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 [...]
By Jessica Sutton Jessica Sutton is a 2nd-year University of Ottawa student in Environmental Studies and Biology. This fall Jessica is volunteering with the OFNC through the Community Service Learning (CSL) program. As a child living in Peterborough, I would often visit family in Ottawa, and we were frequent visitors of the Arboretum but unaware of the Fletcher [...]
text and photos by Julia Cipriani Monarch egg. I have been a number one admirer of the Monarch butterfly for a very, very long time. I find their mid-June arrival in Canada and their September journey to return to their over-wintering grounds in the mountains where the Oyamel fir trees grow in Mexico [...]
By Barry Cottam Invasive dog-strangling vine (Cynanchum rossicum & C. louiseae) is being removed throughout Ottawa. Photo: Brewer Park Community Garden Dr. Steven Chatfield’s presentation at the OFNC monthly meeting on June 5 was the result of a long molecular chain whose first component was his visit to the Fletcher Wildlife Garden the [...]
Sharp-shinned Hawk by Christine Hanrahan So you want to be a birdwatcher, but you just don't know where to begin? And the thought of trying to distinguish a nighthawk from a nuthatch reduces you to despair? Don't worry, help is at hand! The following information will provide you with everything (well, almost everything) [...]
by Lynn Ovenden Expo at City Hall with Brenda McCrea and Barbara Riley Backyard Biodiversity was the theme last Friday night (April 11) at City Hall. As part of the City of Ottawa Wildlife Speaker Series, the evening featured talks by two guest speakers. Sarah Kirkpatrick-Wahl from Nature Canada spoke about features that [...]
by Christine Hanrahan I thought it might be interesting to compile a list of all the natural food sources around the Fletcher Wildlife Garden, used by wildlife. I include only plants on which I have actually seen birds or other wildlife feed. Many are obvious, of course, the crabapples, mountain ash, wild grape, sumac, and [...]
hairy woodpecker work on ash trees by Christine Hanrahan December 4, a mild day, with the merest hints of snow. A day to visit the FWG and look for blog subjects. Apart from the many squirrels, it was pretty quiet. A small flock of house finches in the Backyard Garden (BYG), several cardinals, [...]
by Christine Hanrahan The FWG's November blog is up and running now (http://www.pbase.com/fwg/fwg_blog_november_2013). It was kick-started by some excellent photos from Robert Berry. I've added a few more, and there'll be more to come as the month progresses. Incipient winter is felt in the decreasing numbers of birds and the almost entire lack of insects [...]
by Christine Hanrahan Where DOES the time go? Here it is, past the mid-way point in September, on the downslide to October. That autumn feeling is really seeping in with the colour changes in the leaves, the business of birds fuelling up for journeys south, and bees nectaring like mad on the dwindling supply of [...]
