The tiny musings found below will perhaps provide you an opportunity to pause and reflect on our world and our place in it. You can subscribe to receive posts in your inbox (approximately once a week)! Note: all writing and art is © Christopher Buddle.
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Ant season
March on!
one and allone for all
It’s ant season. They are busy walking, working, building, growing. Some people don’t like these little insects (I kinda get this if you happen to get stung or bitten by one, or perhaps if Carpenter ants have decided to live with you), but if you wait and watch and learn, my guess is that you will soon appreciate them. Industrious, interesting, and delightful.
March on!
© Christopher M Buddle 2026
ant, ants, art, drawing, entomology, formicidae, ink, Insects, nature, pen, poetry, Watercolor, Watercolour -
wandering at twilight
walk the country road
as dusk settles
memories of old friends
The watercolour and haiku was inspired by a memory – of perhaps 25-30 years ago – when at the end of the day I walked along a lonely country road to a friend’s place. During those years I had some friends who lived in rural areas, and we often walked long distances between houses – perhaps heading to a party, or returning. The memory that hit me was a walk just after the sun set, and the stars slowly appeared. The darkness crept in – and the fenceposts were in silhouette. These are good memories.
© Christopher M Buddle 2026
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Bee time
tiny flier
tiny flower
meadow everlasting
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To my entomological friends: the art, above, is not, I know, an overly anatomically correct bee. But close enough, right?
© Christopher M Buddle 2026
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Kits
kitted out
the kids are all right
squirrels: beware.
We have a family of foxes in our neighbourhood – they are amazing, with six young (the kits). They lay about in the sun in the afternoon, and we often see the siblings roughhousing, playing, and hanging out together. They look healthy and happy. The squirrels? They are lunch.
© Christopher M Buddle 2026
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earthworms
earthworm wiggles
distant grass
an oasis
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earthworm wiggles
from hooks and beaks
into darkness
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earthworm wiggles
forward, always
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earthworm wiggles
no politics
slow is smooth
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© Christopher M Buddle 2026
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Redpath Exhibit – art, poetry and conservation
I am excited to announce that the original watercolour art from A Portrait of Astonishing Nature will be on display for the entire spring and summer, at McGill’s Redpath Museum! I am deeply grateful for the Museum to host this work, and their curation of the collection is truly incredible.
This came about in rather unexpected ways -through conversations with the Director of the Redpath, and through an enthusiasm for creating opportunities to celebrate connections between science, arts, poetry, and conservation. The Redpath’s mission aligns so perfectly with the work I am involved with for Creek 53, and they saw the immediate opportunity to create something for the public, to increase education and awareness of biodiversity and natural history.
The Redpath is an extremely popular destination for locals and tourists. It is located in the heart of McGill downtown campus, and is free to the public (opening hours listed here). From its architecture to its dinosaurs, it’s a place that inspires and creates a sense of wonder for visitors. And having the public learn and explore art, and the story of Creek 53, is truly a dream come true. So, if you are in Montreal, do check out the exhibition!
PS It has been along time since I have written on this blog – I will try to get back on track! Things in my professional life have been extremely busy, and I have taken on a new role at the University. However, my love of poetry, art, and nature remains, and I am excited to continue to share here on Nature’s Reverie.
© Christopher M Buddle 2026
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ten rabbits
Here’s a poem about rabbits (kind of)…
Twilight
At civic twilight the shadows deepen
Cottontail quivers in her hide
Fear is filtered by soft moonlight
Night frosts begin their slow descent
Faraway haunting calls of old
The ghost of Darwin, frozen in time
Awaiting distraction, a river of mist
Godspeed, dash, and outrun your past
Behold a friend, in numbers huddle
Noses touching with rapid breath
Rest through the night, in hollow’s safety
Gentle warmth at sun’s first rays
Daybreak holds a promise of more
Bigwig’s strength and Hazel’s dreams
Across the fields, to greener worlds
Fresh clover nourishes the deepening soul
Embrace this wonder of nature’s potential
Full of barnacles, beetles, orchids and pigeons
Never in harmony but unconstrained
Beautiful mutants on this razor’s edge.
The cottontail waits, feels the earth’s gentle spin
Eat, grow and cry; live, flee, and die
Orion’s slow journey, life tender and tough
A fleeting harmony – it is enough.
I’ve been obsessed with rabbits of late, and over a series of weekends I did the art (above), “Ten Rabbits” in ballpoint pen (large format). Rabbits are so clever, wise, fast when needed, otherwise patient, listening, waiting. I think of them often, and am thankful to see them most days -often at daybreak when I head to the train, or at twilight on my way back home. Often waiting quietly under a hedge. The poem, above, was written last year, for a poetry reading I did in Montreal in November. Not Haiku, but I feel rabbits, and their meaning, perhaps deserve something more.
© Christopher M Buddle 2026
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under frozen pond
Quebec mid-winter
forever landsacapes
sculpted by snow and ice
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we skate
on winter ponds
swish swish
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hockey pucks
and frosted beards
frozen worlds beneath
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holding pattern
we all wait
for returning signs
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furry catkins
snowdrop, crocus
the vulture’s return
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from thawed waters
croaking frogs
thaw and leap forth
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peeping in chorus
May it be spring-
a window too short
In mid-winter, I often think of the incredible dichotomy between the seasons here in the north—the swings from −20 °C in February to highs of +40 °C in mid-summer. It’s a marvel to consider how plants and animals adapt to these extremes. They thrive and then dive; they bloom and then bury—moving from frenetic fury to frozen in time.
Frogs are among the most amazing of these animal adapters. Not only do they use multiple habitats during the summer months, they are also among the few animals that can (mostly) freeze in winter. Talk about extremes. When you walk – or skate – across a frozen pond, there just might be some froggy popsicles underfoot.
© Christopher M Buddle 2026
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hideaway
the crackling fire
escape the urban sprawl
silent snowscapes
I sometimes dream of a cabin in the wood – or near the woods. One with a cozy fireplace, a crossword puzzle on the table, and a lazy afternoon watching the snowfall outside the frosted windows. It’s nice to imagine ourselves nestled in during this particularly chilly time of year. I also find that cities feel colder than the countryside during the deep freeze. The wind howls through skyscrapers in a rather unpleasant manner, sometimes, and standing on busy streetcorners with blizzardy conditions can be just awful.
So, stay warm! Huddle up, and enjoy some cozy time!
© Christopher M Buddle 2026
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January days
the snow falls
quietly
waiting, watching
snow plows
dog walkers
the world passes
the heart beats
soft-
the cat’s meow
Monday 19 January was, apparently, “blue Monday” – signifying the most depressing day of the year (at least here in the north – cold days, mid-winter, and all that). It was, for me, a lovely day. And when I got home a cat was peering out the window. Lots to observe and appreciate.
© Christopher M Buddle 2026
Nature's Reverie 