Ten of nature's weirdest courtship rituals
Greater prairie chicken (Photo by Ron Knight/Wikimedia Commons)
Much like humans, other animals have evolved ways of wooing or courting potential mates, whether it’s singing a love song, doing a sensual dance or giving a thoughtful gift. With love in the air this Valentine’s Day, here are 10...
Manitoba's amazing ash forests, invasive emerald ash borer and how you can help
Emerald ash borer adult (Photo by by U.S. Department of Agriculture)
Buy local. Burn local. Don’t move firewood. This is not just another green slogan put out by conservationists in the new year. Allow us to explain… Many people have heard about how non-native invasive species, including insects and...
The Sapling: Q&A with Jessie Klassen
Jessie Klassen, author of The Sapling.
When a tiny maple seed becomes a Sapling, she discovers there’s much about life that she doesn’t know or understand. This fear stunts her growth, and she becomes too afraid to continue her life cycle — until she meets Big...
Emerald in the rough
Hine's emerald dragonfly at Minesing Wetlands, ON (Photo by Chris Evans)
Deep in the heart of the Minesing Wetlands, southern Ontario’s third-largest wetland system, lives a mysterious creature. It is thought to inhabit only 50 distinct locations in the entire world, most of which are concentrated around the...
Poweshiek winter wonderland
Poweshiek skipperling (Photo by Jaimee Dupont/NCC staff)
Forget about crocuses and birds — the first sure sign of spring on the prairies is when the insects start to fly around. Have you ever wondered what happens to the insects in the winter? A few, like the monarch, fly south with the birds, but...
A five-year-old entomologist-in-training
Hannah, a five-year-old amateur entomologist taking care of monarch chrysalises. (Photo by NCC)
With the help of my dad, I’d like to tell you everything I know about monarch butterflies. Don’t worry — I’ll explain the life cycle, the special habitat requirements and the incredible migration to Mexico. By the way,...
10 species protected thanks to Conservation Volunteers, coast to coast
Juvenile burrowing owls (Photo by Lauren Meads)
So far this year, hundreds of volunteers from across the country have gathered to lend a hand for nature at events hosted by the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC). Whether it was removing invasive species wreaking havoc on a delicate forest, or...
Conservation Volunteers for the bees
Honey bee (Photo from Bees Matter)
Honey bees are incredible; there’s no denying it. They help pollinate flowers, which in turn enables the production of our food. They’re also responsible for making honey, a delicious and great sugar source. However, honey bees are not...
Chasing butterflies on the Rice Lake Plains
Catching butterflies on the Rice Lake Plains, ON (Photo by NCC)
A hike through the tall grass prairie and black oak savannah habitats of the Rice Lake Plains in Ontario may lead to discovering a vibrant, quiet and critical player in grassland conservation: butterflies! The surprisingly adrenaline-filled...
Parasitism: The dark side of symbiosis
Sand steenbras infected with tongue-eating louse (Photo by Marco Vinci/Wikimedia Commons)
In nature, when two individuals of different species often live in close association with each other, this leads to a phenomenon called symbiosis. There are three types of symbiosis: Mutualism is a win-win situation for both organisms because...
