Swamp Milkweed photographed by Gillian Shields by Gillian Shields Editor's note: The butterfly count is an annual OFNC event organized this year by Jeff Skevington and Peter Hall. Working in groups or alone, participants patrol the same location each year from about 9 a.m. to about 4 or 5 p.m. The 15th annual Ottawa [...]
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 [...]
by Sandy Garland Tuesday again and another chance to work in the Old Woodlot! I was rather disorganized this week as it sort of looked like rain, except when the sun came out, and volunteers arrived one at a time, so it was hard to know how big a job to tackle. So we loaded [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
