Best nature walk yet!

by Sandy Garland Great sunny weather and a number of Facebook friends made this the best nature walk we've had this year. Don't worry, though, there's still time to join us for the next one. We're having guided walks at the garden every second Sunday afternoon until the fall. They're casual and fun - just [...]

2018-01-02T19:02:27-05:00July 5th, 2015|Fletcher Wildlife Garden|

Rollers, nibblers, and spit

by Sandy Garland This Red Osier Dogwood is probably over 15 years old. I remember when this Red Osier Dogwood (Cornus stolonifera) shrub was just a tiny thing at the edge of the path. It sent out roots - one of them sticking out so that we'd trip over it every now and [...]

2018-01-02T19:05:38-05:00June 28th, 2015|Fletcher Wildlife Garden|

Treasure hunting in the Old Woodlot

by Sandy Garland It may be easy to see this young tree, but can you see the other smaller ones in the background? Stakes help. This Tuesday, we took a break from scything DSV and went on a bit of a treasure hunt. Ted pointed out that as he's been weeding he's coming [...]

2018-01-02T19:04:58-05:00June 24th, 2015|Fletcher Wildlife Garden|

More hands, but still heavy work

by Sandy Garland Tuesday afternoon and time to work in the woods again. With all the rain, things have changed considerably since the last blog post 2 weeks ago. Jewelweed is still dominating the whole area, but the trees planted this year and last are doing well and lots of wildflowers are popping up. Despite [...]

2018-01-02T19:04:45-05:00June 16th, 2015|Fletcher Wildlife Garden|

Birding in Gatineau Park’s Parkway Sector

by Justin Peter Report on an OFNC excursion led by Justin Peter and Carlos Barbery, 13 June 2015 From Gillian Shields: "Great crowd for the bird walk. We've already seen Black-billed Cuckoo!" — with Carlos Barbery and Justin Peter at Gatineau Park. Balmy temperatures and clear skies greeted 40+ OFNC members and friends [...]

2015-06-14T02:09:13-04:00June 14th, 2015|OFNC event|

Scythes vs. dog-strangling vine

by Sandy Garland Tuesday-in-the-woods day and my trusty crew of Catrina, Mirko, and Kate arrived right on time. Unfortunately, it looked like rain, so we stayed around the centre for a while watering (the plants that don't get rained on) and potting up more seedlings: Gray Goldenrod and Upland White Goldenrod. As the sky cleared [...]

2018-01-02T19:03:08-05:00June 2nd, 2015|Fletcher Wildlife Garden|

Tuesday afternoons in the woods

by Sandy Garland When our ash trees were taken down last spring, not only did they leave enormous "holes" in the Old Woodlot, but they also caused damage to other trees and plants when they fell and were dragged out of the area. Increased light means the ground vegetation is likely to change. All this [...]

2018-01-02T19:08:39-05:00May 29th, 2015|Fletcher Wildlife Garden|

Nest boxes for mason bees

This very small bee was exploring the various nest holes in this bee box. This tiny bee is in the Tribe Osmiini, and in the genus Heriades (thanks to Bug Guide for identifying the genus). by Sandy Garland Mason bees are named for their use of mud or clay in their nests. They [...]

2019-03-18T19:53:52-04:00May 16th, 2015|Fletcher Wildlife Garden|