Tag: #naturephotography

The Phelpston Tract….

Long logs of red pine grace the forest floor

Having lived alongside the Simcoe County Forest for the past 40-plus years, we have had the privilege of watching the forest transform from a purely red pine forest to one with a mixture of tall, straight pine trees and a healthy young deciduous undergrowth.

A beautiful bouquet, gifted to us from a tall straight pine tree.

Years ago, our children and their cousins ran freely through this forest. Their pathes uninterrupted by saplings and undergrowth. Their steps treading lightly upon the thick blanket of pine needles that covered the forest floor.

The forest transforms…..

The pine trees have been in the minority for, at least, the last decade. This week, their numbers have decreased again.

What is the answer? If a tree falls in the forest, does it make a sound?  Yes, it does. But not as loud as one might think.

This spring, as the sun shines through the newly formed openings, a new canvas will be created.

Saplings, once struggling to reach the sky, will now bathe in warmth and sunshine.

Leaves unfurling, trunks stretching, and canopies exploding, sheltering the mosses, grasses, fungi, and flowers that now cover the forest floor.

A new canvas is about to be painted.

Different shades of green….

Wasaga Beach Sand Dunes

Where the bay, the beach, and the river meet the sky.

I went on a wonderful walk with a great friend today, along the boardwalk at Wasaga Beach, to where the Nottawasaga River enters Georgian Bay.

Native plants in nature’s sands.

Native plants help maintain a delicate balance as our feet leave footprints on the sandblown boardwalk.

Reestablishing what once was.

Coastal sanddunes, one of Canada’s most fragile ecosystems, are being restored along the shores of Georgian Bay.

A large piece of driftwood doing what comes natural.

Stretching 14k, Wasaga Beach is the world’s longest fresh water beach.

Home to the endangered Piping Plovers

Marram grasses swayed with the breeze as a light drizzle began to dampen the air.

Shells from the bay, crunch…..

Life is everywhere.

Resting spots, room for everyone and everything.

Wasaga Beach, along the shores of Georgian Bay, is just a short drive away from the place I call home.

This beautiful country of ours has so much to offer, so much to explore, and beautiful people to discover it with!

Celebrating Earth Day

Three tall white pines…..
Three small children 
Bring home
Three small pines.

The trees were planted in a line.
Side by side, the children grew.
Side by side, grew the trees.

That first earth day,
It has created a beautiful background. 
For so many
a wonderful thing.

Family gatherings,
Children playing,
Music in the yard.
A beautiful couple
saying, 'I do'.
The stumps of a tree…..
From a seed,
into a sapling.
From a sapling,
into a tree.
From a tree,
into a stump.
From a stump,
into earth.
To  provide nourishment, 
for the next tiny seed.

Summer in the Springtime

We climbed up a hill, and, discovered a tranquil little lake.
Where rapids become waterfalls.
We stopped the car to allow this beautiful creature to safely cross the road, then secure herself a safe hiding spot amongst the evergreens.
I want to paint this picture!
Fences,
that no longer prevent people from entering.
Forest shenanigans!
Reflections
A beautiful bouquet, delivered by mother nature herself .
The old and the new……and the forest life continue.

We spent a wonderful, mid April day, discovering beautiful Cooper’s Falls.

Taking advantage of an unseasonably warm day. No mosquitoes, and no blackflies.

Ontario, yours to discover!

No Snow….

There is no snow,

in my part of Ontario

Only the distant hills are white.
There is no snow,
on the beach.
Just a dike,
of crusty 
white ice.
Sand on the street.
Sand on the street. 
Brown streets.
Not white.
Sand, ice,
water.
Beauty,
in the browns,
the blues, 
the greys.
And every shade
in between.

Water….

water ebbs
water flows
over fingers
over toes
it washes your face
it cleanses your soul
leaving a trace
making you whole
it swims through your mind
it tickles your feet
it makes you smile
at those you meet
I love it
as water
I love it
as ice
water
it waters the world
making 
everything right