226 posts
What Can iNaturalist Tell Us About the Yellow-Banded Bumble Bee?
Did you know that out of 800 species of bees in Canada approximately 45 are bumble bees? Notable by their telltale fuzzy yellow-and-black patterned bodies and way of almost “bumbling”…
Water in the Grasslands
When you think of Canadian grasslands, do you think dry, droughty, with barren soils blowing in the wind? This photo from the “dirty thirties”; the 1930’s when severe drought combined…
How to Attract Snakes to Your Garden
Approximately 10 per cent of the globe’s population have a fear of snakes. Admittedly no one would want to run into a Black Mamba or King Cobra in the wild.…
Recovering the Rare Carolina Wood Vetch
Oak Savannah ecosystems of southern Ontario are home to some very rare and unique plant species including Sundial Lupine and Carolina Wood-Vetch. Both of these spring wildflowers are members of…
Monarch on the Prairies?
Many older residents of the Canadian prairies talk of seeing large numbers of Monarch Butterflies flying about in the summer. This is hard to believe, since it is quite uncommon…
6 Simple Ways to Help Flower Flies
Discover how these powerful pollinators benefit your garden and how you can help them thrive Flower flies, also known as hoverflies, are fascinating insects that belong to the family Syrphidae…
How to Help American Red Squirrels
5 Tips to Attract Red Squirrels to Your Backyard The American Red Squirrel. If you don’t know it to see it, you’ll absolutely be familiar with its call. This feisty…
Bees vs. Moths: Which is the Better Pollinator?
This Pollination Powerhouse Might Surprise You! Pollinators are critical. After all a whopping 80 per cent of the world’s plants rely on them! When you think of a pollinator, what’s…
3 Superstar Long Distance Grassland Bird Migrants
As spring arrives on the Prairies, many species are either waking up or migrating to their summer homes. Here are three of our favourites — true superstars of long-distance migration.…
A Critical Drop: Why a Tri-National Commitment is Vital to Monarch Butterfly Recovery
This is part one of a three-part series on the Monarch Butterfly Recovery written by the Canadian Wildlife Federation’s Senior Terrestrial Biologist Carolyn Callaghan. As I write this blog, I…