Connecting Lake Simcoe's Community

By David Hawke -- "Beware the dagger moths! Beware the tussock moths!" is the cry that is going across the land this fall, and for good reason.

By David Hawke -- When a recent caller requested a column about mast production, I assumed she had me mixed up with someone else. What did I know about building sailing ships? But as the conversation went on, it became obvious that she was indeed on the right tack, as “mast” is a word to describe the fruiting bodies of trees -- acorns, beechnuts and such.

By David Hawke -- Just when you think you know everything, along comes something new.

By David Hawke -- Once upon a time in my personal timeline, Sept. 25 held a special meaning: it was the carved-in-stone official first day of the fall hunting season. Ducks, geese, grouse, rabbits... you name it and I and my buddies were probably licensed and loaded for it. But that was then and this is now.

By David Hawke -- As summer winds down and autumn slowly makes its presence known, a walk out of doors can be a rewarding time. Gone is the oppressive humidity, gone are the biting insects, and instead of green, green, green surrounding you, there are now splashes of colour highlighting the scenery.

By David Hawke -- As another school year dawns upon us it would be nice to know that somewhere out there a student or two is studying hard to become a malacologist

By David Hawke -- Did you catch my “mistake” in last week's article? Today that mistake is corrected and further information embellished for your reading pleasure.

          By David Hawke -- There are wasps... and then there are other wasps.

By David Hawke -- The vegetable garden had looked great the evening before... not so much the next morning as almost the entire row of green beans had been mowed down.

By David Hawke -- As outdoorsy people, we are all no doubt aware of how important our five senses are to us: sight and sound especially for birdwatchers, while touch and taste are essential to herbalists and those with a wild food culinary bent. Yet we sometimes take the sense of smell for granted.

By David Hawke -- Ticks. OMG! Can there be anything ickier to have to deal with in the out of doors?  In my 60-plus years of wandering around most every nook and cranny of the wilds of north Simcoe County I have never laid eyes on a tick... until this year. Now they seem to be everywhere! Yuck!

By David Hawke -- Depending on who you are, where you are and what the situation is, encountering a black bear can elicit any range of personal responses.

By David Hawke – They are big, green, elegant, and look like they belong in a tropical jungle.

By David Hawke -- So, what's bugging you?

By David Hawke -- As we sat by the lakeshore, basking in the setting sun, we marveled at the air show being performed in front of us. The loop-the-loops were incredible, the mid-air formations almost heart-stopping, and the assertive manoeuvres to claim air space certainly demanded respect. A bonus to this event was that there were no screaming jet engines, no withering exhaust fumes or tell-tale contrails, just a ballet of motion.

             By David Hawke -- Although birdwatching is certainly a year-round activity for naturalists,

By David Hawke -- In the world of wildflowers, orchids are the 'superstars'.

By David Hawke -- Each spring we (well, okay, my wife Julie) tries to "improve" the looks of the landscape around our home, the most obvious endeavor usually being the flower gardens.

Here's a new one for you... "When is a woodpecker not a woodpecker? When it's a flicker!"

By David Hawke -- Observing a springtime blossom is such a simple joy.