by Robert Courteau, president of the Ottawa Mycological Society It was a glorious sunny day on Saturday, September 24th when members of the Ottawa Mycological Society and of the Ottawa Field Naturalists’ Club came together at MacSkimming Outdoor Education Centre to contribute observations to the Great North American FungiQuest. MacSkimming Outdoor Education Centre, just outside [...]
by Lynn Ovenden There are 3 raised beds at the edge of FWG’s old field between the butterfly meadow and the old woods. Together, they contain 18 species of native wildflowers that were planted in the boxes in spring 2017 by UOttawa students as part of a community outreach project supported by Friends of the [...]
by Lynn Ovenden On January 8, 2021, we shared our personal memories of things in nature that we once knew, but they aren't the same any more. A few members who couldn't attend the zoom meeting submitted written stories in advance that were read aloud. Twelve people spoke. We recalled animals, landscapes, and sounds of [...]
On December 18, a small group of OFNC members met at NCC P26 for a brisk wintry walk. After introductions, we headed for the top of the toboggan hill, then down a hydro right-of way to a perch overlooking the steep side of the Green's Creek valley. One of us recalled the high adventure of [...]
Maureen Carrier knows the diverse habitats along this lovely trail near Arnprior. She and one other member enjoyed a terrific winter walk in the quiet forest on December 8th. They saw 9 species of birds.
Participants on the November 27th walk on NCC trail 43. by Lynn Ovenden The group met at P18 and we all introduced ourselves. From there we crossed Davidson Road and walked leisurely up trail 43 to the 'arboretum'. The interpretive panels tell the history of the site: a sandy farm and woodlot 80 years ago, [...]
by Lynn Ovenden. Several OFNC members who enjoy looking for mushrooms and lichens are sharing information and photos of their fungal finds on a web forum. We meet periodically for Shroom Zoom, an online show&tell. Details at forum.mycoott.org. If this sounds fun, join OFNC if you haven't already, and check into the forum. .
On April 6th, Joan Heyding and Lynn Ovenden showed photos and passed around dried specimens of polypore fungi. We looked at characters such as the size and shape of the fruiting body and its pores, which are useful for telling species apart. We told stories about woodpeckers and some insects who live intimately with wood rot... beetles, [...]
Dr. Marla Schwarzfeld and Victoria Nowell (AAFC) displayed mites extracted from soil at FWG and elsewhere, just visible under 10X scopes. by Lynn Ovenden For the mite workshop on July 12, participants arriving at Fletcher Wildlife Garden found the entry bedecked with a line of stained shredded undies. This was the result of a SoilYourUndies [...]
The Honorable Catherine McKenna unveiled a plaque at the Museum of Nature in honour of John Macoun who collected and catalogued Canada's flora and fauna. Photos and text by Diane Lepage On Saturday June 23th 2018, The Honourable Catherine McKenna, Minster of the Environment and Climate Change and the Minister responsible for Parks Canada, held [...]
