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Mute Planet Mute Planet is a website dedicated to travel, science, writing and photography. Mute Planet 靜音星球 http://www.muteplanet.com

Through silent media, it explores and celebrates the wonder of this amazing world we share.

We still a few weeks of summer left — technically, at least — but already the signs of autumn’s approaching tread were a...
02/09/2026

We still a few weeks of summer left — technically, at least — but already the signs of autumn’s approaching tread were around us. Not only had ‘’back to school’ arrived, but tinges coloured the trees in places and there was a coolness to the air in mornings that spoke of summer heat being laid to rest. [Photo: Mark Malby]

Some mornings, you wake up in a different city — and find yourself wondering about all the other ones which have come be...
30/08/2026

Some mornings, you wake up in a different city — and find yourself wondering about all the other ones which have come before. [Photo: Mark Malby]

When you’re 10 km off and trying to figure out through the zoom whether it’s a golden eagle or merely an immature bald e...
28/08/2026

When you’re 10 km off and trying to figure out through the zoom whether it’s a golden eagle or merely an immature bald eagle, perched upon the wooden radar reflector. [As it turns out, golden eagles are so rare on this coast that it’s almost certainly the latter.)

After the rains come the rewards…. [Photo: Mark Malby]
27/08/2026

After the rains come the rewards…. [Photo: Mark Malby]

One of those “O Canada!” moments — with the geese gathering to gander at the rising sun. [Photo: Mark Malby]
25/08/2026

One of those “O Canada!” moments — with the geese gathering to gander at the rising sun. [Photo: Mark Malby]

As churches go, one of the friendliest I’ve come across is the small wooden kirk of St. Peter’s-on-the-Rock, which sits ...
24/08/2026

As churches go, one of the friendliest I’ve come across is the small wooden kirk of St. Peter’s-on-the-Rock, which sits — literally — on a rocky islet in the midst of Ontario’s Kawartha Lakes region.

Founded in 1914 on the clear waters of Stony Lake, it is an interdenominational church that operates just during the summer months, with guest ministers of various affiliations. Accessible only by powerboat and canoe, its bell rings across the lake waters on Sunday mornings, welcoming one and all in the lake community. [Photo: Mark Malby]

“𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘞𝘩𝘰 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸? 𝘞𝘩𝘰 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦?𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘯𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘨𝘭𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘦,𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘨 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘍𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘭𝘢...
23/08/2026

“𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘦
𝘞𝘩𝘰 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸? 𝘞𝘩𝘰 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦?
𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘯𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘨𝘭𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘦,
𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘨 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘦
𝘍𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘱𝘢𝘥...”
— Loren Eiseley

Despite its resemblance to more venomous snakes I’ve encountered in the tropics (and occasionally pictured here before) the Smooth Greensnake (𝘖𝘱𝘩𝘦𝘰𝘥𝘳𝘺𝘴 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘴) of Ontario is harmless and secretive, an uncommon resident of woodlands, fields and wetland edges which mostly lives on a diet of insects and spiders. [Photograph: Mark Malby]

“𝘐𝘴𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘢𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵, 𝘯𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘱𝘰𝘦𝘵 𝘴𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘦,” author Jeanette Winterson once wrote.Many of u...
23/08/2026

“𝘐𝘴𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘢𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵, 𝘯𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘱𝘰𝘦𝘵 𝘴𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘦,” author Jeanette Winterson once wrote.

Many of us might hold an island fondly in our hearts and some of us are even lucky enough to live on an island (though I suppose any plot of habitable land on Earth is an island, when looked at the right way, or from far enough away.)

Yet for me, home truly is an island — and after weeks and months of travel, it’s always a warm and friendly feeling to come back to that island you know best. [Photo: Mark Malby]
#360

The Canary Rockfish (𝘚𝘦𝘣𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘦𝘳) is a colorful resident of British Columbia’s coastal waters. It’s found all the ...
21/08/2026

The Canary Rockfish (𝘚𝘦𝘣𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘦𝘳) is a colorful resident of British Columbia’s coastal waters. It’s found all the way from Baja California to the Gulf of Alaska, but is most abundant along the shores of B.C., Washington and Oregon.

These rockfish can live as long as 75 years, though don’t often make it this far, given that they are a favourite for the dinner plate and have been an important commercial fish species since the 1880s.

Restaurants and markets routinely mislabel them as “Pacific Red Snapper”, although a rockfish is an entirely different genus. Despite their popularity with fishermen and piscivores, Canary Rockfish remain abundant in their coastal habitat. [Photo: Mark Malby]

There’s something about the Canadian woods that brings peace to even the most urbanised heart. Here, the white pine woo...
20/08/2026

There’s something about the Canadian woods that brings peace to even the most urbanised heart. Here, the white pine woods of the Kawartha Highlands emanate the scents of damp forest soil, whispering wildflowers, sweet ferns and mosses, and the resinous whiff of fresh pine sap on the wind.

The traffic sounds of nearby County Road 36 fade with each footstep, replaced instead by the music of running water, of wind through the trees, of birdsong — the rasp of a bluejay, the croak of a raven, the rending melody of the white-throated sparrow which sounds for all the world like “Oh Canada Canada Canada…”

Yes, these are the moments where time starts to lag, drips to a standstill, until the worries that clutched you tight in all those workaday months, vaporise and blow away… thistledown on the breeze. [Photo: Mark Malby]

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