Summertime Snow

There is this weird phenomena going on right now on the streets of Toronto. I walk to work and all of a sudden I'm swamped with white fluffy particles. Well, these are, of course, dandelion seeds. But, I've never seen them in such an enormous quantity. They will float endlessly through the air and settle on the ground in huge drifts, looking very much like snow. All of this coincides with the current book I'm reading, Suburban Safari, which is the bestest book ever. At least the bestest book I'm reading now. I can't recommend it enough. It's written by a woman in South Portland, Maine (not too far from my hometown) who decided to watch her backyard for a year and learn about the plants, bugs and critters that call it home. I'm learning so many things from this book that every day I'm full of facts to tell Miss Bella. Like, did you know that all (I hesitate to say "all." Let's say, 99.9% of) earthworms are immigrant earthworms who came over here on boats, either squished in horseshoes, or food or in boat ballast. Amazing! To me anyway. I love reading about the interactions between the author and her yard of squirrels, crows, woodchucks, chipmunks and the endless supply of ants, bees, caterpillars and the like. I find myself looking at all the local Toronto flora and fauna with fresh eyes. Like those resilient dandelions. A CANADIAN FACT! In Toronto, only organic methods are allowed to fight dandelions and other weeds and $250 fines will be levied against those ignoring the ban. However, pesticides can still be used to guard against West Nile virus, infestations and allergens.