SAINT-RÉMY-DE-PROVENCE

HORNBY ISLAND EASTER EGG HUNT

CIEL

JOHN LEAHY COLLECTION

THE BEST OF SOOKE: TY COLLWYN RETREAT

Heading to Victoria for a jaunt or to the village of Sooke for a bit of fossil collecting?

Ty Collwyn Waterfront Retreat offers private, oceanfront, two bedroom cottages within walking distance from the heart of Sooke, on Vancouver Island. We are located just forty minutes west of Victoria; the capital city of British Columbia, Canada.
Our two cottages share wonderful ocean views of Sooke Harbour and the Juan de Fuca Strait; each with it's own deck and hot tub to soak away stress.

The grounds include a heated indoor pool, coin-operated laundry facilities, private dock, and waterfront with a fire pit, all surrounded by lush trees and an acre of grass area.

When you are not relaxing and enjoying your oceanfront view, take advantage of all that Sooke has to offer. Enjoy a scenic drive to our beautiful West Coast beaches, visit the Sooke Potholes, catch a wave surfing, go ocean kayaking, try a fishing charter, check out the Sooke Museum, walk along the wonderful Whiffin Spit, or travel any of the region's hiking trails on foot, rollerblade, or bicycle. There is so much to do!

Later, you can dine at the world renowned Sooke Harbour House Restaurant, famous Mom's Café, or create your own barbeque feast right on your deck.

BLUE PLANET | EARTH DAY 2010

Earth / Adopt Me

Earth Day is a day designed to inspire awareness and appreciation for the Earth's environment.

Earth Day has the power to bring about historic advances in climate policy, renewable energy and green jobs and catalyze millions who make personal commitments to sustainability - a billion acts of green – mobilizing the power of people to create change by taking small steps in our homes, our schools and our communities that add up to an enormous collective action. I'm making plans to better my neighborhood and my world. I'm raising seedlings to share the gift of life and a cleaner atmosphere. With every obstacle comes opportunity and right now, right here there is an unprecedented opportunity to build a new future.

Choose how you'll celebrate Earth Day, April 22, 2010.
www.earthday.net/earthday2010

ALCES ALCES: MOOSE

The moose is the largest member of the deer family. The genus and species of the moose are Alces alces.

Moose are found in northern forests in North America, Europe, and Russia. In Europe and Asia, moose are called elk. Moose are solitary animals who have a deep call and a strong scent.

They have a life span of about 17 years in the wild. If you ever have the pleasure of paddling the Bowron Lake Circuit, there are many great viewing spots which provide excellent photo ops for Moose.

Anatomy: The moose is about 7.5 feet (2.3 m) tall at the shoulder. Only the male moose, bulls, have antlers. The largest recorded antler spread is over 6.5 ft (2 m). The antlers are shed each year and regrow. Moose have hoofed feet, long legs, thick brown fur, a large body, and a droopy nose, and a dewlap (a flap of skin hanging loosely from the chin).

Behavior: The moose is an herbivore (a plant-eater) who spends most of the day eating. Moose prefer willow, birch, and aspen twigs, horsetail, sedges, roots, pond weeds, and grasses. They are excellent swimmers, strong runners and can turn on a dime. I've seen a Moose outrun a grizzly up near Barkerville on the Bowron Lake circuit.

Predators: The grizzly bear and man are the main predators of the moose.

Source: Enchanted Learning

AURORA BOREALIS

TIME FOR LUNCH

Tormented cries from mother as her cub is butchered and eaten...

Does it pull at your heart strings? Mine, too.

A rally of cries about a shark attack generally bring something less warm and fuzzy, something closer to terror and visions of a nasty end for some surfer. No surfer this time.

The 20th Century's most significant marine find became surf and turf himself at a recent feast in a village off the coast of Donsol in the Bicol Region of the Philippines.

More than a rare sighting, this is the 41st specimen ever known. A massive Megamouth, a rare breed of filter-feeding shark, was caught and killed then served up to locals eager to consume the traditional delicacy despite protests from the World Wildlife Federation.

While WWF tried to convey the magnitude of the slaying the world has to wonder if more should have been done. This was more than a rare sighting, this specimen was the 41st ever recorded of Megachasma pelagios.

Panda! Not this time. It was a deliverate ploy to get you to ponder your feelings on slugs vs. bunnies. If it is what enticed you to take a peek, however, perhaps we need to rethink our treatment of the ugly ducklings out there.

We tend to favour cute and cuddly. Dark grey, menacing distant cousins of Jaws don't bring out the maternal instinct quite as readily. Had this been a sighting of a rare panda set to be slaughtered to make soup with his paws, I'm sure Megamouth would have made both CNN and the BBC.

Might isn't right, but something more than sway was needed here.

HURDIA: BIZARRE FIND EXCITES SCIENTISTS

Scientists from Sweden’s Uppsala University have pieced together a bizarre marine predator who trolled the seas some 505-million years ago. Hurdia, had a giant head, protruding shield and claws for capturing prey. Bits and pieces of Hurdia have shown up in museums all over the world. Until now, they’ve been left unidentified or wildly mislabeled. Allison Daley, the lead author on the study, is set to publish in this month’s journal Science.

Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water…

MAMMALS

Mammals come in all shapes and sizes, and can be found all over the earth and come in all shapes and sizes. There are around 5500 species of mammals in all. You are a mammal, all of your friends are mammals and so is your dog. All mammals are warm-blooded and have either hair or fur on their bodies. The majority of all mammals give birth to live young, but there are a few species of mammals that lay eggs. The Triassic period, 220 million years ago, was the age that the first mammals can be found.

During the Triassic period, about 220 million years ago, the first Mammal species were roaming the Earth. These mammal ancestors were preceded by a group called the 'synapsids'. There were three distinct groups of creatures prior to the Triassic period, of which 'synapsid' is one. The others are 'diapsids' and 'anapsids'. The terminology makes reference to the holes on their skulls where the jaw muscles attach. 'Synapsids' (mammals) have one hole on either side, 'diapsids' (dinosaurs, reptiles, birds) have two holes on either side, and 'anapsids' (turtles) have none.

Mammal Classification list

- Subclass/Order Monotremata: egg-laying mammals
- Order Monotremata: echidnas and platypus
- Subclass Marsupialia: marsupials
- Order Didelphimorphia: New World opossums
- Order Paucituberculata: shrew opossums
- Order Microbiotheria: Monito del Monte
- Order Dasyuromorphia: marsupial carnivores
- Order Notoryctemorphia: marsupial mole
- Order Peramelemorphia: bandicoots and bilbies
- Order Diprotodontia: koalas, wombats, kangaroos
- Subclass Placentalia
- Order Xenarthra: sloths, anteaters, armadillos
- Superorder Glires
- Order Rodentia: rodents
- Order Lagomorpha: rabbits, hares
- Superorder Euarchonta:
- Order Primates: primates
- Order Scandentia: treeshrews
- Order Dermoptera: colugos
- Order Insectivora: shrews, tenrecs, moles
- Order Chiroptera: bats
- Order Carnivora: dogs, cats, weasels, seals
- Order Pholidota: pangolins
- Superorder Ungulata: ungulates
- Order Tubulidentata: aardvark
- Order Macroscelidea: elephant shrews
- Order Hyracoidea: hyraxes
- Order Proboscidea: elephants
- Order Sirenia: manatees, dugong
- Order Perissodactyla: horses, rhinos
- Order Artiodactyla: even-toed ungul
- Order Cetacea: whales

From Learn Animals! http://www.learnanimals.com/mammals.php

WORLD THROUGH A LENS

ALPILLES