From the Florida Keys, to a place called Kokanee”…  As Jill mentioned in her previous entry, our 2010 BIObus adventure began back in late February, while the snow was still very much flying at the University of Guelph campus, and well beyond. Since then we’ve seen so many beautiful places, from the Florida Keys to the Pacific Rim in British Columbia. We’ve met so many friendly people and seen so many fascinating creatures.

We’re often asked, “What’s your favorite place so far?” It’s impossible to give a simple answer. Truthfully, when it comes time to pack up and head to the next destination, we’re always sad to leave. We wish we could spend even more time at each location, because we know we’re only scratching the surface of what each environment contains. We need more researchers–more BIObuses, to cover the continent in depth. A longer summer would help too!

At Prince Albert National Park, where the mosquito populations approached the density of Churchill, Manitoba’s, the biodiversity was very impressive. While we looked forward to escaping and healing our plentiful punctures, we’ve missed the abundance of dragonflies and butterflies there.

Canada’s National Parks are magnificent and breathtaking. It’s such a privilege to be able to explore them.

Driving through the mountains was spectacular. Back in Ontario, I often imagined clouds on the horizon were enormous mountains in the distance.

Here, the mountains are very real, but it’s sometimes hard to tell where the mountains end and the clouds begin. Sunsets have been spectacular, from the beaches of the Pacific Rim or the UBC campus, to the hills around Kamloops”… Adjectives, and even photographs, cannot faithfully capture their beauty.

We arrived at Revelstoke, British Columbia today. It’s warmer and more humid than Pacific Rim, with a wider diversity of vegetation, so we’re anticipating lots of insect life.

I’ll leave you with a few photos from recent days: A Tiger Beetle at Prince Albert; A Bald Eagle from Pacific Rim; And a very interesting wasp from Jasper with cool, fin-like epaulets.