A prescription for forest health
Plantation rows in Southern Norfolk Sand Plain, ON (Photo by NCC)
When you think of a healthy, thriving forest, do you think of a straight lines of trees, all the same size, all the same species? Probably not. While tree plantations can be economically important and can provide significant ecological benefits...
A "knot" so regular day in the garden
The back-garden (photo by Luca Brunato)
Back in late spring of 2020, I went back to my hometown of Niagara-on-the-Lake to help my father with the garden. This is an annual practice where I come over, and we spend the entire day weeding, pruning, shaping and landscaping our garden areas...
A day in the life of a field biologist
Field technician Breanne Kenner with a successful catch! (Photo by NCC)
There are numerous findings in the world of science, and conservation biology specifically, that would not be possible without field work. As part of my conservation internship with the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC), I have been given the...
Moths: Amazing, beautiful, important and in need of study
Wood nymph moth (Photo by NCC)
Moths are amazing creatures that are only beginning to receive attention from naturalists. Many people have difficulties determining the difference between moths and butterflies. They can be similar looking, as they both have scales that cover...
A Canadian river story
La Chasse-galerie, 1906, by Henri Julien (Photo by Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec)
Our rivers carry many responsibilities. For years, they have been pathways for communication, making connections and sharing traditions.Like any great journey, these rivers have stories. From coast to coast, myths and legends have been passed down...
One tree at a time: Canada’s forests
Tamarack forest (Photo by NCC)
What one habitat type runs through every province and territory, surrounds communities where most Canadians live and covers about 40 per cent of the country? If you guessed forests, you'd be right! We’re lucky to live in a country dominated...
Nature in the...parking lot?
Monarch butterfly on Joe-pyeweed (Photo by NCC)
I work as a development officer at the Nature Conservancy of Canada and have lots of friends who are outdoorsy and also work in this field. This means that I am often swapping stories of cool wildlife sightings. The rare bird my co-worker spotted,...
Adventures in the night, continued!
The night sky over Rankin River in Saugeen Bruce Peninsula. (Photo by Esme Batten/NCC staff)
I get it. It can be hard to look outside in the winter and think, “Wow, I want to go and explore!” When it is -20 C and the wind is blowing, it’s hard enough to get outside during the day, never mind at night. However, I...
Adventures in the night: My foray into astrophotography
Located on Plymouth's doorstep, Dartmoor National Park is a vast moorland known for its forests, rivers, wetlands and tors (rock formations). This photo is of Great Staple Tor with me in the foreground. (Photo by Esme Batten/NCC staff)
“Are we almost there?” I ask my new friend Matt as we wander along a sea cliff on the north coast of Cornwall, U.K., shivering, in search of our shooting location for the evening. Although by Canadian standards the evening was balmy at...
Big, bold and boreal: Once complete, this will be Canada’s largest private conservation project
Boreal Wildlands, ON (Photo by NCC)
Spring is unfurling across the country, and those who know me know I love my birds. Birdwatching is great in any season, but I start to get a specific set of goosebumps when I hear the first sounds of migratory birds returning from the south in...
