The flowering time for plants can be very short, which, of course, is not unique to here. Some species flower for longer than others. Chrysanthemum and thistle flowers can last for weeks or months.… [Read More]
Author: Sylvain Descartes
I remember reading a translation of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and being surprised at how many paragraphs Hugo dedicated to critiquing the architecture of Paris. He was very concerned with good buildings and bad, and the attention paid by the builders.… [Read More]
Row-zoo?
Remember “Yanny or Laurel?” I experience a similar thing here on the metro.
On the Orange Line, there’s one station that gets announced and the way I hear it is very misleading:
To my ear, that sounds like “prochaine station row-zoo.”… [Read More]
The New Neighborhood
On the first of May, some people go a-Maying, some celebrate Beltane, some celebrate the Labor movement, and some riot outside of multinational corporate offices. Manon and I have our own ritual where we arrive in a new neighborhood for the Summer.… [Read More]
Remember way back in May, when we encountered the “trees to be planted here” signs up in Saint-Léonard? No? You know, this here?
Well, anyway, we were back up in that area yesterday, and, sure enough, some trees have been planted.… [Read More]
Tree Installation
On my morning walk, I came across the city’s tree squad in action.
Truck o’ TreesThey were upgrading a yard just down the street from us.
Tree squad in actionTwo trucks, one excavator, five workers, and about ten minutes for a new tree to go in.… [Read More]
It’s been a busy end-of-Summer. We’ve had some visits from out of town, and work has been taking up a lot of time.
A few weeks ago, Manon and I managed to get away to the Pointe-à-Callière 18th Century Public Market event.… [Read More]
It’s been smoky and hot here in Montreal, and there hasn’t been any significant rain since July 17th. After last year having a very wet summer, this summer is shaping up to be very dry.… [Read More]
Arboriculture
I haven’t written much about Parc Maisonneuve, the giant park that neighbors the botanical gardens and is a short walk from our apartment.
Aerial view via Google Earth… for scale, those two intersections at the top left and top right are 1km apart (0.62 miles)It’s a funny old place.… [Read More]
Fireflies
In Mont Royal park, there are fireflies! I haven’t seen them there in past years.
On social media, folks are saying they’ve never seen it like this before.
Doesn’t do them justice…(Try clicking on the “full screen” button on the video for a more immersive experience).



