Acknowledging change
Growing up on a farm in southwestern Manitoba, some of my clearest memories are of the extreme temperatures I experienced. (Photo courtesy of Steven Anderson)
“Everything changes and nothing stands still.” ~ Heraclitus of Ephesus, as quoted by Plato Growing up on a farm in southwestern Manitoba, some of my clearest memories are of the extreme temperatures I experienced in that lovely...
What ash trees and bumble bees are telling us
American bumble bee (Photo by K.S. Gardener/iNaturalist)
Black ash and American bumble bee are not species I thought we would ever need to save. When I started my studies in conservation over 25 years ago, bumble bees still seemed commonplace, and I thought of ash as a common tree that was great for...
January roundup: Conservation and nature stories from around the world that caught our eye this month
Gray wolf (Photo by Mike Dembeck)
Every day, countless inspiring and informative stories are published about conservation successes or discoveries in nature and wildlife around the world. Here are some that caught our attention in January 2019. Wolves take a snow day Researchers...
Reigniting a love of insects
Monarch (Photo by NCC)
The love of insects can be a tough sell to many adults. Much like a fascination with dinosaurs, it seems that an interest in insects peaks during childhood and then declines for most people. Butterflies, however, are one of the few insects that...
Three ways to get closer to nature
Busenius Property, AB (Photo by Kyle Marquardt)
Canadians are more disconnected from nature than ever before. We spend more and more of our time indoors, and a large per cent of us live in an urban setting away from large natural areas. We’re losing touch with the natural world, one that...
How to build a bug hotel
Bee homes come in all shapes and sizes. (Photo by NCC)
Looking for a fun gardening project to help the pollinators in your yard? Why not build a bug hotel? What is a bug hotel? Designed to attract and shelter garden insects, bug hotels are home-made structures constructed from plant material and...
Discovering the small but mighty butterflies of Carden
White admiral, Carden Alvar, ON (Photo by NCC)
Volunteering has always played a big role in my life. I’ve participated in my fair share of volunteering for the environment, from tree planting to garbage cleanups. But the butterfly count I attended in late July, an annual Conservation...
Something old, something new
Tending a community garden (Photo by Bob Nichols/US Department of Agriculture, Wikimedia commons)
For as long as I can remember, I’ve been enchanted with the magic of gardening. The way I see it, gardening has the power to give life and mark new beginnings, turning something old into something new. Better yet, there’s nothing like...
It's the little things that matter
Miner bee on wild strawberry (Photo by Marika Olynyk/NCC staff)
A trip to the cottage is often a reminder to stop and enjoy the small things in life. And the small things can be rather small indeed. On any given summer day, we are surrounded by thousands of pollinating insects going about their business. The...
It's complicated, honey
Sweat bee on Flax (Photo by Marika Olynyk/NCC staff)
Spring draws nigh: the season of the birds and the bees. Birdsong is a welcome gift, but where would we be without bees? Their obsessive quest for pollen and nectar keeps much of Alberta’s native flora alive. There would be fewer willows,...
