Fauna – Slow Lane Musings

A taste of Costa Rica

As we mused about our travels over recent years, we realized that we have been inclined to gravitate towards North America for nature-focused trips and Europe for culture and history. We have tended to return to a handful of favourite countries to explore them in more depth.

This year, we resolved to visit at least a few new places that are out of our comfort zone while we are still capable of travelling. We weighed concerns about long flights, an unknown language, the hassles associated with making local arrangements, and safety, against the opportunity to discover a new country. The wide variety of organized tours available to any destination in the world was a convincing argument for taking a new approach.

Over the years, we had heard many accounts of the natural beauty of Costa Rica, so we decided to go there. We opted to join a group tour and prepared, as usual, with a good guide book and videos.

Gardening for wildlife

On our summer strolls around the neighbourhood, we see many beautifully manicured front yard gardens. Some even look as if they come straight out of a magazine.

At times, we come across other gardens that are not so picture-perfect. We have come to appreciate that they are like that on purpose and are the work of mindful gardeners. Incorporating native flowers, shrubs and trees, those gardens are friendly to pollinators and provide food and shelter for wildlife.

In the past, we had paid little attention to this type of gardening, however, we now have the time and interest to learn more. Ottawa is home to the remarkable Fletcher Wildlife Garden (FWG). This public treasure is open year-round and free of charge. We love to visit it and immerse ourselves in the beauty and the fundamentals of ecological gardening

Appy trails

Like for most people, our smartphones have become central in our daily lives. While we rarely make a phone call, we use them for a whole range of purposes from banking to listening to audiobooks. We also bring them with us when we go hiking, mostly to take pictures.

In the last few years, we have discovered six interesting free apps that enhance our knowledge of what’s around us and the enjoyment we derive from being out in the woods. We had fun using them recently on our favourite trail in Charleston Lake Provincial Park (PP), and that inspired us to write this post. These apps are worth checking out, in our view.

Winter visitors

We have fewer garden visitors in the winter but those who remain through the cold weather are hardy and admirable. We and the cats like to sit by the large window overlooking the garden and watch them go about their business. It’s very relaxing to observe their antics.