You just don't know who will read it



Of course, they were less interested in the factual than in ridding themselves of last winter's loose fur.



Large boulders in the prairie have been worn smooth by generations of bison rubbing their itching coats against them, but they're certainly not fussy, and a noticeboard's fence will do just as well.







As will a roadsign. I hope this one is still standing tomorrow, despite the best efforts of 2,000 lb (900 kg) of bison bull



They seem to think that it's spring, and they're not the only ones. A handful of prairie crocuses are now in bloom





And yet snow is forecast for Saturday

...or at least Canada's closest parallel



Muskrats are very like small beavers, and even live a similar lifestyle, building small lodges and pursuing an aquatic existence. They're best distinguished by their long narrow tails, which are very different from the paddle-like tail of the beaver. I have seen both species in the Frenchman River in the last few days, although the beaver simply performed its trademark tail-slap alarm and vanished underwater. The muskrat was more accommodating




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The weather keeps changing. In this exposed environment, even +15c can feel startlingly warm, but hiding when the storms start to roar is an art known best to the land's native creatures.



This is called the "land of living skies" for a reason





Hiding from genuinely living things might not seem easy either, and indeed some wildlife defends itself through techniques that don't rely upon concealment; bison still herd for safety, although the huge packs of white wolves that historically followed them in southern Saskatchewan have been driven to extinction.



And prairie dogs keep watch, even when their foe has fallen asleep on the dinner table



Not all predators are so idle



But one fox taught me a new lesson this evening: when in doubt, skulk in a wheatfield