Yearn to Wander

Garden of Flowers, Herbs, Vegetable, Fruits

Gabriola Island is a Northern Gulf Island in the Strait of Georgia between Vancouver and Nanaimo in British Columbia. It's about 9 miles long and 2.5 miles wide with lots of hills that make cycling a bear and a thrill. The weather is delightful shirtsleeve weather during the day and light sweater weather in the evening. The heavily-forested island is thick with fir, spruce, and the Western Red Cedars along with Aspen, the Big-leaf Maple, Red Alders, Arbutus, and the Garry Oak among others. Several shrubs and lots of fern fill the forests' understory. All this vegetation provides habitat for many birds, wildflowers, reptiles, amphibians and insects, as well as a few mammals -- fortunately no bears or mountain lions. Being close to the sea, the Bald Eagle is a frequent site as is the Great Blue Heron. Songbirds provide music throughout the day, and even into the night. It's truly a nature lovers delight, and a photographer's dilemma. Photo ops are non-stop, but here are just a few for starters. For you who are more inclined to look at nature pictures, I've added pages pages for birds, including hummingbirds and herons, butterflies and flowers, and probably more as the summer goes along.