Yard work: wood bugs
The tutor brings up a species (two, actually) that are common here. In BC, “wood bug” refers to either of two animals: the sow bug or else the pill bug. They are very similar, so here, they share the handle …
Category: yard work
Botany: can creeping buttercup flowers be orange?
The tutor discusses a find yesterday that has him guessing. Yesterday, clearing foliage from between some paving stones, I noticed an orange flower. In fact, it was going to seed: the petals had collapsed, but still clung to the pistil. …
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Bird watching: when a hummingbird lands on a fence
The tutor shares an observation from yesterday. Yesterday’s high was 24, but the humidex reached 28. Around here, that’s hot. Working on the roof of a shed, I noticed, from the corner of my eye, about twenty feet away, something …
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Lifestyle: when apples fall from the tree….
The tutor reflects on a question perhaps more philosophical than practical. I’ve been out in the yard a lot lately, doing chores of various kinds. Yesterday I noticed that a number of apples have fallen from the tree in the …
Lifestyle: plant identification from field guide: sheep sorrel
The tutor checks the front yard for a plant identification. I first noticed sheep sorrel about a year ago on a page of the field guide. While I didn’t recognize it, the guide reported that it definitely grows here and …
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Lifestyle: work done raking, part II
The tutor compares the work done raking yesterday to climbing stairs. In yesterday’s post I estimated that I had done 13,500J of work raking in the yard. Let’s compare that to a distance climbing stairs. On Earth, the force due …
Lifestyle: some physics about yard work
The tutor reflects on the amount of work done raking. From a physics point of view, Work=ForcexDistance or just W=Fd Today, out raking, I had to break up the weedy ground of the bark mulch. I’d estimate, on average, the …
Lifestyle: plant identification from field guide: common groundsel
‘Tis the season for yard work: let the identification of spontaneous plants continue. I don’t call plants that arrive in the yard, weeds. I call them “spontaneous plants,” since they grow here of their own decision. (Spontaneous plants is not …
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Out in the backyard: the tutor reflects
The tutor comments on another Sunday afternoon out in the backyard. We’ve been in a cold snap lately, with temperatures dropping -5°C to -8°C since perhaps last Monday. This afternoon I thought I’d get outside, breathe some fresh air, work …