Why nature in Canada’s cities could change conservation forever
Colpitt Lake in the Shaw Wilderness Park (Photo by Adam Cornick, Acorn Art & Photography)
When the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) was founded almost 60 years ago, there was growing recognition that unmanaged urban expansion was threatening nature. In fact, our first project was to try to save a section of Rattray Marsh along the...
Outside my window: Nature hidden in suburbia
Oblique streaktail on my wild nodding onion plant (Photo by Wendy Ho/NCC staff)
Over the summer, I’ve tried to be attentive and notice the nature in my eight-square-metre backyard. It’s where I can make unhurried observations without the looming thought of hogging the trail from fellow hikers. And you know what?...
Wild about chickens
Lacy Mae and Matilda (Photo by LM Neilson/NCC staff)
Today it starts at 5:36 a.m. The rusty cackle slides in through my open window with the early morning light. I pause for a brief second to make sure I really heard the sound before opening my eyes and swinging my legs over the edge of the bed. The...
The truth about ticks
Adult deer tick (Photo by Scott Bauer/Wikimedia Commons)
Ticks seem to be everywhere these days. They’re on the news, on your social media feed and maybe even on your skin. People, especially those in southern Canada, are dealing with blacklegged ticks (also called deer ticks) with increasing...
To mow, or not to mow, that is the question
Maria Olkinitskaya picking dandelions at Baie Verte CV event, NB (Photo by NCC)
During the month of May, the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) is encouraging people to hold off on trimming their lawn in favour of letting the flowers and grasses grow, to provide habitat for insects and birds. The idea is to reimagine our...
There’ll never be a dull moment in nature if you do this
Volunteer using a smartphone at a NCC BioBlitz event. Photo by Brent Calver.
Is your outdoor walk getting dull? Or maybe your access to a sizable natural area is limited. Is lack of time a barrier to your ability to connect with nature? For some people with a close connection to nature, it might not take much effort to...
We’re in a biodiversity crisis. What we plant and how we alter landscapes matters
Front yard naturalization in spring. (Photo by Lorraine Johnson)
Spring hadn’t officially sprung, but the season was warm, and so the annual ritual began. People began to clean up the dried stalks and dead leaves protecting the earth. While tidying up, people were also throwing out countless insects...
Create a messy garden for nature
Gardening is a great way to connect with nature (Photo by Lisa via Pexels)
As the warmer weather rolls across the country, many people have started tidying their garden for spring planting. But did you know that by leaving some of the stems and stalks that we traditionally clean up in the spring, you can create habitat...
Gardening with native plants this spring
Wild bergamot (Photo by Sarah Ludlow/NCC staff)
I love to garden. I excitedly begin planning for the next year as soon as the autumn chill settles over the Prairies. I’m always impatient for spring to arrive, and it doesn't help when the seed catalogues start arriving in November. I find...
Heard it from a Scout: Leaving only footprints in nature
View from the top of Eagle Bluffs, BC. (Photo by Emilie Diver)
The view was incredible and the challenge of the hike up to the Eagle Bluffs in North Vancouver made it even more worthwhile. Ruby, my yellow lab, was happily sitting and begging for food from me and my Scout troop. Her behaviour was in stark...
