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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The Peony
If I close my eyes tightly
I can remember the perfect form of the peony.
Fragile yet strong
Colourful, ephemeral.
I can remember it even though
Petals have fallen and returned to the earth.
I can remember it even though
It lived briefly, and was banged about by rain, sleet, hail.
I will think of it often through the dark days.
Flowers will form anew next spring
– different, but vivid reminders of those from before.
I see the shadows and the light.
If I open my eyes widely.
A friend of mine died recently. She was 10 younger than me, and her death was sudden and was a shock. I hadn’t talked to her in a while, but we worked together for years, and always had great conversations about so many things, sometimes light and fun, sometime deep and difficult. I will miss her so very much. I tried to write a Haiku about peonies since she love those flowers; but, I needed more words.
Peonies just don’t last long enough.
© Christopher M Buddle 2022
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Mushrooms
Ephemeral fruits
sprouting from damp, autumn soil
– otherworldly.
Notes: I went for a walk in the woods last weekend, and it was mushroom season! So many mushrooms were popping up from the forest floor – they are magical – as if from another world. When I was an undergraduate student, I had a choice between taking a Mycology class by George Barron* (at the University of Guelph), or an Entomology class. I selected the latter and that choice was one small decision that had a significant impact on my life, since my love of entomology (well, arachnology) was certainly fueled in part by that course. George Barron, however, was unbelievably enthusiastic about mushrooms, and he spend a good half hour or more with me (a naïve undergraduate student at the time), discussing the world of mycology and why it is such an important world to know better. That conversation has always stuck with me, even after almost three decades – he was so generous with his time, and so inspiring. So, I like mushrooms** even though my knowledge is limited. They really are incredible, wouldn’t you say? The colours, shapes, and unpredictability of their lives. And they serve such an important ecological function. It was very pleasant to draw the mushrooms you see above, but in truth, they are not depicting a specific type of mushroom – they are just mushrooms. I also ran into the same problem as last week – I did two different panels of mushrooms in my sketchbook, and couldn’t decide which to post, so I have posted them both for you. I hope you enjoy!
* George Barron is the author of my favourite field guide to Mushrooms.
** Even though I like mushroom, I don’t generally eat the ones I find in the wild because unless you are truly a skilled mycologist, what you eat may be poisonous – so be careful!
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Autumn
Stunning senescence.
Cacophony of colour.
– Falling to winter.
Notes: I live near Montreal, and our autumn tree colours are simply incredible – probably close the best you can find anywhere in the world. This is thanks to a high tree diversity (compared to, for example, more western or northern realms), and the fact that sugar maples* are common here (including in my front yard!). Autumn is a bittersweet season and I always have mixed feelings about October. In some ways it is my favourite season – the bright yellows and reds, stunning autumn sky, and the crisp and refreshing air. But at the same time, the shorter days and frosty nights are a reminder that winter is approaching. I also enjoy winter, but I do find the loss of daylight sometimes difficult and until snow arrives, the late autumn days can be gloomy and grey. For today, I shall enjoy the stunning senescence, and I hope you do too.
*both of the watercolours shared today are meant to depict sugar maples. I was struggling with which of the two I wanted to post. Since I couldn’t decide, I opted for both. And, as is common for me, these were done in a small watercolour album while sitting on my commuter train, looking out the window at the trees.
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Yellowfins
Sometimes in a tin
– But better in the ocean.
Swim fast. Stay in school.
Notes: This post is not about judging if you eat fish (I do, occasionally*), but it is always good to think about where your food comes from, no matter your dietary decisions. I think my first introduction to ocean fish, including Tuna, was via a tuna-fish sandwich when I was young (in case you were wondering, I grew up near freshwater lakes, but not the ocean!). Since then I have been to school, and learned more. I find Tuna to be most impressive and I hope I get the opportunity to see them (live) sometime in my life – I do not really know how this might work since I don’t spend a lot of time in the ocean. The species depicted above is my interpretation of a Yellowfin Tuna** – a species that is pelagic, gets very large (400 lbs or more!), eats other fish, crustaceans, and other things, and it schools (i.e., swims together in large groups). I like to imagine Yellowfin Tuna swimming together in the beautiful ocean.
* There are ways to be a piscivore and eat in a manner that is more sustainable, e.g., here’s an example from the Monterey Bay aquarium.
** I used a lot of artistic license: for example, I do not think the red eyes are accurate, nor are the sharp teeth. But, well, I like them with sharp teeth.
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In the leaf litter
Quietly coiled
Slither, unseen, underfoot.
– secret, special life.
Notes: Snakes create strong reactions, often negative*. Some people will re-coil even at the sight of the watercolour above. But like so many things, snakes are so misunderstood and I believe misunderstanding can sometimes lead to fear. Education and awareness is the road forward when considering ways we can be a society that connects closely with the natural world. In my part of the world**, our snakes are quiet, gentle creatures, wanting to live in peace, catching small critters and staying out-of-sight as they hang out, often in leaf-litter of the forest floor. In other parts of the world, being wary of snakes is warranted. But even so, snakes are fascinating animals, and like all of our world’s biodiversity, they are special.
* I did this watercolour in a small (3×5″) album, while on my commuter train heading home one day last week. Some people sitting nearby by saw me doing this, and I noticed raised eyebrows; more proof that people have ‘opinions’ about snakes.
** the most common snake species in my region is the garter snake, but the red-bellied snake, illustrated above, can also be found – here’s a write-up about the species from Ontario Nature. And full disclosure, I do not know all that much about red-bellied snakes, but I think they are beautiful and I ought to learn more.
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A Parking lot
Lone tree squeezing through pavement.
Seeking sun, water
– and friends.
A five minute watercolour of a tree growing in a concrete world [CM Buddle] Notes: I sometimes stare out the window when on my commuter train, lost in thought, and watching the world go by. The other day I noticed a small tree growing in an abandoned parking lot*. Nature ekes out an existence even in a harsh landscape that has been totally transformed by humans. Remember drive-in movie theatres**? These aren’t really a thing anymore, but I have noticed how trees, shrubs, grasses and other plants (and animals) have taken over these habitats, which were formally great expanses of pavement. So, there are two ways to look at the tree in a parking lot: 1) hope and inspiration as soon nature will be triumphant, or 2) a depressing reminder of our concrete world. Some days I think about the former; other days, the latter.
*yes, we paved paradise, and put up a parking lot
**Atlas Obscura did about an abandoned drive-in movie theatre in Laval, Quebec (not too far from me)
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Wasp Season
Yellow and black
…with stingy-thing
– shared love of late-summer fruit.
A yellowjacket wasp, an insect we love to hate. [Art by CM Buddle] Notes: A lot of people dislike yellow jacket wasps, in part because when they forage in greater numbers, in late summer, they often bother us when we have picnics outside, or when we are trying to enjoy an outdoor cocktail party. And, they can sting if they get disturbed or swatted away, and for some members of our population the reaction from the sting can result in anaphylaxis (an allergic reaction), which can be very serious. So, why are these insects such a bother in late summer? Simply put, these foraging wasps seek out many of the same foodstuffs that we enjoy and have at our picnics, especially (for example) fruit and other sugary substances (e.g., soda cans). Also, in late summer, their nests are over-mature (full) so populations are high overall. There is hope for those of you who don’t like wasps since their numbers will dramatically decline as cooler, autumn weather hits. (now, all that being said, I do think wasps can be respected and admired in their own right – whether for their bold looks and vibrant colours, or that they play important roles in ecosystems).
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September Spider
On silken scaffold
waiting for airborne dinner.
– fading summer warmth.
Argiope aurantia, in her web [CM Buddle] Notes: in sunny fields (or perhaps your garden), in late summer, you might come across this lovely spider – Argiope aurantia. This species has a lot of common names, but my favourites is the “Black and Yellow Garden Spider” because, well, it’s yellow and black and can sometime be found in a garden! You see the large females in late summer because that is when they mature. These spiders are not aggressive, and just want to hang out and catch flying insects (as prey) in their sturdy webs, before the frost hits. Their webs are especially sturdy because they spin a strong , dense, ‘zig zag’ structure called a stabilimentum into parts of the web. If you run into their webs, you surely notice because they are strong and in the late summer, can be quite large (perhaps up to two feet in diameter). Arachnids are to be admired, not feared, and this species is truly admirable.
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Northern Landscape
Lapland longspurs sing brightly
above the Arctic Circle.
Day never ends.
A quick watercolour, done at 66 degrees, Yukon Territory, June 2022 [C.M. Buddle] Notes: I do field-work semi-regularly in the Arctic, and have been to the Yukon quite a lot. On this trip in June 2022, we were travelling up the Dempster Highway to well above the Arctic circle. It was spectacular, and we found pseudoscorpions and wolf spiders in all the right places. And, the bird life was amazing, of course, including Lapland Longspurs singing right at the border of the Yukon and the Northwest Territory. On the way back south we had three (!!) flat tires, and we had to wait for a while right at the Arctic circle. I used some of that time to do the small watercolour you see above.
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Welcome to the Reverie!
I am so pleased that you found my site, and are checking out the blog. This is the space and place where you will see regular art and writing, with a goal of releasing a post each Monday. Please sign up for Art, Haiku, and More!
This is Martha, the last of the passenger pigeons. Drawn with a Brush Pen [CM Buddle]
Nature's Reverie 