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cohanf.bsky.social
Cohan Fulford
@cohanf.bsky.social
690 followers 340 following 1.2K posts
No dating/No investing West Central Alberta, Canada; Artist: painter, writer; write poems + take photos + video+ vlogging. youtube.com/@CohanMagazine plant nerd +gardener. Locally/personally oriented animist, pagan, mystic https://ko-fi.com/cohanf
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cohanf.bsky.social
Cohan Fulford @cohanf.bsky.social · Mar 3
I see I don't have any links here, so I'll add a few in a pinned post:
Mastodon: mastodon.online/@cohanf
iNaturalist: inaturalist.ca/people/cohanf
YouTube: www.youtube.com/@CohanMagazine
Blogger: cohanmagazine.blogspot.com
cohan magazine
cohanmagazine.blogspot.com
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cohanf.bsky.social
Cohan Fulford @cohanf.bsky.social · 11h
If you prefer- the video is available on a non-corporate #fediverse #Peertube host:
spectra.video/w/epjRhw5XMV...
or a larger quality file on YouTube:
youtube.com/shorts/7qQxK...
#nature #birds #SolaceInNature #GetOutside #Alberta
Woodpecker- Eating Apples??
Pileated Woodpeckers Dryocopus pileatus- fairly common here, and individuals seem to vary from quite shy- as in can't get within 30 feet/10metres to very relaxed- as in I can come quite close when ...
spectra.video
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cohanf.bsky.social
Cohan Fulford @cohanf.bsky.social · 11h
This woodpecker has been visiting the apple-crabs- It flies in with a great cackling noise, settles on the tree to peck at apples for a while, then flies off to season its meal with its regular fare-insects.
links to follow
#birds #nature #Alberta #Canada #CountryLiving #autumn 🌱🌿📷 #GoOutsideForMe
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cohanf.bsky.social
Cohan Fulford @cohanf.bsky.social · 4d
Wow-- haven't seen any of those for a long time (our local sp)!
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Cohan Fulford @cohanf.bsky.social · 4d
After weeks of warm/ dry #weather the season has begun to turn- rain on Saturday + a few snowflakes; Sunday morning -7/ -8C 17-19F, thick frost on everything including the windshield. By late morning frost was disappearing.
Views from the weekend #commute #Alberta #Autumn #photography #landscape
Saturday morning before the rain started. Looking across a wide mowed roadside ditch with low dull green/partly dry grass with a patch of brighter coarse grass. Across the ditch wire and post fence marks the edge of a grain field, already harvested leaving golden stubble appearing in darker and lighter lines depending on the direction the harvest equipment moved. Across the field to the left is a stand of mixed woods with golden poplars and a few dark spruce marking a farmstead- buildings mostly obscured among the trees. The sky is covered with thick lightly textured light to medium grey clouds. Clouds hinting at the later weather. A broad light grey highway (this is a double wide -4 lane- zone for passing) with white and yellow lane and median markings crests a slight hill, the pavement occupying almost the bottom half of the image. Mixed woods can be seen from both sides of the highway, with a mix of partly green, gold-orange and bare poplars with dark spruce- a large stand of these is to the left. Above the sky is a mix of smooth grey clouds with some wispy bits in front, a blue-grey zone and some stormy/fluffy clouds low down. Sunday the sun was out, starting to warm though near freezing, side window clear, windshield was still icey. The sun is out and half the image is bright blue sky. The foreground is a wetland with tallish dry golden grass, a little farther in studded with many low bog birch, mostly leafless, grey. Near the midpoint numerous small green conifers rise- some would be spruce, others tamarack/larch which will yellow and drop needles. Farther back still are mid-size and larger trees- golden (and some nearly/bare) poplar, birch and tamarack and green spruce. At the far right a white house with dark roof and a couple of outbuildings, one bright blue, can be seen. Nearly the lower half of the view is occupied by a field covered in palest blond grass (hay or grain, the resolution is too poor to be sure). The field is bordered by a wire and post fence and a gravel side road that crosses from left to right. On the other side of the road we see mixed forest of dark spruce and golden poplars stretching away to the foothills, a few buildings visible through the trees. Far beyond foothills rise hazy and blue with the snow-capped peaks of larger more distant mountains showing behind them. Above the sky is blue with faint light clouds above the mountains.
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cohanf.bsky.social
Cohan Fulford @cohanf.bsky.social · 7d
The lovely #seed heads of native Northern/Canada Hawkweed Hieracium umbellatum Every #season has its #beauty 🙂 #nature #WildPlants #BorealForest #Autumn 🌿📷 🌱This one is growing wild on the acreage but it has found its way into a couple of garden beds- I'm happy to see it where there's space #Alberta
Late afternoon sun lights up a cluster of whitish fluffy seedheads- similar to dandelions, but smaller and denser with a hint of gold where each bit of fluff attaches. With the camera set for the bright seedheads, the background appears green-black with slightly lighter patches but no detail. The cluster also holds a couple of what seem to be spent flower heads that did not form seed, and a couple of still closed heads with the pappus (fluffy bits) coming to a point like a flower bud-- these likely will still open to be full seed heads like the others.
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cohanf.bsky.social
Cohan Fulford @cohanf.bsky.social · 9d
Same video on Youtube and #Spectra (smaller file, non-corporate host) #nature #BugSky #SolaceInNature
spectra.video/w/uaVtuNTuXj...
youtube.com/shorts/92XMy...
Last Butterfly? + Autumn Leaves + Bonus Lichen
It's gradually cooling and fall colour has been building, but it's still been generally above average temperatures and staying dry, so I've been working on getting woodcutting underway, doing some ...
spectra.video
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Cohan Fulford @cohanf.bsky.social · 9d
I've been trying to take advantage of warm dry #autumn weather to get ready for winter. While in my woodcutting area a Mourning Cloak #Butterfly joined me for a bit+ #FallColour has been building- probably near peak now + a great #lichen patch #Alberta #nature #BorealForest #GetOutside #BugSky 🌿
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Cohan Fulford @cohanf.bsky.social · 11d
I was thinking, in fact, they might *all* be Juncos :)
cohanf.bsky.social
Cohan Fulford @cohanf.bsky.social · 11d
Nice! It's quite late for our season, we'd usually have had more chilly days and frosts by now, but they'll come soon-- so the hold-out flowers are bonus! Still some Sow Thistle /Sonchus pleasing pollinators + Comfrey, but I think the bumblebees that were loving that recently may be done!
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Cohan Fulford @cohanf.bsky.social · 11d
Fewer flowers day by day- no notable frost yet, but can't be far.. A few #weeds here and there are popular with the remaining #pollinators This tiny #bee and #fly were enjoying one of the last #flower heads on Cirsium arvense/Creeping Thistle last week #nature #BugSky #insects #Alberta 🌱🌿📷
The top of a thistle plant is highlighted in afternoon sun against a dark and blurred background of green foliage, with a few blurred partly golded grass blades standing as vertical stripes in the background. At lower left are two spent, faded brownyflower heads and at centre right is a still viable pale purple flower head. There are no petals nor petal-like ray flowers (that's what daisies have) just a mass of thread-like disk flowers- a sort of pom-pom. On this flower head are perched two small insects: a tiny bee and a small fly. The bee is black with fine white lines on its abdomen and short pale fuzz visible in places- on its head, leg joints, 'shoulder' area etc. The wings are long and narrow, folded over its 'back'(abdomen) and iridescent translucent. The fly has a rather shiny upper thorax, an almost metallic greeny-grey with irregular dark markings and a few bristly hairs. This colour extends between the large dark brick red compound eyes. The large wings are mostly transparent with an amber hint and brown veins like stained glass borders. The abdomen is divided into several bands of a deep amber colour, separated with fine dark lines with short dark bristly hairs. In this shot the bee is in focus on the left, seen from the side, face down between the florets; fly on right is blurred. The top of a thistle plant is highlighted in afternoon sun against a dark and blurred background of green foliage, with a few blurred partly golded grass blades standing as vertical stripes in the background. At lower left are two spent, faded brownyflower heads and at centre right is a still viable pale purple flower head. There are no petals nor petal-like ray flowers (that's what daisies have) just a mass of thread-like disk flowers- a sort of pom-pom. On this flower head are perched two small insects: a tiny bee and a small fly. The bee is black with fine white lines on its abdomen and short pale fuzz visible in places- on its head, leg joints, 'shoulder' area etc. The wings are long and narrow, folded over its 'back'(abdomen) and iridescent translucent. The fly has a rather shiny upper thorax, an almost metallic greeny-grey with irregular dark markings and a few bristly hairs. This colour extends between the large dark brick red compound eyes. The large wings are mostly transparent with an amber hint and brown veins like stained glass borders. The abdomen is divided into several bands of a deep amber colour, separated with fine dark lines with short dark bristly hairs. In this view the fly on the right is in focus, seen from above, its head angled a bit to the left. The top of a thistle plant is highlighted in afternoon sun against a dark and blurred background of green foliage, with a few blurred partly golded grass blades standing as vertical stripes in the background. At lower left are two spent, faded brownyflower heads and at centre right is a still viable pale purple flower head. There are no petals nor petal-like ray flowers (that's what daisies have) just a mass of thread-like disk flowers- a sort of pom-pom. On this flower head are perched two small insects: a tiny bee and a small fly. The bee is black with fine white lines on its abdomen and short pale fuzz visible in places- on its head, leg joints, 'shoulder' area etc. The wings are long and narrow, folded over its 'back'(abdomen) and iridescent translucent. The fly has a rather shiny upper thorax, an almost metallic greeny-grey with irregular dark markings and a few bristly hairs. This colour extends between the large dark brick red compound eyes. The large wings are mostly transparent with an amber hint and brown veins like stained glass borders. The abdomen is divided into several bands of a deep amber colour, separated with fine dark lines with short dark bristly hairs.
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cohanf.bsky.social
Cohan Fulford @cohanf.bsky.social · 15d
To keep the file size manageable, above is a 480 video. Higher quality versions are on Youtube (1080)
youtube.com/shorts/4xaqE...
or #Spectra (720) if you prefer a non-corporate host
spectra.video/w/q7JUDUUEdm...
Autumn Colour: Pagan Altar+ Memorial #nature #Alberta #Pagan #Fall #equinox
YouTube video by Cohan Magazine
youtube.com
cohanf.bsky.social
Cohan Fulford @cohanf.bsky.social · 15d
#AutumnEquinox a short video gathering foliage +showing the finished #altar for the season, honouring primordial #BirdGoddess + #GreatMother #Māra + #Ragana the Wild One + the Twin Gods + remembering my Mom and Aunt
#fall #Alberta #Canada #GoddessCulture #animist #WitchSky #SolaceInNature
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Cohan Fulford @cohanf.bsky.social · 18d
This was last year's blog post for #AutumnEquinox thoughts on the cycles + rhythms of nature, the approach of winter + the #TimeOfSpirits ( #Samhain #Halloween ) #loss #remembrance the ancient #TwinGods #WitchSky #pagan #Baltic #Latvian #Alberta #Canada
cohanmagazine.blogspot.com/2024/09/autu...
Autumn Equinox Apjumības: an Altar to Bounty, Colour, Remembrance of Loss and a Twin God
I mentioned in my previous post that Autumn Equinox is a significant time for me. Firstly, the season itself- living in a northerly climat...
cohanmagazine.blogspot.com
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Cohan Fulford @cohanf.bsky.social · 19d
#AutumnEquinox Wishing all in the Northern Hemisphere a beautiful autumn +winter to come, time of ripening, maturing, senescence, death that precedes rebirth- heralded by the most crazy beautiful natural spectacle of the year! #PaganSky #animist #baltic #Latvian #Alberta #Canada 🌱🌿 #SeasonalRhythms
In the centre is a stem with several bright yellow flowers- roughly star shaped, upward facing with wide slightly recurved petals and a cluster of upright golden stamens in the centre, above narrow mid-green leaves. The blurry background is more green foliage, scattered yellow flowers and a vine that threads through the centre with deep dark burgundy wine leaves. The sun shines in from above/behind highlighting bits of foliage against dark shadows and making the yellow flowers glow, and the edges of the image are lightened and blurred a little to enhance the autumnal glow. The image has a narrow dull gold border and semi-script text in slightly varying sizes and tones of gold that says "wishing you a Blessed Autumn Equinox"
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Cohan Fulford @cohanf.bsky.social · 24d
This year was *very* butterfly-y + tons of the day moths like Police Car Moths etc-- those are all done by now, though- I'm seeing a few whites but those are about the only butterflies I've seen for a while.
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Cohan Fulford @cohanf.bsky.social · 24d
Thanks! haha- the creeper has never been spready here unless you plant it somewhere. But as our growing season gets a bit longer some years, it is ripening a few berries (this year there were tons of flowers, but must not have ideal pollinators?) which worry me a little so I've tried to pick them!
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Cohan Fulford @cohanf.bsky.social · 24d
Youtube link + #Spectra #Fediverse #Peertube link if you prefer a non-corporate video host.
spectra.video/w/h7haeKiSE1...
youtube.com/shorts/MRbmz...
Autumn is Coming! First Colour + Apples Late August
Leaf Mother will soon be painting the landscape in crazy autumn colour, but she starts with a splash here and there to let us know the time is coming. Autumn hints begin in August here. I'm posting...
spectra.video
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Cohan Fulford @cohanf.bsky.social · 24d
Video from August 27- early signs of #Autumn + #apples
Things have moved along already though still lots of green + above average temperatures #LeafMother begins work slowly, picking up speed day after day #Alberta #Baltic #Latvian #PaganSky #animist #weather 🌱 YouTube + #Spectra links to follow
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Cohan Fulford @cohanf.bsky.social · 25d
I don't have tons of late #flowers -especially since in normal years we'd be likely to have frost by now so plants are wrapping up! Luckily the Comfrey Symphytum officinale is still flowering- these have flowered for months, and I've chopped off mounds that flopped/went to seed #bees #pollinators 🌱📷
Late afternoon sun shines through a the top of a tall plant, stems ending in slightly arching clusters of small pinky purple to violet flowers. Many flowers have already finished leaving rows of green developing seed cases. A fuzzy pale gold and black bumblebee hangs from one of the flowers. Background is a blur of green, gold and violet.
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Cohan Fulford @cohanf.bsky.social · 25d
Yesterday was my #LazyMonday so #GausuMate #MotherOfLaziness said take it easy! I went out late afternoon, spent time watching birds around the apple trees, had a nice short #SlowWalk around the acreage + into the bush on the farm. #garden #nature #Alberta #Autumn #fall #Baltic #Latvian #PaganSky
Late afternoon sun shines through a bushy plant nearly a couple of metres high. It has medium to bright green rough texured leaves, pointed arrow shaped, near hand length farther up the stems, much larger farther down. The stems end in slightly arching clusters of small pinky purple to violet flowers. Many flowers have already finished leavingrows of green linear developing seed cases. WE can see a few red-brown vertical clusters of developing veronica seeds, and a leafy rose stem to the left. The blurred background is shadowed mowed grass, dark apple trunks and part of a large silvery propane tank. Late afternoon sun shines through a bushy plant nearly a couple of metres high. It has medium to bright green rough texured leaves, pointed arrow shaped, near hand length farther up the stems, much larger farther down. The stems end in slightly arching clusters of small pinky purple to violet flowers. Many flowers have already finished leavingrows of green linear developing seed cases. WE can see a red-brown vertical clusters of developing veronica seeds to the left, and leafy rose stems in the centre rear. The blurred background is partly shadowed mowed grass, dark apple trunks and a shadowed area of larger trees farther back.
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Cohan Fulford @cohanf.bsky.social · 25d
The number of different moths is amazing-- and I'm only seeing the ones that are still near the outdoor night lights still in the late morning or afternoon!
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Cohan Fulford @cohanf.bsky.social · 25d
Thanks :)
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Cohan Fulford @cohanf.bsky.social · 25d
Thanks! This was a new moth for me this year (or at least new to have a good observation/photos)- I saw them over a week or two. Glad the alt is useful- it tends to take longer than editing the photos!
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Cohan Fulford @cohanf.bsky.social · 25d
Cool #moth shot over a couple of days on an old wall/screen door below a night light. Seems to be Maple Spanworm Moth Ennomos magnaria; we don't really have maple trees here, but they also use other trees such as Poplar #insects #nature #Alberta #Canada #inverts #BugSky 🌿📷
Same alt all images. This a mid sized moth. At rest it looks very much like semi-dry autumn leaf: dull pale faded to fairly bright goldy/brown with faint speckles and slightly wavy/toothed wing edges. Rather than making themselves flat like many moths, they are often perched with the wings extended and body partly curled upward- making a semi-bowl of the wings above the body. There are several views from different angles and in different light- the 'bowl' of wings viewed from above/straight on; side views showing the fat lightly fuzzy caterpillar body, a couple with the wings extended more flatly. They are perched variously on a smooth crimped (corrugated?) white metal wall, a dark door screen, old window/door frames with peeling blue paint, faded duct tape repairs and moss growing. In a couple of views the late day sun is shining through the moth's wings, making the pale gold come alight. Same alt all images. This a mid sized moth. At rest it looks very much like semi-dry autumn leaf: dull pale faded to fairly bright goldy/brown with faint speckles and slightly wavy/toothed wing edges. Rather than making themselves flat like many moths, they are often perched with the wings extended and body partly curled upward- making a semi-bowl of the wings above the body. There are several views from different angles and in different light- the 'bowl' of wings viewed from above/straight on; side views showing the fat lightly fuzzy caterpillar body, a couple with the wings extended more flatly. They are perched variously on a smooth crimped (corrugated?) white metal wall, a dark door screen, old window/door frames with peeling blue paint, faded duct tape repairs and moss growing. In a couple of views the late day sun is shining through the moth's wings, making the pale gold come alight. Same alt all images. This a mid sized moth. At rest it looks very much like semi-dry autumn leaf: dull pale faded to fairly bright goldy/brown with faint speckles and slightly wavy/toothed wing edges. Rather than making themselves flat like many moths, they are often perched with the wings extended and body partly curled upward- making a semi-bowl of the wings above the body. There are several views from different angles and in different light- the 'bowl' of wings viewed from above/straight on; side views showing the fat lightly fuzzy caterpillar body, a couple with the wings extended more flatly. They are perched variously on a smooth crimped (corrugated?) white metal wall, a dark door screen, old window/door frames with peeling blue paint, faded duct tape repairs and moss growing. In a couple of views the late day sun is shining through the moth's wings, making the pale gold come alight. Same alt all images. This a mid sized moth. At rest it looks very much like semi-dry autumn leaf: dull pale faded to fairly bright goldy/brown with faint speckles and slightly wavy/toothed wing edges. Rather than making themselves flat like many moths, they are often perched with the wings extended and body partly curled upward- making a semi-bowl of the wings above the body. There are several views from different angles and in different light- the 'bowl' of wings viewed from above/straight on; side views showing the fat lightly fuzzy caterpillar body, a couple with the wings extended more flatly. They are perched variously on a smooth crimped (corrugated?) white metal wall, a dark door screen, old window/door frames with peeling blue paint, faded duct tape repairs and moss growing. In a couple of views the late day sun is shining through the moth's wings, making the pale gold come alight.
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Cohan Fulford @cohanf.bsky.social · 28d
It's also a cattle path in summer and a path I use when I walk through there, and pull my sled with firewood when I'm harvesting wood in the wooded area on the other side of the slough, in winter! lol so it is well travelled. When it is snow covered you can see it's used by deer, moose, coyotes :)
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