What a difference a year makes
The summer-blooming showy goldenrod, being visited by a bee fly, was less abundant than the spring-blooming flowers. (Photo by Diana Robson)
One of the first papers on pollination I tried to publish was rejected because it contained data from only one field season. I withdrew the paper, and did another year of research. Why is having two years of data so important, you may ask?...
Virtual reality conservation at Oak Lake Wetlands
View of Oak Lake Wetland, MB, from a drone. (Photo by M3 Aerial Productions)
The team at M3 Aerial Productions and I recently had the privilege of doing some drone work for the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC). The job involved using a drone, equipped with a 360-degree video camera, to document NCC’s Oak Lake...
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...
I always feel like something's watching me
The curious cows at the Yellow Quill Prairie Preserve. (Photo by Diana Robson)
I usually do field work by myself, but sometimes I get the feeling that I’m being watched. My main observers this year are the cows. The Yellow Quill Prairie Preserve, protected by the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC), is sustainably...
Nature's never boring: Paddling the Rat River
Lisa paddling along the Rat River (Photo by NCC)
Growing up, my interest in the outdoors stemmed from camping trips with my family and backroad Sunday drives, led by my dad, in hopes of finding a secluded fishing hole. Today, I’ve made a little home along the Rat River, a small tributary...
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...
Overlooked plants and new discoveries: Moss and liverwort surveys in Manitoba
New liverworts to Manitoba on decaying log (Photo by Richard Caners)
As part of updating the Nature Conservancy of Canada’s (NCC’s) Natural Area Conservation Plan for the Whitemouth River Watershed in southeastern Manitoba, I spent a day assisting Royal Alberta Museum botany curator and good friend Dr....
Women in conservation: Megan Westphal
In honour of International Women’s Day (March 8), we’re celebrating eight female conservationists at the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) who are working to create a stronger future for Canada’s landscapes. Megan Westphal,...
The forgotten habitat
The living room before the minimalism challenge. (Photo by NCC Staff)
Staff at the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) are incredibly knowledgeable when it comes to diverse habitats across Canada. From land to air to water, inhabited by the tiniest insects to the largest mammals, there aren’t many habitats we...
The silence of the hillsides
Fort Ellice, Riding Mountain (Photo by NCC)
For the past six months, I’ve worked as an assistant conservation biologist with the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) in Riding Mountain Natural Area in western Manitoba. I found that a summer in the area challenged me to reconsider how I...
