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Ann in Bridge Lake

@akbridgelake.bsky.social

3.1K followers 868 following 2.1K posts

Documenting in words and photos the beautiful flora, fauna & fungi of BC's South Cariboo region 🇨🇦 (my photos; ID's in ALT text). Spouse, contributor and co-publisher of renaissancegardenguy.com Follow the link to read and subscribe for free.

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Ann in Bridge Lake @akbridgelake.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

"Bastion" is a new piece of short fiction by John G. Stamos and it's our latest published feature in The RGG. "Two summers ago, the business with his eyes hadn't started yet and he could still break into a run when he had to." renaissancegardenguy.com/bastion/

renaissancegardenguy.com

"Bastion" is John G. Stamos' latest work of short fiction. The cliffs were the man's final bastion of salvation.

Ann in Bridge Lake @akbridgelake.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Fall #fungi finds are very slim this year. #FungiFriends #nature #photography 🍄📷

Scurfy Deceiver (Laccaria proxima) mushroom. Reddish brown cap that is slightly scaly and has a depressed center at this stage. The stem is moderately thick and uneven in shape. This mushroom is growing on the ground and is surrounded by forest plants and mosses.

Ann in Bridge Lake @akbridgelake.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

"My Atticus Finch Takes Aim" by Lisa Louis is our latest published feature in The RGG. "'What's that?' I asked my big brother, eyes wide open in the dark." renaissancegardenguy.com/my-atticus-f...

renaissancegardenguy.com

My Atticus Finch Takes Aim

In "My Atticus Finch Takes Aim", Lisa Louis remembers her own stoic, bespectacled father saving her brother and her from a nightime intruder.

Ann in Bridge Lake @akbridgelake.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Chipmunk warrior with spear and bow. #mammals #wildlife #nature #photography 🦊📷

Yellow Pine Chipmunk (Neotamias amoenus) holding a slender stick in one hand and a curved twig in the other hand, giving the impression that he is armed with a spear and longbow.

Ann in Bridge Lake @akbridgelake.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

"Sower" is a lovely new poem by Lane Cook and it's our latest published feature in The RGG. Please make sure to give this one a read. renaissancegardenguy.com/sower/

renaissancegardenguy.com

The poem "Sower" is writer and Master Gardener Lane Cook's lovely poetic testament to the transcendent whimsy, beauty, and power of seed.

Ann in Bridge Lake @akbridgelake.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

The weather forecast did call for "isolated showers" in the Cariboo 📷

A very large cloud with widening top and bottom, and a narrowing middle with heavy rain showers visibly falling.

Ann in Bridge Lake @akbridgelake.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

"So Long, Old Friends, So Long" by John Stamos is our latest in The RGG. "The soil of my old garden...is as indelibly ingrained within the chambers of my heart as it is in the pores of my skin." renaissancegardenguy.com/so-long-old-...

renaissancegardenguy.com

So Long, Old Friends, So Long

"So long, old friends, so long." John Stamos writes his thoughts about leaving his Michiana Shores garden, and all of its wonders, behind.

Ann in Bridge Lake @akbridgelake.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

We only had a thimble-sized serving of summer this year. #wildflowers #nativeplants #nature #photography 📷

Ann in Bridge Lake @akbridgelake.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Summer Knights. #mushrooms #nature #photography #FungiFriends 🍄📷

A trio of Yellow Knight mushrooms (Tricholoma frondosae); one mushroom is resting atop two so that the underside can be seen. Caps are a dirty golden brown - the gills and stem are bright yellow. This mushroom is known as Tricholoma equestre in Europe and recent DNA studies have determined that the one found in North America is a distinct species.

Ann in Bridge Lake @akbridgelake.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

That floating feeling. #Invertebrate #nature #photography 📷

Shamrock Orbweaver (Araneus trifolium) suspended in her spider web. Large and light brown in colour with a distinctive shamrock pattern on the topside of her abdomen. Very long, slender legs that are coloured in alternate pattern of dark brown and off-white.

Ann in Bridge Lake @akbridgelake.bsky.social · 09/08/2026

Slender Cinquefoil in the hayfield. #wildflowers #nativeplants #nature #photography 📷

Slender Cinquefoil (Potentilla gracilis); grouping of numerous erect stems topped with egg-shaped buds - some are partially opened to reveal a bright yellow blossom.

Ann in Bridge Lake @akbridgelake.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

"Buffet" is just one of the many servings of original short fiction that can be found in The RGG. If you enjoy it, please don't hesitate to subscribe and visit our site for more helpings. renaissancegardenguy.com/buffet/

renaissancegardenguy.com

"Buffet" is a work of short fiction by John G. Stamos originally intended for publication elsewhere, but instead finds its debut in The RGG.

Ann in Bridge Lake @akbridgelake.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

Squashberry flowers #wildflowers #nativeplants #nature #photography 📷

Flowers of a Squashberry plant (Viburnum edule); cluster of small five-petaled white flowers with tiny white stamens with darker tips.

Ann in Bridge Lake @akbridgelake.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

This is me after dealing with cell phone and internet issues for the last week. #nature #photography 📷

Dandelion seed head that only has a few tufts left on it. Actually, it looks pretty ratty.

Ann in Bridge Lake @akbridgelake.bsky.social · 11/07/2026

Tucked into Bedstraw #wildflowers #nativeplants #nature #photography 📷

Close-up of a Small Pussytoe (Antennia howellii) tucked underneath the foliage of a Northern Bedstraw (Galium boreale) plant.

Ann in Bridge Lake @akbridgelake.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

"Seagrass" is a new poem by John G. Stamos and it's our latest published feature in The RGG. renaissancegardenguy.com/seagrass/

renaissancegardenguy.com

"Seagrass". New poetry from John G. Stamos. Published for the first time in The RGG. A little Nietzsche with even less Hawthorne.

Ann in Bridge Lake @akbridgelake.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

(Edie) Sedge(wick) #nativeplants #nature #photography 📷

Hood's Sedge (Carex hoodi); the fruits of this sedge resemble small conifer trees. The caption refers to Edie Sedgewick, the American socialite who starred in several of Andy Warhol's films during the 1960's.

Ann in Bridge Lake @akbridgelake.bsky.social · 03/07/2026

Foggy summer morning. #Cariboo #photography 📷

A group of aspen trees enveloped in a morning fog.

Ann in Bridge Lake @akbridgelake.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

Canada (Day) Violet #wildflowers #nativeplants #nature #photography 📷

Canada Violet (Viola canadensis) - white blossom with five petals surrounding a yellow center with thin purple stripes that emanate out from the center.

Ann in Bridge Lake @akbridgelake.bsky.social · 28/06/2026

Snow in Summer #gardening #flowers #photography 📷

Cluster of Snow in Summer flowers; small, white blossoms with notched petals and yellow stamens.

Ann in Bridge Lake @akbridgelake.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

Frog Orchid 🐸 #wildflowers #nativeplants #nature #photography 📷

Frog Orchid (Dactylorhiza viridis) - green stem with narrow green stems and several round flowerheads that are yellow-green and face downwards.

Ann in Bridge Lake @akbridgelake.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

Anticipation. #gardening #photography 📷

Unripened strawberries poking through wire of a planter box.

Ann in Bridge Lake @akbridgelake.bsky.social · 21/06/2026

“Please Don’t Eat the Horseradish…” by John Stamos is a fun and fact-filled look at the plant behind the beloved condiment, from its history to how to grow it, and it’s our latest in The RGG. renaissancegardenguy.com/please-dont-...

renaissancegardenguy.com

Please Don't Eat the Horseradish

Please don't eat the horseradish... at least not until you try growing it as a beautiful ornamental garden perennial first.

Ann in Bridge Lake @akbridgelake.bsky.social · 15/06/2026

Coralroots are a pretty cool wild orchid. #wildflowers #nativeplants #nature #photography 📷

Western Spotted Coralroot (Corallorhiza maculata var. occidentalis) - erect, reddish stalks with reddish sepals and side petals; the lip petals are bright white and covered in reddish spots.

Ann in Bridge Lake @akbridgelake.bsky.social · 13/06/2026

“Ditching Misconceptions” by John Stamos is our latest published feature in The RGG. A behind-the-scenes look at some of the steps taken creating a digital publication and, inadvertently, creating a few misconceptions that require adjustment. renaissancegardenguy.com/ditching-mis...

renaissancegardenguy.com

Ditching Misconceptions

In his latest, John Stamos works on ditching misconceptions about The Renaissance Garden Guy's material identity.

Ann in Bridge Lake @akbridgelake.bsky.social · 07/06/2026

Saxifrage on Sunday. #flowers #garden #photography 📷

Close-up of the flower head of a Saxifrage garden plant. Five red petals with green center and ten round-tipped stamens that are gold coloured.

Ann in Bridge Lake @akbridgelake.bsky.social · 01/06/2026

“Poems of an Arthropodic Nature” is my latest published feature in The RGG. A pair of short poems about small encounters with our world’s tiny denizens. I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoyed writing them. renaissancegardenguy.com/poems-of-an-...

renaissancegardenguy.com

Poems of an Arthropodic Nature

"Poems of an Arthropodic Nature" is Ann Simpson-Stamos' lovely two-poem anthology. The works are short, playful, and perfectly executed.

Ann in Bridge Lake @akbridgelake.bsky.social · 31/05/2026

The Phlox likes to show off first. #Flowers #Gardening #Photography

Close-up of some Phlox flowers from the garden (Creeping or Moss Phlox?). Starry shaped pink flowers amongst unopened buds - some water droplets are visible on a few of the flowers.

Ann in Bridge Lake @akbridgelake.bsky.social · 27/05/2026

"Heroes: Living, Dead, and Imagined" by Lisa Louis is our newest published feature in The RGG. "The qualities of the heroes we admire in books and movies are sometimes reflected in real people in our lives." renaissancegardenguy.com/heroes-livin...

renaissancegardenguy.com

Heroes: Living, Dead, and Imagined

"Heroes: Living, Dead, and Imagined" by Lisa Louis. The measure of a fictional hero is what often makes a real person a hero as well.

Ann in Bridge Lake @akbridgelake.bsky.social · 24/05/2026

Saskatoon berries will soon return, to the joy of birds and bears everywhere. #wildflowers #nativeplants #nature #photography 📷

Branch of a Saskatoon bush (Amelanchier alnifolia) that is covered in white flowers and green leaves.

Ann in Bridge Lake @akbridgelake.bsky.social · 17/05/2026

A Sunday spotlight from The RGG featuring “A Flower’s Song” by John G. Stamos, originally published in Grammaticus. “A flower’s song is a gift … And each flower’s song can be heard clearly by each and every creature who chooses to listen.” renaissancegardenguy.com/a-flowers-so...

renaissancegardenguy.com

A Flower's Song

In "A Flower's Song," The Renaissance Garden Guy demonstrates that a flower really does have a voice, and that it deserves to be heard.

Ann in Bridge Lake @akbridgelake.bsky.social · 15/05/2026

Flower chimes. #wildflowers #nativeplants #nature #photography 📷

Close-up of a Columbia Lily (Lilium columbianum) flower head. Six orange-yellow petals are folded upwards and the underside of the petals is covered with maroon spots. There are six anthers hanging down from the center - the anthers are elongated with a flattened appearance, and are orange-red in colour.

Ann in Bridge Lake @akbridgelake.bsky.social · 08/05/2026

"The American Diner" by Jenna Stocker is a fascinating essay about these humble establishments and it's one of our latest features published in The RGG. "...diners provide the essential backdrop to depict the ordinary realism of everyday life..." renaissancegardenguy.com/the-american...

renaissancegardenguy.com

The American Diner

In "The American Diner", Jenna Stocker writes of this humble roadside institution and its undeniable power to evoke and unify.

Ann in Bridge Lake @akbridgelake.bsky.social · 06/05/2026

Sun, shadow, and gills. #FungiFriends #nature #photography 🍄📷

Underside view of what is likely a Western Deer Mushroom (Pluteus exilis). Gills are close, with some wavy features to the appearance. Gills are also a light pink colour due to the salmon coloured spores. Gills are free from the stem; the stem itself is off white with visible dark fibrils.

Ann in Bridge Lake @akbridgelake.bsky.social · 30/04/2026

"What's in a (Common) Name?" is my latest piece just published in The RGG. "Who doesn't remember finding Puffball mushrooms as a child and stepping on them to create clouds of spores?" renaissancegardenguy.com/whats-in-a-c...

renaissancegardenguy.com

What's in a (Common) Name?

Mycologist Ann Simpson-Stamos asks, "What's in a (common) name?" When trying to identify some mushroom species, the answer is, "Quite a bit!"

Ann in Bridge Lake @akbridgelake.bsky.social · 29/04/2026

A little bit of rain yesterday, and hopefully if there's more to come, it will eventually lead to to finds like this. #FungiFriends #nature #photography 🍄📷

A pair of Hygrophorus pusillus mushrooms (a species of Woodwax). The left side one is an underside view of the gills and the stem - the gills are short decurrent and the colouring of both are off-white in this mature specimen. The right side one is a smaller young specimen, with a rounded shape, and the colouring is a brownish pink with lighter margins - this will mature to a light coloured cap with only some brownish pink colouring remaining in the center.

Ann in Bridge Lake @akbridgelake.bsky.social · 20/04/2026

"Are there any more days of watching the scenery from the window of a train trundle by, while the time of the miles rolling out ahead and behind is marked by a simple glance at the hands of a wristwatch?" renaissancegardenguy.com/time-and-tid...

renaissancegardenguy.com

"Time and tide wait for no man... "

"Time and tide wait for no man... " a snippet from Chaucer is the title of John G. Stamos' piece first published in A Man for Some Seasons.

Ann in Bridge Lake @akbridgelake.bsky.social · 12/04/2026

“Trees” by Allison McBain Hudson will share a journey into the delightful memories that are rooted in a love for this beautiful life form, and it’s our latest feature in the RGG. renaissancegardenguy.com/trees/

renaissancegardenguy.com

"Trees", by Allison McBain Hudson. The author is enraptured by the ancient mysteries that trees harbor, and the timeless secrets they keep.

Ann in Bridge Lake @akbridgelake.bsky.social · 11/04/2026

We use the 'Moose Scale" for measuring snow depth in the South Cariboo. #mammals #wildlife #nature 📷

A very large moose travelling through very deep snow (photo captured by a trail camera on our property).

Ann in Bridge Lake @akbridgelake.bsky.social · 08/04/2026

“Horticultural Hygiene” by John Stamos explores the existentialism of why, when, and how to free a garden from the prison of fallen leaves, and it’s our latest in the RGG. renaissancegardenguy.com/horticultura...

renaissancegardenguy.com

Horticultural Hygiene

Even if you're not trying to sell your house, horticultural hygiene is important. Take it from me. Clean up your yard. You'll thank me for it.

Ann in Bridge Lake @akbridgelake.bsky.social · 04/04/2026

Scurfy Saturday #FungiFriends #nature #photography 🍄📷

Scurfy Twiglet (Tubaria furfuracea) mushroom attached to wood. Mature specimen, with a somewhat depressed cap and edges are upturned exposing the gills underneath. Cap and gills are a light caramel colour at this stage.

Ann in Bridge Lake @akbridgelake.bsky.social · 01/04/2026

“Lilies and Daylilies in Hardiness Zone 4A” by John Stamos takes a closer look at these easily cared for and gorgeous ornamentals that will create the impression that you’ve spent hours working in your garden, and it's our latest feature in the RGG. renaissancegardenguy.com/lilies-and-d...

renaissancegardenguy.com

Lilies and Daylilies in Hardiness Zone 4A

"Lilies and Daylilies in Hardiness Zone 4A" is Part 6 in John Stamos' 8-part series about The RGG's candidates for a Zone 4A Canadian garden.

Ann in Bridge Lake @akbridgelake.bsky.social · 31/03/2026

Lovely coat on this Deer Mushroom. #FungiFriends #nature #photography 🍄📷

A young Deer Mushroom (Pluteus species); cap is slightly bell-shaped with a faint umbo, colouring is very pale brown and the scaly surface has a very grainy, cottony appearance at this stage.

Ann in Bridge Lake @akbridgelake.bsky.social · 27/03/2026

What do you get when you cross an Arctic explorer with a native wildflower? Find out in my new feature just published in the RGG “Out of the North: Richardson’s Geranium”. renaissancegardenguy.com/out-of-the-n...

renaissancegardenguy.com

Out of the North: Richardson’s Geranium

"Out of the North: Richardson's Geranium". Ann Simpson-Stamos. A North American indigenous peoples' lovely secret told by an Arctic explorer.

Ann in Bridge Lake @akbridgelake.bsky.social · 26/03/2026

Little orange gems. #FungiFriends #nature #photography 🍄📷

Cluster of fresh Pinewood Gingertail (Xeromphalina campanella) mushrooms growing on an old, fallen conifer log. Caps are bright orange with a central depression and have a bit of a glittery appearance under the sunlight at this stage.

Ann in Bridge Lake @akbridgelake.bsky.social · 22/03/2026

"Silver, Blood and Scissors: Protection against Witchcraft in an English County" by Hilary Sparkes (@warksfolklore.bsky.social) is the latest feature in the RGG, and is a fascinating look at one of the more interesting aspects of life in an English region. renaissancegardenguy.com/silver-blood...

renaissancegardenguy.com

Silver Blood and Scissors: Protection against Witchcraft in an English County

"Silver, Blood and Scissors: Protection against Witchcraft in an English County" is historian and writer Hilary Sparkes' latest in The RGG.

Ann in Bridge Lake @akbridgelake.bsky.social · 19/03/2026

Check out “Power Flowerers in Hardiness Zone 4A” and learn about some of the mega bloomers that will thrive in this gardening zone. It’s part 5 of a series in the RGG, and the colours will leave you gasping! renaissancegardenguy.com/power-flower...

renaissancegardenguy.com

Power Flowerers in Hardiness Zone 4A

The RGG garden is moving to colder climes in Western Canada. See what's coming with. Check out the new power flowerers in Hardiness Zone 4A.

Ann in Bridge Lake @akbridgelake.bsky.social · 18/03/2026

A very decorative view. #FungiFriends #nature #photography 🍄

Underside view of a Lichen Agaric (Lichenomphalia ericetorum) mushroom against a background of various mosses. Cap is off-white and translucent; gills are widely spaced with two tiers of subgills. Stem is slender and lighter in colour, and gill attachment is more adnate than recurrent at this stage. The previous taxon name of L. umbellifera was revised in December 2024.

Ann in Bridge Lake @akbridgelake.bsky.social · 09/03/2026

"Legacy" by Allison McBain Hudson is a truly lovely piece and it is the latest feature to be found at the RGG publication. "Making things is a way to express love and appreciation, and as well as helping in practical ways, it can help make connections." renaissancegardenguy.com/legacy/

renaissancegardenguy.com

"Legacy", by Allison McBain Hudson

"Legacy". Allison McBain Hudson's latest in The RGG. Aspirations that matter most are found in the legacies of those we love and admire most.

Ann in Bridge Lake @akbridgelake.bsky.social · 08/03/2026

Sitting tall in the saddle. #FungiFriends #nature #photography 🍄📷

Pair of Saddle-Shaped False Morels (Paragyromitra infula) growing on mossy ground. Caps are red-brown and elfin-shaped with upturned lobe edges; stipes are stout and off-white. Species recently moved from genus Gyromitra to Paragyromitra.