to me to take some photos before releasing them.

Visiting Missouri Botanical Garden (MBG)

In the morning, we had a quick introduction of all the participants - mostly graduate students from US (two from UK), two scientists from China, a apiary owner, etc, we went straight to learning about the zoological diversity of pollinators - ranging from springtails to giraffes!


 In the afternoon, we were given a quick tour of the Missouri Botanical Garden - the second largest botanical garden in the world (after Royal Botanic Gardens in UK).