Tag: Nature
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Ontario Storm Chasers Warn Public Through Photography
Did you know on average 12 tornadoes strike Ontario each year? That’s why David Chapman (@northof44pics) and I (@wxspencersills) commit our springs and summers to capturing severe thunderstorms on video and through photography. My name is Spencer Sills and I am a chaser located in South Western Ontario. I have been chasing storms for about…
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Canada’s Golden Eagle And The Acela-1 Express Train
The Golden Eagle is one of the best known and largest birds of prey in North America. The adult birds are dark brown in colour with golden-brown feathers on the back of their head, neck and upper wings. Golden Eagles use their strength, agility and powerful talons to snatch up prey including mice, rabbits,…
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What Is The Mystery Phenomenon Of Shoe Tossing?
Shoe tossing and shoe posting are seen in most Canadian cities and rural motorways. Its history and its symbolism are remarkably complex. Shoe tossing is when shoelaces are tied and tossed over telephone or power lines so that the shoes hang loosely above the ground. Yet shoe tossing does not accurately describe shoes that are…
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Fashion In The Fall: A Guide To Dressing In The Upcoming Cooler Months
Fall fashion for Ontarians can be surprisingly vibrant and practical with these choices.
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High Altitude Fun This Spring and Summer In Colorado Mountain Towns
Colorado’s mountain towns are known worldwide as an incredible wintertime paradise for skiers and snowboarders, but in summer, the same high-altitude ski towns become gorgeous playgrounds for outdoor adventure and family fun. When the powder melts, popular slopes turn into verdant hiking and mountain biking trails and nearby rivers and lakes rise to new levels,…
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Acupuncturist Explains Eastern Medicine Methods and Chi
As westerners we’re used to running to the doctor for a prescription when we’re sick, but the down side to this is that many pharmaceuticals come with serious side effects. That’s just one reason why Asians believe in helping the body heal from more natural methods. Sheri Laine studied under one of the great…
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Defining Folk Art
What is folk art? Any precise definition of art is by nature a slippery process and open to question. “Folk art” is a term applied to diverse objects, like a highly organized Mennonite fracture drawing which expresses a collective, ethically based decorative tradition. Yet it is also applied to the more individualistic outpourings of any…
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Illustrator Demonstrates Ireland’s Linguistic Decline
There is a mass decline in linguistic diversity happening all over the planet and in places geographically far apart and I think that if things don’t change, the loss of language diversity will be immense. In the book, Irish in the global context, Suzanne Romaine mentions that linguists believe, that 50 to 90 % of…
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Largest Moth In North America
The Cecropia Moth is North America’s largest native moth and is a member of the giant silk moth family. It can be found in all Canadian provinces except BC and Newfoundland. The wings are reddish brown, and crossed in the middle with a white band. In the middle of each wing there is a crescent-shaped…
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Make A Prairie Say No To Land Without Life
So make a prairie… It’s hard to believe it’s been almost a decade since I did some work recording for Statistics Canada. The job required door-to-door visits to all the homes in a designated area, interesting because I had a chance to see what people do in their yards. One residence in particular left a…
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The Canada Goose
CANADA GOOSE aka Branta canadensis The Giant Canada Goose is one of the most common and widespread species of goose in North America. It is most easily identified by its brownish-grey body, long black neck with a black head, and white patches on the face. Canada Geese live around ponds, rivers and lake shores, and…
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Groundhog Day
Maybe Groundhog Day can become a National or Provincial Stat Holiday because February 2nd isn’t officially known as Groundhog Day. Technically it isn’t a National Holiday. It isn’t a Provincial Holiday. [Is Quebec the only province with a Provincial Holiday? CP] But maybe it should be. Groundhog Day isn’t an exclusive celebration that targets a specific demographic such as Family Day.…
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Prehistoric Trails Across Southern Ontario Farm Lands
For over 25 years archaeological efforts have been ongoing to delineate where potential prehistoric trails exist across the landscape of southern Ontario. Trails were created and used by the earliest inhabitants of the region after glaciers disappeared some 15,000 years ago. One of the roles for a trail system was to help keep people alive.…
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When Planting Native Ontario Trees Use This Tree Atlas
There are many reasons to plant a tree – to shade your home, help the environment, or just for the pleasure and beauty it brings. There are many questions when it comes to choosing the right tree. What kind of tree will thrive in my community, and on my property? How fast will it grow?…
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Get Dirty And Grow Organic
We’re too fat. That’s what the media tell us. We’re too lazy. They say that too. And North Americans in general are pretty unhealthy. I’m saying that. Yet at the same time there are daily press releases about eating healthier, supporting local agriculture, the 100-mile diet, and buying organic produce. Of course, that requires some…
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Chasing Ontario’s Tornados
Part One “I have seen many storms in my life. Most storms have caught me by surprise, so I had to learn very quickly to look further and understand that I am not capable of controlling the weather, to exercise the art of patience and to respect the fury of nature” My name is Spencer…
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Places To Pick Provincial White Trillium In Ontario
The white trillium is a spring wildflower with 3 distinct leaves and petals. It has been the provincial flower of Ontario since 1937 and is also the logo of the Ontario Government. It’s white flower is seen as a symbol of peace and hope. While it is a popular belief that it’s illegal to pick…
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Acupuncture Found Everywhere In Nature
Acupuncture, a word that literally means, “puncture with needle”, has been practiced around the world for over 2500 years. The historical origins of acupuncture are rooted in Traditional Chinese Medicine, and one of key fundamental is the intrinsic balance of energy or “qi” within the body. The best way to visualize this balance is by…
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The Big Year Is A Fun Comedy For Bird Enthusiasts
I first took notice of this film because of where I live- which is not that far away from Long Point, Ontario, a mecca for birdwatchers. I find that it’s a more immersive experience to watch a movie that is connected thematically in some way to the sorts of activities that the area I live…
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New Way Of Experiencing New York Adirondack Mountains
Wild Walk, or the “High Line of the Forest” is changing the way people experience and interact with nature, and is just another reason to travel to the revered Adirondack Mountains this summer. An elevated path that takes visitors up a winding trail of bridges and platforms from ground level to breathtaking treetops, Wild Walk…
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The Fuss About Archaeology Conducted On Ontario Farmlands
Farmland development throughout wind-powered Ontario has resulted in the hiring of many consulting archaeologists by developers of solar panels and wind turbine farms and the public continues to wonder why so much attention is given to archaeological sites several thousand years old that hold little or no cultural value to the people who live there…
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Roadside Memorials Of Loss Are On The Rise
Indeed, the prevalence of roadside memorials has increased significantly over the past several decades and there is little doubt that each of us has encountered them at some point. Roadside memorials are essentially visual manifestations of profound suffering and loss. They mark the site where a motor vehicle accident has occurred and the death that…
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Ask Ontario To Grow Greenbelt To Protect Vital Water Supplies
Dear Silo, I share with you and your readers both good news and not so good news. The Province has launched a consultation process on expanding the Greenbelt to protect critical water resources. Several hydrologically significant areas are included in the proposal, but vulnerable areas are missing. We need to get this right. Ask the…
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Winners Of Earth Day Canada Hometown Heroes Awards
Earth Day Canada is thrilled to announce the five winners of our Hometown Heroes Award Program 2017. This program recognizes and celebrates environmental leaders at the community level with a Youth, Individual, Teacher, Group and Small Business award. Earth Day Canada’s (EDC) Hometown Heroes Award Program has become one of Canada’s most prestigious environmental awards.…
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Words A Spoken Word Poem
“Words”. Thoughtful contemporary poetry from Allen Minor. Allen Minor is From Utica, New York and lives in Daytona Beach, Florida @allen_minor (Twitter) allen minor (YouTube) allen-minor (Tumblr) allen_minor (Instagram) Website http://Amazon.com/author/asminor
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Alcohol Inks in place of Oil Paint has become my new Addiction
While searching for ways to expand “the oil painting experience” I came across tiny bottles of Alcohol Inks in all the basic colours, with an extender (strictly rubbing alcohol at 99%) as well as some clean-up solution. Painting with oils has always been my favorite medium but on occasion I find it kind of rigid-…
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Help End Peru’s Savage Dolphin Hunt By Adding Your Signature
Dear Silo, Up to 15,000 dolphins are being killed every year in Peru’s waters — for bait to catch endangered sharks. A new report has forced the government to respond but they’re not taking enough action yet and meanwhile the dolphins and the sharks are being killed. We can stop the massacre by threatening Peru’s international reputation as…
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Bird Eats Fruit To Get Drunk
Cedar Waxwings are sleek, masked birds found year round in our area with unusual red, waxy deposits at the tips of their secondary feathers. They are cinnamon-colored, with grayish wings and tails and yellow terminal tail-bands. They have distinctive crested heads, black throats, and black masks lined with white. The Cedar Waxwing is one of…