Skip to content

Don Scallen

Don Scallen enjoys sharing his love of nature through his writing and presentations. Check out his blog "Notes from the Wild".

Taking time to smell the flowers

Groundhogs

Dec 9, 2013

Have groundhogs learned the ability to look both ways before crossing?

Honeybee and crocus

A Bee or not a Bee? That is the question.

Nov 11, 2013

Our understanding of the natural world is often rather muddled. Calling a yellow-jacket a bee is like calling a fox a woodchuck.

Red-backed salamander up close

Red-backed salamander

Oct 17, 2013

Red-backed salamanders are abundant, outnumbering all of the reptiles, rodents and birds that share their forest habitat.

Goldfinch male in spring

Goldfinches

Sep 18, 2013

Don’t worry about deadheading your perennials after they flower – allow them to go to seed and provide succor to goldfinches and other birds.

Bald faced hornet on bloodflower

Pollinator Friendly Gardens

Aug 28, 2013

When I walk into my yard I am greeted by a gloriously diverse menagerie of tiny winged creatures.

The living jewel, the chysalis

Monarch Butterfly – RIP 2026

Aug 9, 2013

Most of us are old enough to remember when monarchs were a frequent sight in meadows and gardens.

milksnake

Milksnakes

Jul 18, 2013

Milksnakes, a threat to no one except Mickey and Minnie.

Here's looking at you kid!

Green Frog Blog

Jun 26, 2013

Green frogs sometimes strike out cross country in search of new ponds and new environments, boldly going where no frogs have gone before!

male cowbird

Cowbirds

May 27, 2013

Cowbirds, if unlikely to garner much human sympathy, are fascinating creatures.

White throated sparrow

Spring Sparrows

May 8, 2013

Take time to notice the fox, white-crowned and white-throated sparrows.

Timberdoodles

Apr 9, 2013

The flight of the timberdoodle should continue through April and can be witnessed at dawn as well as dusk.

Coyote, Photo by Robert McCaw.

Dances with Coyotes

Mar 31, 2013

Humans have long had a love-hate relationship with these ingenious creatures.

Spring’s Wild Beauties

Mar 31, 2013

The heart-gladdening beauty of early wildflowers is a signal all is right in the woodland. Which one is your favourite?

Redpolls

Mar 17, 2013

The redpoll feeding etiquette is decidedly boorish; they jostle each other rudely for favoured perches on the feeders.

Chickadees

Mar 3, 2013

Chickadees are consummate risk takers and they pack a lot of smarts into their tiny bird brains.

Hairy and Downy Woodpeckers

Feb 15, 2013

Hairy woodpeckers brandish large dagger-like beaks; the beaks of downys are smaller and more chisel-like.

Opossum

Opossums

Jan 6, 2013

Opossums, having migrated north are also unlikely winter survivalists. Naked ears, feet and tails slough off frozen fragments during our harsh winters.

Christmas fern

Evergreen Ferns

Dec 11, 2012

Many ferns boast exquisite form and are splendid photographic subjects. Seeking them is a fine excuse for a late season ramble.

In The Hills

In The Hills is an independent, locally owned print and online magazine that has earned its reputation as the best-read, best-loved magazine in Headwaters.

The magazine is delivered to more than 40,000 homes and farms throughout Caledon, Erin, Dufferin, Orangeville and Creemore – up to double the circulation of any other local publication. And it is available to visitors at local inns, restaurants, specialty retail stores and other tourist locations.