5 ways insects make our world a better place
Dragonfly at Carden Alvar, ON (Photo by NCC)
There are an estimated 10 quintillion individual insects on Earth. That’s 19 zeroes after the one! Insects make up 75 per cent of all animals. Despite their ubiquity, they have a PR problem. People often find them gross, scary or even...
The magic of seaweed
Kelp forest (Photo by Robert Schwemmer/NOAA via Wikimedia Commons)
Along the Pacific Northwest, there are over 640 different species of seaweed. They come in many different shapes and sizes. However, they’re commonly grouped into three colours: brown, green and red. While these different species of seaweeds...
Reconnecting the wild: Ensuring safe passage through animal road crossings
Deer crossing road (Photo by Steven Coffey on Unsplash)
From Victoria to St. John’s, the Trans-Canada Highway stretches across 8,030 kilometres of landscape in Canada. While it covers a lot of ground, it also fractures many habitats that are home to a variety of animals. Deer, moose, bears and...
10 awesome nature documentaries to help pass the time
Grey wolf (Photo by Gary Kramer, courtesy of USFWS)
As we self-isolate, social distance and find new ways to connect with friends and family, now has never been a better time to learn more about nature. While Blue Planet and Planet Earth are obvious go-tos, we’re sharing some other awesome...
Even small acts can have a ripple effect: tackling plastic pollution
A turtle swimming with plastic (Photo by Unsplash)
Plastic pollution has become a part of the food chain in our waterways. According to Plastic Oceans, more than eight million tonnes of plastic waste is dumped into our oceans annually. As a result, one in three species of marine mammals become...
Human-created noise pollution impacts wildlife
A bat hanging upside down (Photo by Unsplash)
Just as noise pollution negatively impacts human health, it also affects wildlife. It can interfere with animal communication, hinder their foraging abilities and impact where they live. A recent study published in Biology Letters found that...
Reducing light pollution is a simple way to help insects
Frosted elfin butterfly (Photo by Geoff Gallice, Creative Commons Attribution 2.0, generic license, Wikimedia Commons)
Have you ever noticed moths vigorously flapping around your porch light? Well, they’re probably mistaking it for the moon, according to The Guardian. And sadly, most insects trapped in this cycle are dead by morning, either from exhaustion...