vanislewild

As winter releases its chilly grasp on us, the birds are exploding with excitement and plants are starting to come alive again. With spring arriving at the pace of a slow saunter this year and everyone suffering cabin fever like no other, it is important to realize just how beneficial spending time in nature can

One of my favorite times of the year is when the seed catalogues fill the mailbox and planning begins! What was learned, what can be improved, and what new ideas do I want to explore this year?! Through evaluating the previous year, I am able to grow, set goals and improve strategies for this year.

Having been raised with the salty breeze of the Pacific in most memories I have, I’m sure that by now the Pacific air is so much a part of me that it is essential to my survival. One of my fondest memories as a child was discovering the diverse life forms in the tidal pools

November always finds me with a thermos of tea or hot chocolate heading into the woods with my dogs, layered up in flannel and fleece, mitts and a warm hat. The days almost guarantee that you will see your breath in the air, the last of the leaves have fallen from the first couple of

I remember lying in the dry grasses of summers end as a little girl watching intently the troops of ants running along the garden hose as though it were their highway. I would try to follow where they were heading, sometimes several in a row with white pill shaped eggs twice their size over their

The “Heat Dome” we experienced at the end of June took many by surprise, but scientists are saying more of these heat events could be in our future. After an extremely dry season, BC is burning up, and even with the cooler and damper climate of the island we are on edge at the sound

Comfrey (Symphytum spp.) is regarded by many as one of the worst and most invasive plants that you can have as it self-propagates so vigorously, but it is an amazingly useful and beneficial plant in many ways! Many species can spread through seed and others through tubers which regenerate from broken roots.Native to Europe and

Part 1: The Beginning Lush green ferns were garnishing the planet worldwide over a hundred years BEFORE dinosaurs walked the earth, and throughout history they have maintained their prehistoric ambience. An ancient type of vascular plant, ferns actually grew before any flowering plants even existed, over 360 million years ago, and have no seeds. For

Let’s have a little fun this month! While we are still under restrictions, the sun is shining and it’s always refreshing to try something new. I always attempt to tackle a complex subject in an entertaining way, but for May I am switching things up and testing your knowledge as gardening season is exploding with