Author | Lightnews

Cohan Fulford

@cohanf.bsky.social

700 followers 340 following 1.3K 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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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

Cohan Fulford @cohanf.bsky.social · 3d

As always, I do have this on YouTube (slightly higher quality) and Spectra (if you prefer non-corporate hosting)
#Cats #video #fediverse #Peertube
spectra.video/w/6W8nbDu3SA...
youtube.com/shorts/VCKuP...

Blep! Pearly Enjoying Autumn Grass

Pearly hasn't been as energetic/adventurous this year- she hasn't followed me much around the yard, but she does still come over to this spot. It's in front of the big spruce trees that shelter my ...

spectra.video

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Cohan Fulford @cohanf.bsky.social · 3d

#Pearly likes to come out while I'm working outside, usually lounging around on the open porch or on the grass just below the steps. She also likes to go (not far) to the wood storage area when I'm working there. Here's a short vid of her eating grass
#cat #SeniorCat #animals #CountryLiving #Alberta

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Cohan Fulford @cohanf.bsky.social · 3d

Seems I'm always stopping work to move some little #critters out of harm's way! (at least until the deep cold arrives!) This time it was a cute little #Ladybug when I was cutting firewood in the bush #Alberta #insects #Countryliving 🌿

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Cohan Fulford @cohanf.bsky.social · 4d

Exactly. I think the comments that said Callisa fragrans- also called Basket Plant, it looks like, were probably right :)

Cohan Fulford @cohanf.bsky.social · 4d

Looks about right, definitely Commelinaceae.

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Cohan Fulford @cohanf.bsky.social · 5d

Re: the name- I also saw a reference that said that Linnaeus referred to an earlier work that mentioned a blood-red *root*and that was the source of the name! Seems more credible, but I did not confirm that. In any case, this is its showiest season!

Cohan Fulford @cohanf.bsky.social · 5d

Geranium sanguineum Bloody (Blood-red, really) Cranesbill. In summer it sports green leaves and pink flowers- not very bloody! The #autumn foliage seems more fitting for the name and I did see a claim online that that is what it is named for. (But!-see reply) #garden #plants #Alberta 📷🌱

Overview of a bit of rock garden in early evening light, mostly shadow. We see a smallish plant (several handspans across) with fairly low spreading stems. Stems are loosely clothed with not quite round leaves which are divided into 3 lobes which are further divided into several to a handful or more of finer somewhat narrow sections. The effect- especially in autumn colour as now (deep orange-red to wine)- is similar to a tiny Japanese Maple.Background is partially blurred rocks, scattered dull gold-brown fallen leaves, bits of dry grass and occasional green foliage of other plants- Antennaria, Polemonium, spruce saplings etc.

A closer view of one branch mostly, arcing very slightly from left to right, with just a hint of late sunlight reaching some of the leaves.
In early evening light, mostly shadow, a smallish plant (several handspans across) with fairly low spreading stems. Stems are loosely clothed with not quite round leaves which are divided into 3 lobes which are further divided into several to a handful or more of finer somewhat narrow sections. The effect- especially in autumn colour as now (deep orange-red to wine)- is similar to a tiny Japanese Maple.Background is partially blurred rocks, scattered dull gold-brown fallen leaves, bits of dry grass and occasional green foliage of other plants- Antennaria, Polemonium, spruce saplings etc.

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Cohan Fulford @cohanf.bsky.social · 6d

haha--well at least they are blooming! They are supposed to be triggered by daylength, so in theory any time when night/day are at least equal. Probably some extra cues- temperature, water, nutrients- even mixed signals from mixed genes...lol- but again, it's blooming! :)

Cohan Fulford @cohanf.bsky.social · 7d

Nice at any time! A lot of them now are very mixed up hybrids, but this looks rather like the sort that used to get called 'Thanksgiving Cactus' close at least to Canadian Thanksgiving! (oct 13, this year)

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Cohan Fulford @cohanf.bsky.social · 10d

Back in the countryside where I grew up, now, but prior to 2007, 25 years of living right downtown in several big cities.. a different life...lol

Cohan Fulford @cohanf.bsky.social · 10d

🙃 Haha- no sarcasm or anything intended..lol we just had different background thoughts + different experiences. And now- I haven't been in a big city (apart from a couple of in and out half days to buy cars) since 2007! and have only been to the nearest small city a couple of times since 2020..lol

Cohan Fulford @cohanf.bsky.social · 10d

Of course not :)

Cohan Fulford @cohanf.bsky.social · 11d

Oh I wasn't thinking that at all :) I actually was thinking (for no good reason-maybe illogically because *I'm* not in a city these days? lol) you meant people who were outside of their own cities were acting that way...lol Anyway, no idea, all sorts of different times and places and cultures :)

Cohan Fulford @cohanf.bsky.social · 11d

maybe it's a suburban city vs inner city thing?-lots of characters in my days in downtown Toronto and Edmonton!

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Cohan Fulford @cohanf.bsky.social · 11d

Last Sunday we had our 1st #snow of the season. A fairly mild to warm week, most is gone, with little bits in shady spots. Today cloudy, chance of rain/thunderstorms, but another week forecast mostly above average. #commute #alberta #autumn #landscape #SnowMother #PaganSky #Latvian #weather 📷

Views from the moving car on a wet and snowy morning. The snow is coming down fairly heavily at times, and the effect is increased by the fact that most of the shots have some amount of zoom (i.e.- as you look farther through the snow, it gets snowier!). The sky is evenly grey, visibility often reduced by the falling snow, at times appearing misty or falling in large clumpy flakes. Looking up a wide 4 lane section of wet highway (passing zone) with painted yellow medians and dotted white lines between lanes. The road goes up a slight hill. On the right we see some snowy grass and power lines, to the left a dense growth of small dark spruce is next to the ditch, then a small snowy open area and a large area of mixed woods behind, with some golden poplars and dark spruce, all snow blurred/faded. A few vehicles are coming down the hill toward us, on the left side. Midway, on the left, a vehicle is stopped on a side road, facing the highway, with doors open.

Cohan Fulford @cohanf.bsky.social · 11d

When I moved back home from the big cities, and started working in a small town, it took me a little while to recognise things like Halloween and the local rodeo, when folks might where costumes-- I didn't really think it odd if the sales clerk was wearing pyjamas or a big hat, for example.

Cohan Fulford @cohanf.bsky.social · 17d

First #snow Saturday/Sunday (it's not early- *August* would be early, September typical, October late!) Just a few cm; nights have been -5 to -9C /23 to15F, days near/below 0C- so snow has stuck around for now
Rock #garden Friday vs Sunday
#houseplants #autumn #Alberta #weather 📷🌱

A single bright/intense bluey pink flower (a hybrid of Geranium sanguineum), open cup/bowl shaped with 5 overlapping petals glows in the afternoon sun against a background of deep green foliage and dark shadows.

Looking out a somewhat foggy window at a rock garden with light snow cover and overcast morning light. We see many kinds of low and bushy and spikey plants poking up through and coated with the snow, scattered wet dark rocks also show through. We see a bit of the ground beyond he garden, a low mowed area, covered in a few cm/ inch or two of snow. The scene overall is a bit blurred.

Cohan Fulford @cohanf.bsky.social · 18d

A privilege :)

Cohan Fulford @cohanf.bsky.social · 18d

We have 3 species that stay here all winter (plus another occasionally seen in winter, I haven't figured out if it just passes through or if it's an uncommon resident)- so yeah, they are not shy about cold- gets to -40 and lower here!

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Cohan Fulford @cohanf.bsky.social · 18d

Yeah, I post on Mastodon, rarely post anything without photos, and of course you can easily enough interact with folks on Pixelfed and other platforms :)

Cohan Fulford @cohanf.bsky.social · 18d

I wonder if he'll still like them for the next couple of days- we've got some snow and freezing temps even daytime (though warmer again this week)- so they'd be like popsickles!

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Cohan Fulford @cohanf.bsky.social · 19d

Haha -yes no doubt a tasty change of pace! Of course when they are hacking away at trees the wood is a by-product, they really want those yummy carpenter ants..lol

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Cohan Fulford @cohanf.bsky.social · 19d

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

Cohan Fulford @cohanf.bsky.social · 19d

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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Cohan Fulford @cohanf.bsky.social · 23d

Wow-- haven't seen any of those for a long time (our local sp)!

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