Stories from the Hibernaculum
Hibernaculum plural form: hibernacula (Latin, "tent for winter quarters")
Essentially, a hibernaculum is a place where a critter seeks refuge from the winter. We have an even broader definition of the term explained here.
When we moved to our little acreage last August, we immediately felt the pressure to prepare for the winter. Our home was leaky and drafty and not up for a long, cold Alberta winter. So, we spent the fall getting our hibernacula ready. We did survive the winter, but we knew we had to do more. Come spring, we worked super hard making a huge garden, a food forest, and a double redundant water system. We had an abundant food harvest this year and lately we have been preserving like crazy to make sure our larder is full for the upcoming winter.
But in all our frantic activity over the last year, we neglected to document all the amazing changes happening daily in nature around us. We are not the only ones preparing for winter! So, as part of our journey to be more resilient and more connected to nature we’ll be sharing more about our journey and the stories of the wild things around us.
Today we went for a walk and here are a few things we found:
Yes! I am a professional! I went to take my first picture of the walk and on playback of the image my camera message read, “no card in camera”! Lucky Samantha let me share her camera so I could still make images. The images below are from both Sam and me. But I will likley never live down leaving the memory card from my canera.
Geese, ducks and swans fill the skies with sounds and sights of migration. This is the view from our front yard.
The colours right along our driveway edge are stunning.
On our walks, the local dogs often come out to see what we are up to.
The country roads of our subdivision hold an abundance of intimate nature vignettes.
Affie enjoying his nature hike.
One of favourite strolls is along the lake shore.
We live on a lake that is slowly drying up. The lake used to harbour boating and swimming activities but is now too shallow and alkaline for anything except flocks of migrating waterfowl.
The old lakeside pathway still shows remnants of higher water levels like this flotilla of canoes.
Abandoned canoes.
Overgrown pathway to the shore.
Nature reclaiming the shore.
One of the ‘locals’.
Blue and gold morning.
A magpie meets a tragic end.
Our street.
Our ‘cabin’ in the woods.
All big walks should end with a wee nap.
