A Varied Ecosystem In The Arctic

 The Arctic Gallery emphasizes how much of a variety of life can be found in the far north, from single cell organisms to apex predators. It does this through displays and examples, and emphasizes how fragile that ecosystem can be.

This is a snow goose, with water sedge encased behind it.

There is a vast array of insect and arachnids in the Arctic as well, some of whom live years.

The variety extends to birds, some of whom spend at least some time in the far north. Snow buntings, plovers, and sandpipers can be found in their ranks.

Lichen and algae would be organisms easily overlooked, and yet they are vital for the ecosystem of the Arctic.

The Arctic hare is known for changing its fur seasonally to blend in.

The Arctic fox does the same.

Lemmings and squirrels of the far north might be the prey of an Arctic fox.

The Willow Ptarmigan also changes its colours seasonally.

At The Canadian Museum Of Nature

 The Canadian Museum of Nature is one of several national museums around the National Capital. I paid a visit a few days ago in late March. Approaching from the west, I photographed the mammoth family and the building, which combines Tudor and Gothic Revival influences in its architecture.

 The walls outside have animals carved into the stone.

The glass tower is much more recent, and is called the Queens Lantern. A model of the Moon hangs inside.

Stained glass is above the doors inside the main entrance.

A visit is best done by starting on the top floor and working your way down. I photographed this perspective, looking out into the Queens Lantern and the Moon. Below hangs Gaia, a model of the Earth, which rotates in this central space. We'll see more of both as the series goes along.

My first stop was in the Arctic Gallery, which examines life in the far north. The first thing the visitor sees is this set of slabs of ice, with images projected onto them.

Beyond, the path is colourful, and features wildlife.

Of Foggy Evenings And Morning Murals

 One more day of odds and ends today. One evening in early March, I was walking home through the Glebe. Fog was settling in, and it caught my photographer's eye as I went along.

March was a weird month here, weather-wise, especially the middle of the month. During that period we got freezing rain. A day or so later I was at Lansdowne Park. On the west side of the stadium, there is a ledge along the roadway, flat metal at chest height, used by people to put their drinks down if they're walking about during games. 

This caught my eye. Freezing rain created that pattern on the shelf. How it did that is beyond me.

This bumper sticker caught my eye and made me smile.

Another morning, I was walking through the Glebe, and photographed some of the murals in the neighbourhood.

Ends And Odds Around A National Capital

Starting off today, this early February view of the future main branch of the Ottawa Public Library, as seen from the west.

During one of my Winterlude visits to Confederation Park, I photographed the National Aboriginal Veterans Monument. It combines four indigenous warriors with the eagle, the wolf, the bear, the elk, and the bison into a powerful and poignant monument.

Another night, I was passing by the Canadian Museum of Nature. I photographed the statue pair of a mother and baby dinosaur out at the east end of the property, looking oddly fitting in the snow.

I was heading past the front of the Museum. The Queens Lantern is the name of the glass tower. Inside, a model of the Moon hangs.

The purple in some of the lights caught my eye.

They also cast a glow on the main entrance. I'll have another one of these for a theme day later in the year about the colour purple.

I headed beyond, passing the family of mammoths on the west side. We'll be back for a visit to this place in a couple of days.

On yet another night, passing by Ottawa City Hall, I noticed how the Heritage Building was lit up red. 

This is a monument in progress, down along the Ottawa River near Richmond Landing. This is for the LGBT community, and should be ready for dedication sometime this year.

Late one afternoon in the latter part of February, I stopped by Billings Bridge to pick up some groceries. The sun was setting in the west, and I took two shots of the western sky, a few minutes apart, first arriving and then upon departing.

For today I finish off with a night photograph of St. Matthew's Anglican Church in the Glebe, taken on a foggy evening in early March. We'll pick up here tomorrow