I didn't want to get on the bike today. I normally ride first thing in the morning - after my coffee...I'm not insane. And normally my ride, which takes anywhere from 1 to 2 hours plus stretching and core work, seems to consume most of my morning. But this morning was one I didn't want... Continue Reading →
I won the lottery!
A little over a week ago I was watering at the school garden when I spotted a tiny little caterpillar munching away on an equally tiny milkweed seedling that had volunteered to be a part of my pollinator paradise. Even though the caterpillar was perfectly suited to it's current selection of host plants, I was... Continue Reading →
My Fitness Journey
Ok, ok, so this is a blog normally about bees, flowers and other insects that catch my fancy. But hey - my blog, my rules. I thought it would be fun to add in a little section about my new hobby which has Taken.Over.My.Life. Call it whatever you want - biking, cycling, spinning, pelotoning -... Continue Reading →
The kindness of strangers
The first half of 2020 is behind us and summer is beginning to wind down. I am saddened that I have not written nearly as much as I had planned, but this year has been - well it's been 2020. I do want to jot down some updates and share some of the great experiences... Continue Reading →
It’s Swarm Season
I was determined to have a very productive bee day yesterday. I was going to participate in a honey bee virtual zoom conference, polish off a lecture I'm giving next week on honey bee biology, get through a mountain of emails (that only ever seems to grow bigger!) and a bunch of other tasks on... Continue Reading →
Black Lives Matter
I sat down this morning to write my usual Friday post, Featured Flowers, with the plan to talk all about the native Canada Columbine. I had my notes jotted down on what I wanted to say and pictures taken of some beautiful blooms I captured at the school pollinator garden yesterday. But before I put... Continue Reading →
Feature Flower: Native Gardens
Warmer weather has finally arrived in Southwestern Ontario. My garden is bursting with life now and lots of plants are starting to show off their beautiful blooms. 2 years ago I put in gardens that ran along the front of my house, and I have been slowly filling them up and getting to a point... Continue Reading →
The Murder hornet…dun, dun, dun
Many of you have probably seen the headlines circulating in major newspapers and Facebook posts about the Murder Hornet making an appearance in the United States and Canada. Although I am glad to see attention being drawn to this serious threat to our honey bees and the beekeeping industry, I want to clarify a few... Continue Reading →
I’ve been robbed!
Or more specifically my bees have been. It is an unpleasant part of keeping bees - the fact that although fascinating and amazing creatures that can be a pure joy to watch toil away, there is indeed a dark and sinister undercurrent to the colony. Okay that might be a bit dramatic but let me... Continue Reading →
Raising Monarchs – Part 3: The chrysalis and the butterfly
We left off on our monarch adventure with a 5th instar caterpillar in a J-hang position ready to head into the next phase of his or her life cycle. You can read about how I started on this journey of raising monarchs in Part 1 of the series (https://doctorb.blog/2019/08/06/raising-monarchs-part-1/) and the first two life stages... Continue Reading →
Doctor B 