In 399 B., one of the greatest philosophers of all time, Socrates was sentenced to death. Socrates was a courageous man who stood up for what he believed in. He was offered a chance to live, but he chose death instead.
Socrates was taken to the nearby jail where his sentence would be carried out. Athenian law prescribed death by drinking a cup of poison hemlock. Socrates drank the hemlock, as condemned at trial, and executed his death sentence. (ancientpages.com)
The scientific name for poison hemlock is Conium maculatum. Poison Hemlock is native to the tempered regions of West Asia, Europe, and North Africa, but has since spread to North America, Australia, and New Zealand.
I occasionally see it in the Toronto area.
We saw a great deal of Hemlock this morning at Wilket Creek but this is the unrelated tree – the Eastern Hemlock (Tsuga canadensis)
These cones are about half an inch long.
Other botany:
Wilket Creek scenes:
Some birds:
Today’s group:
Warning about icy conditions.
Some trails are very icy at the moment and great care must be taken on them. Ice grippers for your boots are helpful.
MAILBOX
Happy ❤️ Day – this is fun! 😊
NATURE POETRY
Good morrow, Benedick. Why, what’s the matter,
That you have such a February face,
So full of frost, of storm and cloudiness? – William Shakespeare (1564–1616)
Miles Hearn