Plant persistence: Reflecting on the International Year of Plant Health
Graphic by Invasive Species Centre
Of all plants, trees fascinate me the most. I think of the California redwood, standing at enormous heights, resilient and impenetrable. I think of Madagascar’s baobab, evolving in isolation and its branches resembling roots. I think about...
World Wildlife Day: The impossible eagle
Bald eagle (Photo by Keith Mombour)
I have many memories of wildlife firsts. There’s a vivid memory of seeing my first white-tailed deer peering through the woods as I peered back through the school bus window. And I can still see the eyes of my first up-close encounter with a...
Canada in bloom: Rare treasures of Strathcona Provincial Park
Western columbine from Strathcona Provincial Park (Photo by mspringle, iNaturalist, CC BY-NC 4.0)
As a keen hiker, I spend much of my time gazing in wonder at some of the incredible views on offer across Canada’s magnificent hiking trails. From the awe-inspiring, snow-capped peaks of the Rockies, to the rugged coastline of western BC, it...
February roundup: Conservation and nature stories that caught our eye this month
Madagascar pochard (Photo by Frank Vassen, Wikimedia Commons)
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 February 2020. Down but not out Madagascar...
The race against rats: The most successful invasive species in the world
Brown rat (Photo by Dunpharlain, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0)
Everyone has a rat story, except for, maybe, Albertans (the lucky ones); I’ll explain why in a bit. In Hong Kong, where I grew up, rats and mice were collectively called lo shu in Cantonese. The term was probably tossed around by parents to...
Tracing the roots of invasive species
A murmuration of starlings (Photo by John Holmes, Wikimedia Commons)
In the media world of conservation, there seems to be no shortage of news on invasive species — plants, animals and organisms that were introduced (accidentally or deliberately) to an area outside of their native range and where their...
