Happy Earth Day !! The forest is to be treasured, loved and preserved for our children and our children's children. Nature is so much wiser than we are. As I walk through the woods this past few warm days I couldn't help but notice that the first wild flowers born in the spring are diminutive , beautifully fresh in color, graceful in posture and delicate in shape. They are like new born babies crying to us for nourishment and protection. One has to look closely to find them because they are often shy, hiding under or beneath dry leaves, grass, bushes an trees. If you search for them you will find them and learn to recognize them, call them by name and build a protective relationship with them. If you do this they will continue to grow and reproduce and reward you and your family for many years to come.
I took a walk in the woods within our town last evening after work and I want to share some pictures of some of my little friends that I greeted back after along winter in Ontario. Say hello to Bloodroot , Trout lily, Wood Anemone, Purple Trillium ( she hasn't opened her eyes yet) and Blue Bead Lily. They are very happy to meet you.





In Ontario we have great news that our premier announced a ban of pesticides on lawn and gardens. They will still be allowed in agriculture and on golf courses but this is still a large step in the right direction .
I wanted to end this post with a short list of some of my family's favorite green books : Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder (Paperback)
by Richard Louv; Change the World for Ten Bucks, New society publishers; Ecoholic, Adria Vasil; Tom Brown's Field Guide to Nature and Survival for Children, Tom Brown Jr; The Life of An Oak, Ketor; The Curious Naturalist, John Mitchell;Meetings with Remarkable Trees (Paperback)
by Thomas Pakenham and all of the Audubon Society Field Guides and Peterson Field Guides. Happy Earth Day!!!