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With a warm winter and early spring in Metro Vancouver, many flowers and fruits were ripening well ahead of schedule -- including these mountain ash (rowan) berries, which aren't normally "ready" for the birds to eat until August. These berries are red, but other varieties also appear as bright orange. Photographed at the UBC Botanical Gardens in July 2016.

Based on the original photography of W.H. Sim. All Rights Reserved. See more at zazzle.com/walkswithnature

Red Mountain Ash Rowan Berries Postcard

Maybe it's just me, but whenever I see a male White-Winged Scoter, the resemblance between this black seaduck and one of main nemeses of a certain popular comic book hero is immediate and unmistakable. The white Viking horn patches surrounding those pale eyes seem to connote something sinister. :) Much smaller flocks of this less (nasally) flamboyant (and more paparazzi shy) cousin of the Surf Scoter could be seen plying the waters of the White Rock Pier on a chilly but sunny morning in early November 2019.

Based on the original photography of W.H. Sim. All Rights Reserved. See more at zazzle.com/walkswithnature

Stunning White-Winged Scoter Duck at Pier's Edge Postcard

Being an escapee from an Oregon farm did not diminish the appeal of this adult male Mandarin Duck, whose flight to freedom was rewarded with a constant supply of bird seed and the company of Wood Ducks at Piper Spit. I was gifted with the privilege of his metamorphosis over many agonizingly slow months, as I watched him exchange his post-breeding plumage for the magnificent feathers and stunning color palette that make him a dream to photograph (and a hit with the females of his kind). Mother Nature left nothing to the artist's imagination when she made this creature! Photographed at Burnaby Lake in mid-October 2018.

Based on the original photography of W.H. Sim. All Rights Reserved. See more at zazzle.com/walkswithnature

Beautiful Mandarin Duck in the Pond Postcard

Hairy caterpillars or Woolly Bear caterpillars are common sights in late spring through summer in Metro Vancouver backyards like mine. I can never make heads or tails of them, but they are still fascinating creatures. :)

This particular caterpillar grows up to become the Silver Spotted Tiger Moth, which is a common sight in BC thanks to the multitude of Douglas Firs in our area.

Based on the original photography of W.H. Sim. All Rights Reserved. See more at zazzle.com/walkswithnature

Silver Spotted Tiger Moth / Woollybear Caterpillar Postcard

With a warm winter and early spring in Metro Vancouver, many flowers and fruits were ripening well ahead of schedule -- including these bright orange mountain ash (rowan) berries, which aren't normally "ready" for the birds to eat until mid-July. Photographed in late June 2016 in Surrey's Elgin Park.

Based on the original photography of W.H. Sim. All Rights Reserved. See more at zazzle.com/walkswithnature

Orange Mountain Ash Rowan Berries Postcard

My first and, to date, only encounter with an Assassin Bug / Assassin Fly on a towrope in the backyard. This fearsome-looking predator was having a staring contest with an equally impressive spider, and no, I don't know who blinked and who won.

Based on the original photography of W.H. Sim. All Rights Reserved. See more at zazzle.com/walkswithnature

Assassin Fly Robber Fly Postcard

Add a touch of nature and lighthearted humor to we're moving announcements with this whimsical, cow-themed postcard! 

A very curious Holstein Friesian pauses to look at us from the Alaksen Wildlife Area as the rest of its herd (obviously responding to a cattle call of some sort) lumbers on without a backward glance. Not exactly what I expected to see while birding the Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary in late May 2016, but Westham Island *is* full of farms!!

Based on the original photography of W.H. Sim. All Rights Reserved. See more at zazzle.com/walkswithnature

Funny "We're Moo-ving!" Moving Announcement Cow Postcard

After sitting outside for an hour and a half as the afternoon snow fell quickly and in fat clumps this afternoon, this beautiful male Varied Thrush finally ventured to the bowl of the seed on the ground. Occasionally, he would look up and gaze in my direction before resuming his meal. After eating his fill (and keeping the other, smaller songbirds at bay), he returned to flipping leaf litter under the thicket. My first time photographing a Varied Thrush in the snow. Taken in early February 2017. 

Based on the original photography of W.H. Sim. All Rights Reserved. See more at zazzle.com/walkswithnature

Beautiful Varied Thrush Songbird in Falling Snow Postcard

Add a touch of nature to the living room with this wildlife-themed lampshade cover.  

A young sub-adult male Anna's hummingbird was taking five in the scarlet firethorn next to its pommes on an unseasonably prolonged cold snap. Unlike most other birds who frequent this bush in the fall and winter, he didn't seem to mind that I wrestled the window open (however softly I did it), and took a few shots of him next to the bunch of berries that's almost as big as he is. Photographed in mid-December 2016.

Based on the original photography of W.H. Sim. All Rights Reserved. See more at zazzle.com/walkswithnature

Anna's Hummingbird Poses with the Pyracantha Pendant Lamp

Springtime is a time of green ... and blues and other beautiful hues! Nothing sets the honeybees abuzz like the huge California Lilac that's blooming with hundreds of bluish-purple clusters on the front lawn not once, but twice in a year. In fact, this bush resembles a giant purple beehive from late spring through early summer. Photographed in the spring of 2016.

Based on the original photography of W.H. Sim. All Rights Reserved. See more at zazzle.com/walkswithnature

Save the Honeybees Pollinating California Lilac Magnet

Add a touch of nature and personality to your coffee, tea, or favourite hot drink with this floral-themed mug!

These royal blue Cineraria flowers provide a dazzling (and welcome) burst of color for early spring gardens. Although these African natives and members of the daisy family are self-seeding perennials, I call them "Goldilocks flowers", because they require a very specific amount of rain, sunshine, and temperature to thrive.

Based on the original photography of W.H. Sim. All Rights Reserved. See more at zazzle.com/walkswithnature

Beautiful Royal Blue Cineraria Flowers Mug

Add an even more festive touch to year-end holidays and make Christmas-themed pjs, bedroom decor, bags, and so much more with this fabric that features Shimmer Surprise Poinsettias! 

Based on the original photography of W.H. Sim. All Rights Reserved. See more at zazzle.com/walkswithnature

Festive Red White Floral Poinsettias Fabric

Cute Canada Jay / Grey Jay / Whiskeyjack Jigsaw Puzzle

Cute Canada Gray / Grey Jay / Whiskeyjack Golf Head Cover

Profile of a Cute Grey Jay / Whiskeyjack Hip Flask

Cute Grey Jay Whiskeyjack Songbird Metal Ornament

Profile of a Cute Grey Jay / Whiskeyjack Pillar Candle

If someone combined the adorably big head and black eyes of a Black-Capped Chickadee with the colours and bill of a Kookaburra in a Jay-sized body, they'd have the whimsically-named Whiskeyjack. Also known by its less colourful aliases of Canada Jay and Gray Jay, we saw no fewer than six of Canada's official national birds at Manning Park's Lightning Lake, where they would boldly descend on picnic tables in the hopes of free handouts.

Based on the original photography of W.H. Sim. All Rights Reserved. See more at zazzle.com/walkswithnature

WWN Saucy Grey Jay in the Fir

Add a touch of nature to any room in the home or office with this floral-themed wall hanging! 

Looking very much like sunflowers--no surprise, since they belong to the same family--Rudbeckias are some of my favourite summertime flowers, especially when they bloom en masse.

Based on the original photography of W.H. Sim. All Rights Reserved. See more at zazzle.com/walkswithnature

Rudbeckias / A Bed of Black-Eyed Susans Canvas Print

Add a touch of nature and festive to your favorite drink with this floral-themed tall latte mug, which features red and white lobster plants, softly feathered onto a white background. Poinsettias are most often associated with Christmas, and, surrounded here by cream coloured Yellow Snow poinsettias, the speckled leaves of this particular variety -- known as Shimmer Surprise Poinsettia -- add an even more festive touch to year-end holidays and entertaining as a popular centerpiece.

Based on the original photography of W.H. Sim. All Rights Reserved. See more at zazzle.com/walkswithnature

Red Mountain Ash Rowan Berries Postcard

Red Mountain Ash Rowan Berries Postcard

More from Walks with Nature

Other postcards from various stores