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It’s been a hot day here and the upcoming Canada Day weekend promises to be even hotter with high humidity. Temps of 30 – 33° with humidex of around 40° are expected. That’s just too hot for Jack to be out anywhere for long so I think short walks around the neighbourhood may be as far as we venture for a few days. Sometimes adventure loses out to common sense.
Found along the path, ©voyager, all rights reserved
It was a dull and drizzly day and the air was so humid that it felt like we were walking in a dishwasher.
At the Park
©voyager, all rights reserved
©voyager, all rights reserved
This is common self heal and it’s a small plant, not much taller than the grass and it usually grows in clumps. This poor fellow was all alone, and I probably would have missed it except Jack decided to poop beside it. Thanks buddy.
Tuberous Vetchling
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This beautiful flower is Tuberous Vetchling and I don’t see it very often. It’s mostly a meadow wildflower and the places Jack and I go are more wooded in nature. Today, though, as we were driving along I saw this bright shock of pink just on the edge of a field so we stopped to investigate. The plant is a cousin of Sweet Pea and the blooms are similar, but without the scent.
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Fungus grows so quickly it can be a bit astonishing. 3 days ago these weren’t here and today they’re not only here, they’re fully grown and aging. All it took was 2 days of rain and then, like magic, there they are. How does that happen and are faeries involved?
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Beatrice, click for full size. Beatrice was one of the very shy, not people social ones, so I’m not overburdened with photos of her. She was very beautiful, and she definitely took after her dad, Havelock. Click for full size.
© C. Ford, all rights reserved.
©voyager, all rights reserved
Jack and I both love to be by the water, so today we braved the mosquitoes and walked the trail that crosses the river. It was a lovely walk too, filled with birdsong and the sound of grasses rustling in the breeze. I did get one mosquito bite and it’s a big one, but it was only one and Jack came home tick free. Our timing was good too. About an hour after we got home it started to rain. Lucky us.
I remember when trees used to be the biggest things in the landscape.
Family farm and wind farm ©voyager, all rights reserved
How low does a woodpecker go? Apparently all the way to the forest floor if that’s where the bugs are.
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The proper name for this path is the Millennial Trail, but I generally refer to it as the Drunken Forest because of all the tipsy trees growing at odd angles. They’re not all leaning in the same direction and some of them lean over so far they seem to be defying gravity. They all seem healthy and happy, though. It’s a very curious sort of place.
Lean to my right
Lean to my left
Tipsy trees ©voyager, all rights reserved
No Hot dogs!
Just a reminder from Jack and I that it is never safe to leave a dog in a car in hot weather. Even if you are parked in the shade and the windows are cracked. Even if you leave them water. Even if it is just for a minute. It only takes a few minutes on a hot day for the inside of a car to reach 48 – 50° c (120° f.)
Dogs are unable to sweat and their panting can lead to dehydration. Because of this it’s especially hard for dogs to cool themselves, making them quickly prone to heatstroke which is a life-threatening emergency.
If you see a dog alone in a hot car call 911. If you think the animal cannot wait for emergency assistance and you intend to break into the car please advise emergency services about what you intend to do before doing it.
Be smart. Leave Rover at home and pass the word. No Hot Dogs!