Month: June 2019

Happy Canada Day

https://www.canada.ca The maple tree is symbolic of Canada with the leaf proudly displayed on the Canadian flag.  Other symbols of Canada include the beaver, moose (I love moose, they are such quirky animals) and Canada goose.  We have a lot of maples in the valley; so many different varieties - Red, Norway, Armstrong, Freeman’s, Snake … Continue reading Happy Canada Day

FYI – The marmots ate the peaches 😲

You can spot marmots in the Okanagan valley.  They live in burrows and feed on green plants. They are cute looking things but they can cause damage to vegetable gardens.  We visited a peach orchard a few weeks ago and saw extensive damage to the fruit.  My co-workers and I debated who could have caused … Continue reading FYI – The marmots ate the peaches 😲

“Beetle Fest”

We have seen some gorgeous beetles feeding on pollen the past few weeks - adult checkered beetles, dimorphic flower beetles, click beetles and lady bug beetle larvae. Dimorphic flower beetles are cool - males and females have different colours. Click beetles make a clicking sound when you grab or flip them upside down. Don't go … Continue reading “Beetle Fest”

The Beauties

Butterflies – imagine beautiful sunny days, meadows, flowers, colours; snap - don’t fall asleep :). There are lots of butterflies flying around the valley; such gorgeous array of colours - purple, orange, yellow, white, you name it.  They are difficult to take pictures of though. We saw some colourful ones flittering around during our hike … Continue reading The Beauties

Bees bees bees and “flying pandas”

The bees are busily working away and we have seen quite a lot.  It is always nice to see them since they are invaluable. Without them we will have quite the restricted diet and will not able to enjoy some of the delicious fruits, berries and vegetables that abound in the valley. Don’t forget honey. … Continue reading Bees bees bees and “flying pandas”

Who has been eating the roses?

Roses are blooming all over the valley and what a display of colours. They smell nice too, particularly the wild roses. I saw a lot of damage to some roses on my walk this afternoon and upon closer inspection found a bunch of rose curculios having a feast and some mating pairs. They had done … Continue reading Who has been eating the roses?