What’s going on out on the land?
Considering Chokecherries
In an older blog post I mentioned that I had been watching a specific Chokecherry or the Anishnaabemowin name asasawemin, where I was looking at Eastern Tent Caterpillar egg masses and how the caterpillars had emerged. I ended up taking a closer look at the Chokecherry in the days following as my interest had been piqued.
Chokecherry is a role model. How can we be in good relationship with so many different life forms, transform degraded and barren anthropogenic landscapes in preparation for new life? Yes, there is a note of caution to be had, an awareness of potential hazards, but the overall theme of this shrub appears to be regeneration, repair and creating spaces for life to flourish again.
Fruit and Seeds pt. 5
Finally, part 5. This entry has been quite delayed, just under a year in fact. I took new photos for the Black Currant (Ribes nigrum) and got some photos and filled out the entry for the Serviceberry (Amelanchier spp.). The common scale still remains a canadian quarter, which is 23.88 mm.
What a fun project, all inspired by an encounter with an Eastern Chipmunk (Tamias striatus) with some then unknown seeds I noticed in their scat.
An old s****y mystery
A few years ago I was walking with a friend of mine along the trail towards the forest where I work. Along the way I happened to spot some scat in the middle of the trail. It was tapered and long, fairly fat, and had some seeds in it. The scat appeared to have come from a Coyote but I was at a loss as for what kind of plant the seeds had come from. I looked up a couple of books I have which have a few photographs of seeds but never found an image of a seed which looked right. The mystery haunted me.
Fruit and Seeds pt. 4
Part 4 in my series exploring fruit, seeds, and leaves. I got two new measuring tapes thanks to my friends (Matt and Steffanie). Thank you very much!
I am also running into problems around identifying some plants down to species, especially those that hybridize easily like the Hawthorns and Grapes. I hope to get better as I go. For now, this is still a blast.
Fruit and Seeds pt. 3
Welcome to part 3 in the series exploring fruit, seeds, and leaves. I have been better at scale for these, and refining my process of photographing on the measuring tape (though my tape just broke). The common scale still remains a canadian quarter, which is 23.88 mm in diameter. Making these guides has already been useful as I have been identifying particular seeds in scats already. It’s a joy to see the work come to fruition.
Fruit and Seeds pt. 2
This is part 2 in a series exploring fruit and seeds, an leaves as well I guess, of different summer fruits which might be found in some scat of common birds and mammals in my area. This is part two of a series.
Fruit and Seeds pt. 1
I wanted to compile a small collection of images and notes about seeds of the summer which might be found in some scat of common birds and mammals in my area. This is part one of a series.