Start-up meeting (Sept. 9, 2017)
We began, as we do every meeting, with "Observations." What have we seen in the natural world since we last met? In this case it had been more than two months. Gabriel had been out whale-watching on the east coast, and Jan in B.C.. It's pretty hard to beat Humpback Whales and Orcas. But Julia had brought in a rearing cage containing five bright green Monarch chrysalises dotted with gold, waiting to turn into butterflies. And then someone remembered the [...]
Outing to Shaw Woods
Jakob Mueller leads OFNC walk to Shaw Woods Outdoor Education Centre in Renfrew County ... Dragonhunter, Hagenius brevistylus, a clubtail dragonfly. by Tanya Middlebro'. On Saturday 12 August, Jakob Mueller led a group of 12 members along the stately Old Growth Trail in the Shaw Woods. Highlights were several red-backed salamanders, and many colourful mushrooms. The trail on the east side of the Snake River revealed New Jersey Tea and cardinal flowers in bloom. An excellent outing, enjoyed [...]
Birding for beginners at the FWG
After a brief introduction to birding, Dave led participants around the trails at the FWG to see what birds could be found... by Sandy Garland This spring, we were delighted when Dave Moore agreed to give three workshops for people who want to get started in bird watching or birding. The first two have been a huge success, and you still have a chance to attend one more on 20 August. Dave is not only an expert birder, but he's [...]
A Carleton day of service
A team of enthusiastic Carleton students helped turn a field of DSV into a wildflower meadow... by Sandy Garland Just across the canal from the FWG, Carleton University has been a good neighbour to us over the years. Most recently, students have been volunteering at the garden during their annual Carleton Serves day in the fall as well as through a Days of Service program. Last Tuesday, a dozen students joined our regular Tuesday in the Woods group. We wanted to [...]
Mission Monarch
The FWG is participating in Mission Monarch, a survey of Monarch caterpillars across Canada... by Sandy Garland Just as we were about to give up hope, we noticed this large caterpillar peaking over the edge of a leaf that it was systematically devouring. Last Saturday (July 22), Daphné Laurier Montpetit of Montréal's Insectarium gave a workshop at the FWG to tell us about a new initiative. The Insectarium wants to find out the best conditions for Monarch reproduction, [...]
Work on the Amphibian Pond
By Ted Farnworth The amphibian pond has been helped and hurt by the record rains that we have experienced. The good news is that many of the plants that we planted in the spring have done well thanks to the frequent downpours. But the rains have also encouraged rapid growth of many types of weeds that are competing with our new plantings. In addition, the torrential rains badly eroded the crushed stone pathway around the pond, and washed crushed stone [...]
Ottawa School Board students visit the FWG
By Ted Farnworth Students from the Ottawa School Board The Ottawa School Board offers summer classes to new Canadians as a way of giving their students more opportunities to improve their English, get more comfortable with a school setting, and as a way to learn more about the city and country they now live in. The 15-17 year olds in this year’s class come from a variety of countries, and backgrounds. As part of the course work, the [...]
Build it and they will hatch
One way to help ensure survival of hatchling turtles is to "cage" the nest of eggs as soon as they've been laid - harder than it sounds... by David Seburn [Note: This is the second in a series of blog posts on a project of the OFNC and the Canadian Wildlife Federation. The first was Hunting for the elusive Blanding's Turtle.] Every June, female turtles leave their homes in swamps and marshes to lay their eggs. A turtle “nest” is [...]
Manion Corners Butterfly Count, 8 July 2017
Butterfly count organizer, Jeff Skevington (above), reports low numbers of species and individuals this year... by Jeff Skevington, photos by Angela Skevington Twenty-six participants had a fun day on the count this year, but were challenged by both water levels and weather. Heavy storms the night before left all of the vegetation wet. This, combined with overcast skies, meant that there were few butterflies seen in the morning. The sun appeared in the afternoon, though, and we managed to get [...]