Friendly abandoning a hamburger This raccoon was given the name Friendly moments before I took this picture, which shows the garbage bandit fleeing our back deck and leaving an old hamburger patty behind. I went to check out a raucous-like noise outside, and this buddy was sitting at the backdoor with its little hand on … Continue reading Nature in Canada: Raccoons
Category: Nature
Nature in Canada: Forest Tent Caterpillars
The Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario have witnessed an explosion of forest tent caterpillars this summer. This type of caterpillar can be found throughout North America, but especially within the eastern region of the continent. These gray, dark brown, or black caterpillars have distinctive white spots down the middle of their bodies that are … Continue reading Nature in Canada: Forest Tent Caterpillars
Nature in Canada: Painted Lady Butterflies
Throughout the late summer and early fall, Montréal was greeted with a gorgeous influx of painted-lady butterflies, also scientifically known as Vanessa cardui of the Nymphalidae family. They were visible fluttering about over nearly every floral surface, with their distinctive brown upper-hind white-spotted wings and beautiful 42 to 66-millimetre yellow and salmon coloured wingspan. These … Continue reading Nature in Canada: Painted Lady Butterflies
Nature in Canada: Chipmunks
This is our friendly backyard chipmunk Jimmy (we don’t actually know if it’s a male though). Chipmunks can range from 4 to 7 inches in size with 3 to 5-inch tails, weighing 1 to 5 oz. in total (2). Jimmy comes to see us daily, usually during the afternoon, for seeds. It runs right up … Continue reading Nature in Canada: Chipmunks
Nature in Canada: Pine Trees
By Alexis Newman I was about 8 or 9 years old when I climbed the tallest tree in the forest behind my old house. It was a pine tree, which is the most common coniferous tree in the world with around 100 species (1). Although, this pine tree had me in awe, because it was … Continue reading Nature in Canada: Pine Trees
Nature in Canada: Mourning Doves
Despite the cliché rhyme, the dove does exhibit and yearn for true love. For several years now, I have been observing the strength of the beautiful bond between a pair of mourning doves living in my backyard, and it has not faded one bit. They rarely leave each other’s side, and can often be seen … Continue reading Nature in Canada: Mourning Doves
Nature in Canada: Red Foxes
With reference to Dora the Explorer (a beloved childhood television show), Swiper began swiping quite a long time ago. Dating back to the Illinoian glaciation during 300 000 to 130 000 BP, the fossil record shows red foxes having crossed the Bering Land Bridge from Eurasia into North America. The red foxes migrated southward into … Continue reading Nature in Canada: Red Foxes
Nature in Canada: Groundhogs
Groundhogs are most commonly known for their ability to announce the arrival of springtime on February 2nd in Canada and the United States (and for driving off a cliff with Bill Murray). However, there is much more to know about these adorable creatures aside from their cultural stereotypes. Belonging to the rodent family Sciuridae, groundhogs … Continue reading Nature in Canada: Groundhogs
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