NEWSLETTER No. 32 May 1978 NEXT MEETING Time: 8:00 p.m., Tuesday, May 2, 1978 Place: Provincial Health Building, 3rd Floor, Room 47.

Program: The Nature Slide Competition will be held, the slides shown and the members will judge winners. Bring your slides to the meeting.

SPRING THAW

As the season turns, grey edges of the days begin to lengthen, snow murmurs as it goes, sod softens slowly, thaws, turf becomes elastic on gusty afternoons and green is easy to imagine on brown today.

I watch and listen to brown birds waking in the weeds to early flies on warm windows to slow swell of buds and flush of twigs; the warm wind breathes across old pitted snow as the river's ice sighs and sings, and the smell of promise fills the air.

As the season turns, . grey edges of the days begin to lengthen, yes, dawn and evening linger, I hear the groundthaw of my mind slowly waking to a new song, extending a paw to test the weather of the ragged end of Winter edge of Spring.

Before the floods and flowers.

F.W. Grimm Trail and Landscape Vol. 12(2):54, 1978

ANNOUNCEMENTS

"ISLAND WOODLAND PLANTS"

A pleasant surprise greeted the N.H.S. members at the April meeting. Copies of this new publication from the Department of the Environment, were on the table, free for all to take. The author is Kathy Martin, our newsletter editor. Forty-three woodland plants are described in easy-reading language. Each plant is illustrated with a drawing by Elizabeth MacArthur. The cover and several pages of woodland scenes are by Cheryl Olsen. The scientific name, the common English name, the common French name, and the plant family name are given with each plant. All this adds up to a great little book - a credit to all who had any part in its creation.

Margaret Mallett, Charlottetown.

Conference Brochures Available

"Nature in the Gulf - Island, Man and Sea" conference brochures have been completed for the CNF annual meeting in August 1978. We have included one with your newsletter. Numbers are available for distribution and it is up to all our members to publicize the conference. We encourage you to send copies to all your friends or

relatives who might have an interest in attending. Also you can

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