An article at The Atlantic talks about a study showing that grazing lands provide critical habitats for wild bees and other pollinators. The research was led by Berkeley environmental sciences professor Dr. Claire Kremen, among the world’s foremost pollinator authorities. The team evaluated the role of wild pollinators, concluding that they are essential to our [...]
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No need for a calendar on Gabriola, really – you’ll know it’s a long weekend when you see people camping in places where they’re not supposed to be. This is one of three trucks we spotted this morning, all nestled into the woods a bit where the drivers hope nobody’ll spot them.
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I’ve shown you photos of Gabriola’s swamp lanterns (skunk cabbages) before (here and there) so you’ve got an idea of their size. But wow, when these things grow in places where the moisture lingers on into summer, their leaves get huge. The flowers have faded by now, but the leaves… oh, they are striking. Quite [...]
What colour is your roof, Gabriola? And would it be different if you were selecting a roof today? Grist reports that painting a roof white could save a year’s worth of emissions. Who knew? In other news from Grist: New solar cells can be printed on paper or fabric Paper antennas pull electricity from the [...]
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Our owl seems to have wandered over to microfishing, where skadhu has a couple of fine owly photos. Skadhu always has fine photos. Meanwhile, Gabriola Bird Blog‘s Owl comes home to Gabriola post tells the story of an injured barred owl who was rescued on Gabriola, bundled off for rehabilitation, and returned to the island. [...]
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Hey, Gabriola gardeners and farmers. Do you grow corn? If so, you might be interested in this Science Daily article: Corn Yields With Perennial Cover Crop Are Equal to Traditional Farming. Soil quality, water quality, and possibly even farm profits will all benefit by using a perennial cover crop on corn fields that allows for [...]
How’s this for lovely? Elen took this photo. She posts comments on Gabriolan.ca from time to time, and sent in this for you to see:
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You thought the bottled water industry was bad enough? A May 2010 article from the Independent suggests it could be even worse. Covering nearly three-quarters of the Earth’s surface to a depth of up to seven miles, it is one of the most abundant natural substances and free to anyone who cares to scoop it [...]
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Here you see South Road, and part of the Gabriola RCMP property. But where is the animal?
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Some time ago I blogged about soap nuts, which is what we use instead of laundry soap. Back then no Gabriola stores were selling soapnuts, although there were sachets of soapnut powder for sale at Village Foods. The other day in Village Foods I noticed these packages. Soapnuts! Well, at last. I order these in [...]
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Ocean Spray is one of Gabriola’s native plants, and see? It’s quite stunning, especially if you take a close look at the blossoms.
If you’ve been out in the sun today, were you slathered with sunblock or soaking up rays? When I see you on the rocks at Drumbeg, will you smell like a suntan lotion factory? Well, here’s something to think about. From Lifehacker: Tanning Can Cause Cancer, but Not Tanning Could Cause a Lot Worse.
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Look what’s appeared in the tunnel on North Road. Have you seen him? As you’re driving from Folklife towards Silva Bay, this guy is on your left, just a bit before Elgie Road. Anyway. Did you put him there?
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Well folks, among the stories of odd vehicles that have been posted on this blog, this has to be one of the oddest. Launched in time for Britain’s National Ice Cream Week (and who knew they had one of those? and why don’t WE have one?!), Cadbury commissioned an amphibious ice cream truck which is [...]
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From the Daily News: Nature Trust voices displeasure. The Nature Trust of B.C. is crying foul over a proposed density bank on Gabriola Island that could affect where development is allowed. While there is no actual cap on how much land can developed on Gabriola, the Gulf Islands Trust keeps tight control on how land [...]
In the last few years, the Gabriola forest has often sounded like a war zone — the Gabriola Rod, Gun, and Conservation Club has been busier and louder than you can imagine. But now, as the sign on their gate indicates, there are at least two days of silence per week. Whew. Walking in the [...]
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The problem Gabriola gardeners have with deer eating up garden produce could be worse, I suppose. In Kenya elephants raid crops, and how do you argue with an elephant? Turns out that elephants are afraid of bees, so farmers are using beehive fences to protect crops. Do you suppose deer are afraid of bees, too?
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