Across Canada

Plant a Monarch-friendly Garden

Submitted by Kat_NC on Fri, 08/12/2011 - 3:20pm

Set aside some space for nature and create a butterfly haven in your own backyard. Help Monarch butterflies with the plants and flowers they need to thrive.

Follow these guidelines for the most successful Monarch butterfly garden:

Category: 
Backyard Adventures

12 Ways to Make Your Backyard Bird-Friendly

Submitted by Kat_NC on Fri, 08/12/2011 - 11:43am

Birds link us to the natural world every day of the year -- even in the most urban settings. Birds do so much for us. They keep our ecosystems running smoothly by controlling rodents and insect pests, scavenging wastes and pollinating plants. And there’s much to be learned by getting out the binoculars and watching common birds.

As our best-known group of living things, birds are easy to identify and count. The results, over time, show us where our environment is not what it used to be, and when the decline (or improvement) started happening.

Category: 
Backyard Adventures

WormWatch

Submitted by Kat_NC on Fri, 08/12/2011 - 9:53am

You can watch an earthworm but it can’t watch you. That’s because it doesn’t have eyes. It doesn’t have ears to hear you, or a nose to smell you or hands to hold you. But you have all of those and that means you can be a WormWatcher.

Earthworms are nature’s great recyclers. They munch on debris, leave behind wonderful nutrients and make sure that the water reaches the roots of plants.

Category: 
NatureWatch

Earth Day

Submitted by Kat_NC on Tue, 08/09/2011 - 10:12am
Date: 
Sunday, April 22, 2012 (All day)

Today marks our annual celebration of the planet we live on. But did you know that Earth Day was originally conceived by an American senator as a teach-in - a practical, participatory, action-oriented day of learning about the environment? In 1990, Earth Day went global and is celebrated in more than 175 countries each year; in 2009, the United Nations officially recognized International Mother Earth Day on this date.

Send a Summer eCard

Submitted by Kat_NC on Tue, 08/09/2011 - 10:03am

Happy Canada Day! We hope you have a chance to get out and explore nature, whether it's in a national park or just in your own backyard. The diverse array of natural wonders we are so fortunate to have is one thing that makes Canada truly unique.

Before you head out to celebrate, why not share the holiday with friends and family by sending a Canada Day eCard from Nature Canada? Or, send wishes to our American neighbours for a great start to the summer over the 4th of July weekend.

IceWatch

Submitted by Kat_NC on Tue, 08/09/2011 - 9:54am

What could be more fun than watching and waiting for ice to form on your pond, lake or river? Watching and waiting for it to go away! Knowing when the ice comes and goes every year is an important indicator of climate change. And you can do your part to help scientists understand what’s really happening with our climate just by watching and recording the dates when ice forms and thaws.

Category: 
NatureWatch

FrogWatch

Submitted by Kat_NC on Tue, 08/09/2011 - 9:43am

Hop on over to a pond and listen to the talking frogs.

You don’t have to speak frog language to understand that frogs are telling us how much they love their wetland homes. And we need you to listen to their voices and tell us what you hear.

Every spring the frogs and toads wake up and announce their presence to the world. And because every frog and toad species has it’s own unique “voice”, you can learn to identify just what kinds of frogs and toads live in your backyard.

Category: 
NatureWatch

PlantWatch

Submitted by Kat_NC on Tue, 08/09/2011 - 9:38am

Does a watched plant ever bloom? It sure does. And we need citizen scientists like you to tell us when that happens. The history of plant watching goes back over two hundred years! By watching and recording when selected plants bloom each spring, researchers can track the effects of global climate change in Canada.

Category: 
NatureWatch