Nova Scotia Wild Flora Society

Stand of Antarctic Beech – Nothofagus moorei

Wallum Banksia at Noosa Heads – Banksia aemula

Explore some of Australia’s most iconic plant families, whose species grow in fertile, biodiverse rainforest, the arid outback and along the dry, sandy seacoast. Discover modern day trees whose ancestors lived in the Dinosaur Age (Araucariaceae).

Discover why 80-85% of Australian plant species are endemic (grow naturally only in Australia). See beautiful flowers unlike anything you may have seen.

Learn how Australian plants have adapted to strong sunlight, fire, poor soils and dry conditions as the continent has dried out over time.  Discover western and aboriginal uses of iconic plants and how Aussie culture embraces them. Attend in person on November 24, 2025, and see and feel leaves from “living fossils”.  See, taste and smell products derived from some of Australia’s most iconic plant species.

Because it is a detailed and comprehensive presentation, Sheila has offered to do it in two parts. The first part will take place at the Museum of Natural History 1747 Summer St. starting at 7:30 Monday Nov. 24. It will also be available online via Zoom.

Part 1 will cover species in the Araucariaceae (Bunya Pine, Norfolk Pine, etc.), Nothofagaceae (Antarctic Beech) and Proteaceae (Banksia, Macadamia) families.

Part 2 will take place only on Zoom on Monday Dec 1 at 7:30. It will cover the Myrtaceae (Eucalypts), the Mimosaceae (Acacia/Wattles), Casuarinaceae (She-Oaks) families, and Grass Trees (Xanthorrhoea genus).

Sheila has spent over a year in Eastern Australia (Qld and NSW) over 5 separate visits of 2-3 months each. She participated in Land Care and Habitat Restoration Projects with local conservation groups. As well, she participated in Botany field trips and talks with the Noosa Parks Association in Queensland. She has been able to do a fairly deep dive into the most iconic and unique floral families of Australia during her time in Australia.

Sheila is a native of Nova Scotia  and has had a passion for botany all her life. This eventually led to  a BSc. in Biology (Ecology). Locally, she was awarded a HRM Volunteer Award in 2025 for her work in conservation and habitat restoration in a local HRM park over the past 6 years.

Members will be emailed the Zoom links prior to the presentation.

Grass Trees – Xanthorrhoea johnsonii

There will be a member’s meeting, by Zoom only, on Monday Oct. 27 at 7:30pm. Invitations including the Zoom link will be emailed to registered members beforehand.

Hunter’s Mountain, Cape Breton – Photo Mary Macaulay

Mary Macaulay is a longstanding member and researcher who will present a continuation of her Eco-Archaeological research on Nova Scotia “Crown” Lands, which are up for deforestation – as shown targeted by the online Harvest Plan Map Viewer. Mary has been doing this work since 2019 and has expanded her project area to include patterns observed throughout the region, including the South Shore.

Members who have not viewed Mary’s first two presentations on the NSWFS You-Tube site will benefit by watching those two talks before this one; Rediscovering the Sacred and Salvage Eco-Archaeology in Nova Scotia – or viewing as a refresher since it’s been a couple of years since Mary has given us an update.

This new talk will focus less on culturally modified trees and LIDAR sets and more on a selection of common native understory plants and the cultural landscape features they appear to signify.

The next Nova Scotia Wild Flora Society member’s meeting will be at The Museum of Natural History, 1747 Summer St. Halifax, and by Zoom, at 7:30 pm.

What started as an anecdote about an old apple became a years-long research mission for friends and colleagues Simon Thibault and Karen Pinchin. The pair of them worked together to unearth a centuries-old story of the Belliveau Apple, a distinct variety of apple found in the Acadian villages of Clare in Southwest Nova Scotia. By digging through family archives, genealogical records, and a nearly-forgotten email exchange, Pinchin and Thibault would find and highlight the history of this nearly-forgotten apple, and lead them all the way to the Oxford Food Symposium. Today, the duo continue their work in helping tell the story of the apple, and all that it represent: agricultural knowledge, culinary and cultural heritage, and a calling card of Acadie.

Simon Thibault is a journalist, food writer, editor, and radio producer based in Halifax, Nova Scotia Canada. His work examines the intersections between food and culture, and the stories found within. His first book, Pantry and Palate: Remembering and Rediscovering Acadian Food was shortlisted for the Taste Canada Award. He and his work have been featured in The Globe and Mail, CBC Radio and Radio-Canada, The National Post, The Huffington Post, Chatelaine, The Old Farmers Almanac, and more. He currently works as the Non-Fiction Acquisitions Editor at Goose Lane, Canada’s oldest independent publisher.

Karen Pinchin is an award-winning journalist specializing in investigative and longform reporting. Her book, Kings of Their Own Ocean: Tuna, Obsession, and the Future of Our Seas won multiple awards, including the Paradigm Prize from the Science Writers and Communicators of Canada, the Evelyn Richardson Non-Fiction Award, the Margaret and John Savage First Book Award, and a Silver Medal at the Taste Canada Award. For more than a decade she has worked as both a staff and freelance reporter and editor specializing in food systems and science journalism.