Nature Nuggets – Mar. 21, 2019 At the March 21st meeting, Kidston Short and Larissa Thelin from the Mount Arrowsmith Biosphere Region Research Institute (MABRRI) provided an overview of the Plant Phenology Research and Monitoring Project. This project is a collaborative effort between MABRRI, Milner Gardens and Woodland, the Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations …
Nature Nugget – Feb. 21, 2019 By Staffan Lindgren Of all the insects in the world, the ants are some of the most successful (Guénard 2013). To date, about 13,000 species have been described. By insect standards, that is a fairly modest number. However, ants are eusocial insects, meaning that they live in societies with …
Dracula ants: Another oddity from the world of insects Read More »
Nature Nugget – October 18, 2018 The Rise and Fall of Tansy Ragwort By Staffan Lindgren At the September meeting, Michael Stebbings described the scourge of giant hogweed, a plant we can surely do without. I am going to discuss another invasive weed, Tansy ragwort, Senecio jacobaea, a native to Europe and eastern Asia. Most …
Nature Nugget – September 19, 2018 A member of the Board coined the name Nature Nugget to describe these little 5 minute topics we like to add to the evening. But as it happens the name Nature Nugget was first coined 33 years ago by the Nanaimo Field Naturalists, fore-runner to the present Nature Nanaimo. …
Nature Nugget – April 19, 2018 By Michael Stebbings Cytisus Scoparius and a Scottish Army Captain { Sit eesus scar parius} Captain Walter Colquhoun Grant was born of a military family in Edinburg 1822. He served in Second Dragoons, Royal Scots Greys Regiment, British Army. In 1845, he purchased rank of Captain, at the age …
Nature Nugget – Winter 2017 The Nanaimo and Area Land Trust is a local society whose purpose is to preserve, protect and enhance the quality of the human and natural environment. The area of focus, as the name indicates, is central Vancouver Island. Its purpose is to promote the establishment of wilderness and other …
Nature Nugget – Nov. 30, 2017 A tale of two artists By Michael Stebbings Why should we be interested in Nanaimo’s Street Banners ? The design by Patrick Belanger, a Nanaimo artist, was selected to depict a portion of Nanaimo’s heritage, emblazoned with a Maple leaf & 150 over all. An 1800’s coal miner and the …