You never know what you'll find in your own backyard
Acorn weevil (Photo by Jenn Forman Orth)
It was late in the afternoon last summer when I decided to relax by reading a book in my backyard gazebo in Winnipeg. As I looked up from my book, I saw a tiny insect, backlit by the sun, fly for a few metres across the yard and then vanish from...
Rescuing roadside reptiles
Snapping turtle crossing the road, ON (Photo by NCC)
It was a warm, late-June evening, while driving on a backroad near my home in Guelph, Ontario, when I saw a familiar sight up ahead: a car pulled off to the side of the road, at least one human standing on the road, looking concerned, and the dome...
Heard it from a Scout: Exploring Alberta trails
Scout troop hiking along trail in a forest (Photo courtesy Scouts Canada)
There are many trails in Alberta to explore in a variety ways, including hiking, biking, cross-country skiing and much more. Trails are in national parks, open-to-the-public conservation areas and all around us. While there are probably hundreds,...
Experimenting with native species in small spaces
Honeybee on butterflyweed (Photo by NCC)
Earlier this summer, a group of Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) Leaders in Conservation visited St. Williams Nursery & Ecology Centre in Norfolk County, Ontario, for a tour of the nursery's impressive facility. With several years of...
Heard it from a Scout: 10 apps to help you explore nature
Exploring nature safely and effectively has never been easier with technology at our fingertips. (Photo courtesy Scouts Canada)
Technology is on the rise, and it seems like people are always saying, “There’s an app for that.” This trend also applies to the nature buffs out there who love learning more about the outdoors! As a fellow nature enthusiast and...
Sky-high conservation: Why monitoring birds is important
An osprey soars around its nest (Photo by Lorne)
You may have heard about the dramatic population declines that certain groups of birds — such as grassland songbirds and aerial insectivores —are experiencing. While much attention gets paid to the factors causing these declines and...
Nature through the eyes of young Canadians
Students from John Norquay Public School, Nature Days Vancouver (Photo by HSBC Bank Canada)
When I set out to research young Canadians’ views of nature and their childhood experiences within nature, I had no idea that the results would be only the beginning of a larger conversation about the difference between attitude and...
Internal parasites and the conservation of birds
Mosquito (Photo from The Weather Network)
Most people, especially Canadians, know how annoying being swarmed by mosquitoes in the early summer can be. There is nothing quite like braving clouds of host-seeking insects while exploring our beautiful forests. However, while most of us can...
Keep your garden Canadian, eh?
Blue flag iris (Photo by Mike Dembeck)
Many of the plants we have in our yards are not native to Canada. In some cases, these non-native plants are invasive and can intrude into nearby natural areas or affect the growth and spread of native species. In most cases, native plants provide...
Finding peace in nature
Walking through a BC forest dripping with witch's hair lichen (Photo by NCC)
Do you ever just wake up in a bad mood? Or something, or someone, has you unsettled? Sometimes the best way to clear your mood, and silence those “mice talking to each other in your head” (as my brother-in-law puts it), is to go for a...
