Saint Jean Baptiste Day

This year summer solstice was a bit of bust weather-wise. With cool, rainy weather and the threat of a thunderstorm it definitely wasn't the year to have an outdoor bonfire. So to celebrate with our French colleagues, we saved it for Thursday, June 24, Saint Jean Baptiste Day (a National Holiday in Quebec and a day to celebrate of French Canadian culture)! A game of ultimate frisbee was followed by some celebrations around the bonfire.

The temperatures for June have been above average for several days and continue to be slightly above normal for the last few days. Here is a chart of daily temperatures in June 2010 for Churchill, Manitoba from the Environment Canada.


The waves of flowering plants on the tundra continue with most of the rhododendron being out in flower (the second wave of purple) and the hedysarum already starting as well. The peat areas are covered in a white carpet of cloudberry blooms and the dwarf labrador tea has started to bloom in several locations. The pictures below are all courtesy of Sara, our summer research technician at the CNSC.


Cloudberry in flower - June 22, 2010




Dwarf bog rosemary in flower - June 24, 2010


A view of Bird Cove when the fog rolled in with the incoming tide.


Work continues on the new building with the building envelope materials being installed and the concrete being poured. More to come on the new building in a following blog post....