Forces for nature: Celebrating International Women’s Day (part two)
Tessa Strickland (left) and Sofia Becerra make up Ontario all-female GIS team (Photo by NCC)
In celebration of International Women’s Day (March 8), we are profiling a few faces of the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) from across the country. These women contribute to our mission and work in different ways. Related...
Small but mighty — Migrating green darner dragonflies
Common green darner (Photo by Nancy Norman, CC BY-NC 4.0)
In February when I wrote this blog, I was thinking about my “snowbird” colleagues taking vacations to escape the cold, Canadian winter. Little did I know that right around that time, a species of dragonfly was beginning to migrate...
Meet your butterfly neighbours
Great spangled fritillary butterfly (Photo by Monica Seidel)
Did you know that there are over 300 butterfly species in Canada, with 150 in Ontario alone? While most people are familiar with the iconic monarch and swallowtail butterflies, there are many other species fluttering around that would love to meet...
Forces for nature: Celebrating International Women’s Day (part one)
Megan Lafferty (Photo by Victoria Snelgrove)
In celebration of International Women’s Day (March 8), we are profiling a few friendly female faces from across the country. These women contribute to the Nature Conservancy of Canada's (NCC's) mission and our work in different ways. Megan...
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...
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...
Perfectly perfect perfection...not!
Seeding the field in one of the few not so “slurpy” spots. (Photo by NCC)
Imagine the perfect day in the field. A day where the sky is clear and blue. The sun is warm, but not too warm. A cool breeze wisps across your face, leaving you feeling refreshed and comfortable. The birds are singing, and the butterflies are...
You think your relatives are wild? Take a look at nature’s own families
Red colobus monkeys in Jozani forest. Endemic to Zanzibar (Photo by Olivier Lejade, Wikimedia Commons)
With Family Day on the doorstep, what better way to share facts about animals with interesting social structures than with your own tribe? Monkeys have strong family dynamics. Like humans, they spend their lives in large communities or social...
