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Get to know one of Canada’s rarest snakes

Desert nightsnake (Photo by W. Mason CC BY-NC)

Desert nightsnake (Photo by W. Mason CC BY-NC)

Working at the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) has taught me many things, including the fact that many people are infatuated with snakes. Whether people are afraid of them, invested in protecting their habitats or enjoy learning about what...

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Don’t trust lady’s-slippers (if you’re a bee)

This honeybee was tricked into pollinating this yellow lady’s-slipper. (Photo by Steven Anderson/NCC staff)

This honeybee was tricked into pollinating this yellow lady’s-slipper. (Photo by Steven Anderson/NCC staff)

Before I began working at the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC), I spent six years studying the pollination of two species of lady’s-slipper orchids in Manitoba and the northern U.S. While I no longer spend all of my time thinking about...

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Hummingbirds: The forgotten pollinator when it comes to pesticides

Female rufous hummingbird (Photo by Jennifer Kepler CC BY-NC)

Female rufous hummingbird (Photo by Jennifer Kepler CC BY-NC)

When life is leaping forth in its freshest tender green and shrubs are casting their best wine-rich blooms of colour, there comes a humming. Not just from the song of spring rising in the world, but from wing beats — 52 to 62 per...

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Making friends with the solitary bees

Blue orchard bee (Photo by Robert Engelhardt)

Blue orchard bee (Photo by Robert Engelhardt)

When you think of bees, your mind probably goes to honey, hives and stingers. But what if I told you that there was a species of bee, native to the Saskatchewan prairies, that didn’t make honey, live in a hive or (usually) sting? Mason bees...

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Wildlife crossings: Opening the way for the good of wildlife

Wildlife crossings make roads safer. (Photo by Wikimedia Commons)

Wildlife crossings make roads safer. (Photo by Wikimedia Commons)

Whether in the form of bridges or tunnels, wildlife crossings make roads safer by protecting humans and animals from collisions while helping maintain the connectivity of natural environments. “Things are not always what they seem: the deer...

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The shorebirds’ favourite rest stop

Piping plover (Photo by Sean Landsman)

Piping plover (Photo by Sean Landsman)

Over the last 20 years, several conservation organizations, including the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC), have supported the operation of the Chaplin Nature Centre, located just outside of the town of Chaplin in southern...

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Nature knows no borders: Why Canada–United States conservation matters

Green Mountains, QC (Photo by NCC)

Green Mountains, QC (Photo by NCC)

Have you ever crossed the Canada–U.S. border by land? If so, you’ve probably noticed that the transition from one country to the other is almost seamless, not counting the mandatory stop at the customs office. I have vivid memories of...

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Saving the bees: Plants to help our buzzing buddies

American bumble bee (Photo by K.S. Gardener/iNaturalist)

American bumble bee (Photo by K.S. Gardener/iNaturalist)

Humans have a very delicate relationship with bees. Despite their importance, many of us fail to understand just how much bees impact our daily lives — and how much we’re putting them at risk. Canada has over 850 native bee species,...

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Native grassland is important habitat for grassland birds

Native grassland (Photo by Sarah Ludlow/NCC staff)

Native grassland (Photo by Sarah Ludlow/NCC staff)

Saying that native grassland is important habitat for grassland birds seems quite obvious. And you might think to yourself, “Of course grassland birds like grassland habitat; it’s right in the name!” The important point to note...

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Beech leaf disease: A new problem for Ontario trees

Early-stage leaf striping (Photo by John Pogacnik, Ohio Department of Natural Resources)

Early-stage leaf striping (Photo by John Pogacnik, Ohio Department of Natural Resources)

Beech bark disease began ravaging beech trees in Ontario in the late 1990s, after spreading west from Atlantic Canada. But recently, a new beech disease has emerged in the province. Beech leaf disease was first detected in North America in 2012 in...

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