April Coldest Month

We're past the last day of April and major Canadian cities are "on track for historic April cold."  April has been about 5 degrees below seasonal temperatures in Toronto.  In addition, there has yet to be a day above 20 degrees.  That last happened in 1999. And the prediction is that "persistent warmth will be a struggle into May".   If we wanted to find out about the most extreme weather, the list of weather records is in wikipedia.  What goes into a weather record?  The top two are highest and lowest temperatures ever recorded. And then there are records for rain, snow, wind speed, tornadoes, cyclones, hail, lightning, ultraviolet index, and air pressure.  What a lot of things for the weather to be extreme at! It is all HERE.   I thought the antidote to this difficult spring might be a revisit to the Butterfly Conservatory in Niagara Falls.

Canada's Prettiest Town...

Niagara Falls is a tourist destination, so Family weekend is busy. The Butterfly Conservatory started its day with mostly young families out to see the butterflies.  It is a beautiful tropical garden setting, and like a trip to the Caribbean for a few hours. Huge blue morphos flutter past your head in pairs and swirl away.  Often a butterfly will land on the ground.  Oh no! Don't walk there!.  Someone always reaches out with a finger for them to perch on so they can get back up to a plant.  It is a universal gesture of kindness. There are those who turn out to be afraid of insects - whether they are bearing beautiful wings or not.  From adults to small children, there are a few cringing or crying visitors amongst the laughing and smiling groups.  It is funny to see parents with fearful children - mostly they look puzzled and confused.  They seem to wonder how this is happening to them.  I imagine their thoughts:  "Is this the child I brought with me, or did someone switch it on me?" We took a quick look at the Prairie Meadow garden in the winter - it is beautiful with tall grasses, asters, and ironweed stalks. Then down the River Road to to Niagara-on-the-Lake.  There were boats on the River, and it looked like people fishing.  There are interesting fish species in the Niagara River, including sturgeon. Niagara-on-the-Lake was busy - there's never a down time anymore.  Now there are  all sorts of high-end wineries to visit, and the Oscar Peterson Jazz Festival got its inaugural start this past weekend.  Even in the middle of winter, Niagara-on-the-Lake is the prettiest town in Canada.

Family Day Butterfly Fly By

"Oreo the skunk and Rucker the North American barn owl are among a menagerie of animals who will celebrate Family Day weekend at the Niagara Parks Butterfly Conservatory".   The Butterfly Conservatory reopened this weekend after being closed for several weeks for pruning, rearranging and restoring the tropical environment.   The Conservatory is home to more than 40 species and 2,000 butterflies. In preparation for our visit, I have sought out a few butterfly jokes. What do you get when you eat Caterpillars? Butterflies in your stomach Why was the butterfly not invited to the dance? Because it was a moth ball Who said I'd win that giant butterfly contest? Me and my big moth How do you make a butterfly? Flick it out of the butter dish with a knife Why did the boy throw the butter out the window? Wanted to see the butter fly Which insect is the ruler of the insect world? The monarch