Nova Scotia through the seasons
Victoria Park, Truro (Photo by Brittany Foster)
Living on the southern coast of mainland Nova Scotia, I have the opportunity to experience each season in all of its natural glory. Winter, spring, summer and fall have their own unique sights, smells and sounds. They are marked distinctions in...
Salmon run season: Witnessing the remarkable resilience of chum
Bear with salmon (Photo by Bobushphoto via Getty Images Signature/Canva)
As the wind strips the trees of their leaves, and mushrooms surface through the rain-soaked ground, autumn takes hold along the Pacific Northwest of Canada. The changing season brings one of the most spectacular cycles of nature in the world....
Whitebark pine research in the Darkwoods Conservation Area
The view from the top of Mt. McGregor capturing some of the remote and wild terrain within the Darkwoods Conservation Area. (Photo by Stephanie Jouvet)
The rugged beauty of the Purcell and Selkirk mountain ranges extend far into the distance, as I follow the calmness of Kootenay Lake from its northern reaches, south to where it fades into the marshlands of the Creston Valley Wildlife Management...
The most majestic seagull
Bald eagle (Photo by Brittany Foster)
As a child, I split my time between a forested acreage and an old farmhouse in Nova Scotia surrounded by lush fields and cow pastures. From coyotes meandering up the driveway and bats roosting in the garage, to raccoons raiding the compost and...
Heard it from a Scout: 5 ways to reuse your Halloween pumpkin
Jack-o-lanterns (Photo from Creative Commons)
During the Halloween season, a staggering number of pumpkins become jack-o-lanterns on October 31. But by the next morning, we're left wondering how to reuse them. From recipes to candles, here are five creative ways to find a second use for your...
My Pike Lake Bioblitz
Caterpillar (Photo by Shirley Humphries)
A Nature Conservancy Canada (NCC) email popped up: "Big Backyard BioBlitz,” September 24 to 30, 2020! That sounded both appealing and doable without the risk of COVID-19 exposure. I would go to Pike Lake Provincial Park, where there are a...
Lovebirds: The day I broke a turkey's heart
Wild male turkey (Photo by Wayne Dumbleton, CC-BY-NC-SA 4.0)
One of my favourite field work stories comes from my very first field season. I’ll be the first to admit that I had no idea what I was doing back then. I couldn’t identify most plants, was slightly scared (ok, terrified) of dragonflies...
Pushing petals: Exploring Canadian botanical art
Illustration by Raymond Nakamura
Summer has turned to fall, as the pandemic blurs the days. If you are able, please stay at home. But remember that you can still go outside and enjoy some nature, while maintaining a safe distance from others. Plants can provide a nature-based...
Invasive, shrimp-sucking parasite continues northward Pacific expansion
The cough drop-sized parasite Griffen's isopod, native to Asia and Russia, has decimated mud shrimp populations along the West Coast. The parasite on the right is a female with the much smaller male attached. (Florida Museum photo by Amanda Bemis and Gustav Paulay)
By Josh Silberg and Natalie van Hoose Researchers have identified an invasive, blood-sucking parasite on mud shrimp in the waters of British Columbia’s Calvert Island. The discovery represents the northernmost record of the parasite on the...
Tackling invasive European common reed
Me on a six-foot ladder amidst European common reed, to illustrate its height and density. (Photo by Courtney Robichaud)
The highs and lows of monitoring the large-scale suppression of Phragmites australis spp. australis My field crew and I are covered in scratches. I’m a PhD student studying the recovery of native vegetation after invasive species control,...
