Experimenting with native species in small spaces
Honeybee on butterflyweed (Photo by NCC)
Earlier this summer, a group of Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) Leaders in Conservation visited St. Williams Nursery & Ecology Centre in Norfolk County, Ontario, for a tour of the nursery's impressive facility. With several years of...
Heard it from a Scout: 10 apps to help you explore nature
Exploring nature safely and effectively has never been easier with technology at our fingertips. (Photo courtesy Scouts Canada)
Technology is on the rise, and it seems like people are always saying, “There’s an app for that.” This trend also applies to the nature buffs out there who love learning more about the outdoors! As a fellow nature enthusiast and...
Magic shrubs: How to master live staking
Willow live stakes (Photo by NCC)
I remember raising my eyebrows skeptically when my colleagues from the Nottawasaga Valley Conservation Authority told me that we were going to be cutting branches off of shrubs and hammering them into the ground along the Nottawasaga River to...
A chance meeting with an iconic Canadian mammal
Moose and her calf (Photo courtesy of Wild for Wildlife and Nature)
Moose are an iconic part of Canada's wildlife. Growing up to six and a half feet tall at their shoulders and weighing up to 1,400 pounds, they are the largest species of deer in the world and one of the largest land mammals in Canada.Crossing...
Something's Fishy: Cat's got my tongue
Channel catfish, Fat Fish series (Illustration by Al Lau)
Before all you cat ladies and cat fanatics start reading this blog, I need to disclose something: I’m a dog person. It’s not that I don’t like cats. Who couldn’t love their long whiskers and unpredictable behaviour? I just...
Why I believe that zoos help conservation
Riley snaps a photo with the Toronto Zoo's alpacas (Photo courtesy of Riley Harding)
As a conservationist and wildlife supporter, I get a lot of head turns when I say that I support zoos. I’m the first to acknowledge that some have a history of being grim tourist destinations; however, I know first-hand the positive impact...
Five Canadian songs that connect us to nature
(Photo from Pixabay)
For me, listening to music can have similar effects to a walk in the woods. Hearing a good song can make me feel freer, more connected and sometimes can even make me breathe a little bit easier after a stressful day. Like roots under a tree, music...
Tracking wood thrush through Ontario forests
Adult wood thrush at her nest (Photo by Sue Hayes)
Each year, the wood thrush travels thousands of kilometres from its over-wintering habitat in the tropical regions of Central America to its breeding habitat in forests throughout southern Ontario. This medium-sized songbird, like many other...
Keep your garden Canadian, eh?
Blue flag iris (Photo by Mike Dembeck)
Many of the plants we have in our yards are not native to Canada. In some cases, these non-native plants are invasive and can intrude into nearby natural areas or affect the growth and spread of native species. In most cases, native plants provide...
Overlooked plants and new discoveries: Moss and liverwort surveys in Manitoba
New liverworts to Manitoba on decaying log (Photo by Richard Caners)
As part of updating the Nature Conservancy of Canada’s (NCC’s) Natural Area Conservation Plan for the Whitemouth River Watershed in southeastern Manitoba, I spent a day assisting Royal Alberta Museum botany curator and good friend Dr....
