Recently,
I’ve started walking around my neighbourhood in the evenings. This not only provides me with an opportunity
to get some much needed exercise and a chance to reflect on my day, but it has
also allowed me to explore my neighbourhood parks and trails. This is something
I’ve never taken the time to do until now, despite having lived in this
neighbourhood for nearly six years!
While
walking this spring, I began to notice the variety of birds and other creatures that were in the parks with me. Early in the spring I could hear woodpeckers
banging away in the tree tops (even through my headphones and my favourite
playlist). I often saw the red flashes of cardinals in the bare branches. I
began to pay closer attention to my surrounds and as it turns out, the parks
are alive and well with the sights and sounds of nature.
My
curiosity peaked, I set out, armed with my trusty running shoes and iphone
camera, to capture some of the creatures I could find. Here are a few of my
favourite shots from recent weeks.
One of the easiest to capture, and
the most noticeable when walking around the park is the sheer number of purple
flowers. Now, there are a variety of different colours of wild flowers that
grow- the Queen Ann’s lace and the orange Tiger Lilies are in full bloom in all
of the ditches that boarder the paths- but for some reason, purple flowers seem
to be everywhere. There are tiny little ones struggling to grow through the
cracks in the pathway pavement and in between the sidewalks. These tall purple
ones grow right up against people’s back yard fences making me think that they
may be garden transplants helped by the wind or a well-meaning squirrel. They
sure do make for a colour filled walk.
I almost missed this guy and nearly
stepped on him! Thankfully I didn’t squish its shell and was able to snap a
quick picture of him instead. Snails are fascinating to me when you stop to
have a good look at them. Their slow and steady pace is a good reminder to take
the challenges of each day one step at a time.
So there is a little creek that runs
through the walking trails near my house and there are bridges that criss-cross
over top of it. One sunny afternoon I happened to catch this awesome duck
hanging out on the edge of the creek. I almost feel like he’s out of place in
the middle of the city, but he looks quite peaceful sitting by the water.
This might be my favourite shot I’ve
taken on a walk so far. This happened just the other night and temperatures
were pushing 30 degrees centigrade even in the late evening. My little friend
here had found temporary refuge from the heat on a shady patch of grass when I
came around the corner. The bunny was in no hurry to move either as I pulled
out my phone. It wasn’t until a playful puppy approaching from the other side
that this floppy earned friend hopped away and darted under a nearby fence.
I’ve been
surprised at the variety of what I’ve found in my own back yard. It makes me
think that this would be a great activity to do with my students come the fall.
We could go on a community walk and explore our own neighbourhood, locating
interesting plants, flowers or animals and capture them through film and
journaled words. It could open up great discussions on community elements, environmental issues, wildlife protection and habitats as well as make great
writing prompts through photographs taken. The classroom application
possibilities are endless!
It’s
exciting to think about all the unknown nature out there waiting for us to
explore. I can’t wait to see what I’ll discover on my next backyard adventure…
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