By Jessica Sims The Book: Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds & Shape Our Futures (2020) by Merlin Sheldrake, 368 pages Mushrooms are having a moment. Workshops, books, and classes on wild mushroom foraging abound, while fantastic fungi can be found populating books and TV shows. But these incredible organisms, albeit [...]
It was a bit cool and overcast but over 35 people showed up before 10 o’clock to explore the natural area at the corner of Riverside Rd and Hunt Club. Owen Clarkin, Chair of Conservation for the OFNC was leading the walk, in collaboration with Andrei Grushman from the Hunt Club Community Association. The most [...]
On Monday March 4, astronomer and repeat presenter Howard Simkover delivered a special presentation to the OFNC via Zoom on solar eclipses. This is particularly timely as a total solar eclipse will occur on April 8, 2024, across a swath of North America. Locations not too far from Ottawa in Southeastern Ontario will find themselves [...]
Update: As of March 14, we have a waiting list. Please follow the information below to add your name, if you would like to be offered a space should one open up. OFNC Point Pelee Excursion - May 10-14, 2023 The Events Committee is pleased to offer the Point Pelee Excursion to registered OFNC members [...]
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 [...]
Bryophytes are non-vascular plants that include mosses, liverworts, and hornworts. They create tiny but intricate and extensive landscapes that play an important role in regulating ecosystems. by Sandy Garland, with thanks to Lynn Ovenden for providing scientific names, Diane Lepage for the photos of Broom Moss and Silvery Moss When the OFNC announced a currently [...]
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, [...]
