Where have all the pollinators gone?
Research site (Photo by Diana Robson)
After a summer filled with ticks, mosquitoes and biting flies, I was ready for a pest-free pollinator survey at the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) properties near Riding Mountain National Park this September. Autumn field work can be quite...
The search for an elusive species
Black purse-web spider (Photo by Rob Craig, Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry)
The black purse-web spider is not well known in Ontario. The species has been found occasionally across Southern Ontario, from Windsor to Belleville, including a recent find in Rouge Park in 2012. Interestingly, it belongs to the group of...
Butterfly moments
Poweshiek skipperling (Photo by NCC)
"Just living isn't enough," said the butterfly, "one must also have freedom, sunshine, and a little flower." ~ Hans Christian Anderson Sometimes a place speaks to you. You may not even consciously notice it until you find yourself thinking of...
Bring bees back to your garden
Bee pollinating a cherry tree (Photo by Jaimee Morozoff, NCC staff)
A few weeks ago, my mother texted me a photo of a shallow bowl with some rocks that she had set up beside her flowerbed. I didn’t have a clue what it was, and I told her as much. “It’s for my bumblebee,” she replied....
Why not count some butterflies?
Identifying species at a CV butterfly count in Waterton (Photo by NCC)
This summer, my 12-year-old son Benny and I enjoyed helping out with two butterfly themed events for Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) in Alberta; one at the Ghost Horse Hills, and the other at the Weston Family and Bruder properties along the...
The rapid return of bees to an early restored NCC property
Bombus (Photo by Sheila R. Colla)
I started working on a Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) property in the South Walsingham area of Norfolk County in 2007. It is a unique 400-acre (160-hectare) property. Historically, 150 acres (60 hectares) of the property were used to grow...
Where have all the monarchs gone?
A monarch butterfly perches on the endangered Hill's Thistle at Gore Bay Savanna (Photo by NCC)
When I was a young girl, seeing monarchs flit around was as common as hearing the songs of the meadowlarks and the chipping of ground squirrels. I was fortunate to grow up on the edge of suburban Winnipeg. A quick pedal on my bike and I was in...
Winter without central heat: How wildlife on the prairies survives
Three-flowered avens (Photo © Manitoba Museum)
During frigid winter days I find myself marvelling at how wild plants and animals manage to survive the cold temperatures. As my current area of study involves flowering plants and their insect pollinators, these are the organisms that I will...
