In praise of potatoes
Potatoes may not be the most charismatic vegetables, but for some reason I love growing them. It’s partly because groundhogs show no interest,…
Read MoreAuthor: Van Waffle
Intensely unfocused: core spinning a gray treefrog
It was a big craft weekend. Dyeing fibre with mountain-ash leaves was not our only project. While Danny developed a new design for…
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Natural dye from mountain-ash leaves
American mountain-ash (Sorbus americana) leaves provide an excellent natural dye in coppery-gold colours. This plant does not often arise in discussions of natural…
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A gray treefrog visits our deck garden
Yesterday morning I lifted one of the bonsai pots on our deck and found this gray treefrog resting underneath. This frog is an…
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Maybe birds did not descend from dinosaurs
New research suggests evidence against the widespread hypothesis that birds descended directly from dinosaurs. The study, published in the Journal of Ornithology, used…
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Wines of Lake Erie North Shore
A number of small wineries have sprung up in the countryside where I grew up. Needless to say, as a wine-lover, I am…
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The buzz on neonicotinoid pesticides
Your garden might not be humming with bumblebees, but scientists this week are buzzing with a possible reason why. Neonicotinoid pesticides have in…
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The sweet spot, tomato’s first blush
In the past 24 hours, two things appeared in the garden: the first nasturtium flower grown from seed, and the first blush on…
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Garden tour: a peak behind the locked gate
Do you glimpse a beautiful backyard and wish you could wander through the gate? Most cities allow voyeuristic opportunities every summer. Garden tours…
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Lake Erie: a tie stronger than blood
On the weekend I paid a brief visit to the backyard where I grew up, this north shore beach of Lake Erie. A…
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