Pumpkins in Vancouver

The harvest fall-themed decorations with pumpkins, hay, corn-shock, scarecrows, wheel barrows were very popular in Vancouver: at Capilano Suspension Bridge, UBC Botanical Garden, VanDusen Botanical Garden and in front of many stores and community gardens.

Fall- themed and BC native decorations  at Capilano Suspension Bridge Park, Vancouver

I'm a big fan of autumn decor: the pretty foliage and the pumpkin patches, and believe me, in Vancouver you could enjoy fascinating displays at almost any step.

Pumpkins and scarecrow sitting near a bench at Capilano Suspension Bridge

Some of them really impressed me... hope you like them, too.

Fall-themed decor at VanDusen Botanical Garden

The scarecrows always look a little funny... and I really like to take a sit on a bench near them even I can't  talk to them ;-)

Pumpkins at Capilano Suspension Bridge

Well... with the Holiday coming up, the pumpkins are always a hit ;-) Their taste and a traditional pumpkin pie aroma never fail to give something special to upcoming winter days. 

Pumpkins Patch at UBC Botanical Garden

Hmm, I'll already miss them...  it's just the time to make a move to the Christmas decorations and ornaments ;).

A Pleasant Urban Refuge for Birds

We love to gather up the family and take a short ride to the Lost Lagoon  any beautiful day.

Lost Lagoon remains a pleasant urban refuge for birds

We are very fortunate to have access to a large surface of water where ducks, geese, blue herons, seagulls and pigeons take refuge.



We saw them landing, sitting or swimming on the water, fishing and trolling for food: small fish, insects, grubs ... and chips, peanuts or biscuits ;-)  (because people really enjoy to feed them!!!)

Birds trolling for food

Indeed, as the plaque reads:   "Humans greatly influence waterbird habitat"... but "Lost Lagoon" remains a pleasant urban refuge not only for the birds and native plants... outdoor lovers will always find a way to spend couple of hours birdwatching and walking on the sidewalks.  

Birds on  the water

So, anytime when we are wondering alongside the Lost Lagoon pathways, we are taking another set of pictures, hoping to obtain another good shot even closer to them... to photograph their eye's view or their movements on the water?!

Geese family swimming on the Lost Lagoon

 Sometimes the walking dogs bark loudly to scaring them ;-)  The flocks may suddenly fly in the air and wing their way across the trees...

A flock of geese over Lost Lagoon

Well ... this is happening in the beautiful days, like this one.

For the rainy ones,  when we can not take a Lost Lagoon's sightseeing tour, we are just daydreaming in our room, looking at our "indoor refuge". We tried to recreate a part of this wild beauty and this time I'd like to share with you this ficus benjamina tray landscape. If you look closer, you can even see the grass growing

 

;-)

Bonkei with Dwarf Umbrella Trees

Dwarf  Umbrella Tree with variegated leaves named also Dwarf Schefflera Arboricola is a plant very suitable for Bonkei (盆景, tray landscape), or miniature three-dimensional landscapes with dry materials like rocks, akadama, sand or driftwood.

Seashore landscape - Dwarf Schefflera Arboricola potted in Driftwood

The leaves have a mild lemony note if you gently squeezing them and  the umbrellas of splotches will make a delightful showy centerpiece at anytime.  Start by selecting a setting that will suit with your landscaping idea and you'll appreciate the growing habit of these plants and the adaptability to any indoor environment.

Running Horse - bonkei with Dwarf Umbrella Tree

Don't you think that some figurines added to the whole setting like a GO-player,  a running horse or a friendly dog give a warm look to any bonkei?

Aphrodite, Goddess of Love

Aphrodite, known also as Venus, Cytherea, Cypris, Hathor, Cerigo or Afrodita,  the Goddess of Love rises from the foam of the waves, enchanting anyone who sees her ... and spreading the fragrance of flavorful Mediterranean Thyme hanging out of her basket.

Don't you think that her magical powers to compel love wherever she goes will spread inciting feelings in any room?  

Thanks to everyone who visited our stand

Thanks to all who attended our booth at the Holiday Craft Fair 2011, Vancouver, West End Community Centre. The craft fair was held on Nov 12th, 13th in the spectacular Auditorium and adjoining spaces of the West End Community Centre and we are grateful to them for hosting such an event.

We have spent many frenzied hours preparing our fairy gardens and bonsai items for the craft fair and we were happy that the fair was a real success, with a big attendance.
 

We got as much out of the experience as we can while we were there, and this is about the people we met and the contacts we made. We dedicated some creative energy to our green display and we were happy that our artworks and our scented live presentations were appreciated by most visitors.

Well, the traditional Christmas tree and dried flowers wreaths have welcomed the visitors in the main lobby.

The shoppers have found many seasonal items for autumn and the holiday: jewelry, hand sewn items, clay, metal, wood and glass crafts or paintings - and, of course, scented edible living arrangements ;)

The craft fair has come and gone, but stay tuned - after we enjoy the Christmas and the Holidays with our families and friends, we`ll be back to 2012`s events.


A special thanks to all those who made possible this experience.

Vancouver Mushrooms Show, Fall 2011

On October 23th, I attended Vancouver Mushroom Show, Fall 2011 organized by Vancouver Mycological Society in the Floral Hall of VanDusen Botanical Garden. I couldn't resist snapping a lot of pictures of almost everything.

Edible mushrooms display - Vancouver Mushrooms Fall Show 2011

I was attracted by mushroom's world since ever.  In fact, I like more to discover them near pathways or hidden in grass, on logs or under leaves in my walkings.

Mushrooms display at the entrance of Vancouver Mushroom Fall Show 2011

Thinking more about them, I don't know what is more attractive: their colors, their shapes or textures... but I can easily spend from an hour to most of a day overlooking some new mushroom growing in the wild.

Vancouver Mushrooms Fall Show 2011

I did not know what to do first after I passed nearby the entrance displays : to walk alongside the over 4 dozens of beautifully arranged displays of freshly picked mushrooms,  to read info from posters and displays about identified mushrooms, truffles and other fungi, with their poisonous, edible, medicinal and sacred status



or to  buy the various artworks with mushroom and fungal motifs, and some books about mushrooms cultivation,  identification, usage or preservation.

Poisonous mushrooms display - Vancouver Mushrooms Show Fall 2011

Medicinal mushrooms poster - Vancouver mushrooms show

The Sacred Mushrooms poster - Vancouver Mushrooms Show Fall 2011

Anyhow, I've learned to identify more than 20 edible mushrooms: Boletus Chrysonteron aka Cracked Cap Bolete, Calvitia Gigantea aka Giant Pufball, Clavulina Coralloides, Gomphus Clavatus aka Pig's Ears, Hygrocybe Miniata, Hygrophorus Eburneus, Leccinum Scabrum aka Birch Bolete and other varieties of bolete, Marasmius, Lyophyllum, Armillaria, Pleurocybella Porrigens aka Angel Wings, Russula Aeruginea aka Green Russula, Russula Brevipes, Suillus various types and Lactarius.

Rusulla varieties - not all of them edible mushrooms

It was an interesting lesson of identifying mushrooms, but I'm not sure I will be so courageous to hunt them in the wilderness of Canadian Rockies because some mushrooms from same family (like Russula, Suillus or Lactarius) are edible and other not.

Suillus varieties -  not all of them edible mushrooms

Lactarius varieties - not all of them edible mushrooms

Very strange seems to be Giant Pufball  aka Calvitia Gigantea (it was indeed huge) which is "edible if is white inside" ;-) .

Calvitia Gigantea aka Giant Pufball - edible if white inside mushrooms

So, for cooking and studying how to grow mushrooms at home, we bought two kits of "grown your own mushrooms at home": one of Shiitake / Lentinus Edodes and other one of Tree oyster/ Pleurotus Ostreatus. We respected the instructions shared by experts on cultivation and I'm very curious to see how will appear the mushroom pins and how will grow undisturbed the caps through the slits created in bags. Hope to harvest my first crop of mushrooms before first winter freeze.

Boletus Chrysonteron aka Cracked Cap Bolete - edible mushrooms

 Clavulina Coralloides - edible mushrooms

Gomphus Clavatus aka Pig's Ears - edible mushrooms

Hygrocybe Miniata - edible mushrooms

Hygrophorus Eburneus - edible mushrooms

Leccinum Scabrum aka Birch Bolete - edible mushrooms

Marasmius, Lyophyllum, Armillaria - edible mushrooms

Pleurocybella Porrigens aka Angel Wings - edible mushrooms

Russula Aeruginea aka Green Russula - edible mushrooms

Russula Brevipes aka The Dipper - edible mushrooms

"A picture is worth a thousand words", so, it is much better to see by yourself how amazing were the mushrooms displays at the Vancouver Mushrooms Fall Show 2011.

Medicinal Mushrooms