Chris Buddle: Artist, poet, conservationist

Most members of the McGill community know Chris Buddle as a professor, an entomologist, a researcher, or a McGill administrator. But Buddle is a man of many more talents, which you can read all about in a new McGill Reporter article.

On May 22, he will launch A Portrait of Astonishing Nature, a remarkable collection of original poetry and watercolour paintings that pay loving tribute to the plants and animals around us.

“The book combines a lot of my passions and love of life and the natural world,” says Buddle, an entomologist who does watercolour paintings at his kitchen table and carries a notebook full of haiku jotted down while taking the train to and from work.

The book is comprised of 53 original poems and watercolours celebrating the plants and animals that can be found, or once were found, in the Creek 53 watershed near Hudson, Quebec. The citizen-led Creek Conservancy Trust, of which Buddle is a trustee, is dedicated to preserving the land for future generations. Every dollar raised in book sales will support the ongoing efforts to protect the wild beauty of Creek 53. “I don’t take a cent,” says Buddle. “Everyone who buys a book is doing their part to preserve nature and wildlife.”

Chris Buddle will launch his book A Portrait of Astonishing Nature on Wednesday, May 22, at 3:30 p.m. until 5 p.m. on the lower level of the LE JAMES bookstore (680 Sherbrooke Street west). Refreshments will be served.