What is Project 366? Read more here! This Wood Frog liked to live dangerously. It was basking at the surface of a shallow vernal pool of water in the middle of the trail as we came barraging along on our mountain bikes. The only reasons we managed to spot it was because we decided to…
What is Project 366? Read more here! Dragonflies are a bit of an oxymoron. While everyone is able to instantly recognize a dragonfly, very few people know the names of the various dragonfly species, never mind being able to tell them apart and identify them. I am no different. We had just finished a trail…
What is Project 366? Read more here! Going birding mid-day is not ideal. Most birds are out of sight, but if you put your mind to it you might be able to hear them skulking in the shrubbery. For a birding noob like me the only thing more frustrating than no birds is hearing birds…
What is Project 366? Read more here! Black-capped Chickadees may be one of our smallest birds but they are definitely one of the most resourceful and intelligent birds in these neck of the woods. There have learned to take full advantage of our weakness for cuteness and manipulated our feeble human minds to provide them…
What is Project 366? Read more here! Different species of spiders create different types of spider webs. The spider web type that probably come to your mind first is the classical spiral orb web design. This type of web is created by spiders in the Araneidae family, aka as orb-weaving spiders. With 3122 species these…
What is Project 366? Read more here! Along the trail at the Whitemud Creek one can find Low-bush (Viburnum opulus) and High-bush Cranberries (Viburnum edule). Calling these shrubs cranberries is misleading as they are more closely related to elderberries than to the true cranberry. They produce a stone fruit called a drupe (a drupe is…
What is Project 366? Read more here! All of a sudden last week foam started to appear in the Whitemud Creek. Large floating rafters of yellowish foam floating down the creek and getting stuck in the vegetation along the shorelines. Most people’s first reaction is probably that the foam is due to pollution. While pollution…
What is Project 366? Read more here! One reason many of the inhabitants at the Whitemud Creek are so comfortable around humans might be the regular treats they receive from us. On any given day it is common to find sunflowers seeds strewn along the trail, placed on stumps, logs and bridge railings. I am…
What is Project 366? Read more here! A mushroom walks into a bar. The bartender said “We don’t serve your kind here”. The mushroom replied: “Why not? I am a fun guy.” Once you wipe the cringy grin off your face we can move on. We have received a lot of rain this summer (daily…
What is Project 366? Read more here! Red-back Voles are common inhabitants of the northern forests. Just as the name suggests the fur on their back is reddish brown. There are two species of red-back voles in Canada, the Northern Red-back vole (Myodes rutilis) and the Southern Red-back vole (Myodes gapperi). Studies have shown that…