A Maple Leaf Mystery
By Kent Goodwin Douglas maple (also known as rocky mountain maple or mi₵kik in Ktunaxa) is a tall deciduous shrub or small tree found in many parts of the the Nature Park. For years, I have been noticing that many of the bright green leaves of the plant would acquire patches of red in the late spring and early summer. I never looked too closely and assumed that the reddish patches were some kind of rust fungus. This year, I decided to have a closer look and things became very
The Sunflower Hill Chronicles, Part 6: Observations and Factoids
May 14, 2022 By Birgitta Jansen When I go out for a walk and my husband Neal asks me where I am going, the now-usual reply is, “Sunflower Hill.” I walk “The Hill” about two or three times a week to see what there is to see. In these days of spring, it is remarkable how fast everything changes. We had a few days of overcast and gentle rain on May 5, 6 and 7. That reminded me of how the Navajo, Native American people who live in the desert, describe rain. The gentle winter and
