Nova Scotia Wild Flora Society

Lisa and Gini Proulx on Mica Hill Trail, Cape Breton

Our next members’ meeting will be on Monday Mar. 23 at 7:30. For this we are lucky to have a presentation by two of our member naturalists whom we consider to be provincial treasures: Gini Proulx and her daughter Lisa Proulx.

For the presentation they will share some of their adventures from over the years as their curiosity about the natural world expanded. From wildflowers to lichens, fungi, mosses and slime moulds, the closer they looked the more they found. Their journey follows the surge in citizen science that is happening around the world and contributing to scientific knowledge. Plus, they always have a lot of fun and laughs as they go… A mother and daughter duo.

Gini got serious about botanizing when she acquired a 1983 reprint of Roland and Smith’s Flora of Nova Scotia and a copy of The Rare Vascular Plants of Nova Scotia.
She noticed that many distribution maps lacked representation in Digby and Annapolis counties, so she set out to remedy that. Over the next two decades, she collected and submitted hundreds of plant specimens to herbaria at the Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History and Acadia University.
During this time, she led botanical field trips, gave nature-related slide presentations and was a founding member of the Annapolis Field Naturalists and the Tobeatic Wilderness Committee.
She has been a long-time member of the NS Wild Flora Society. In 1988, she enrolled in the “Flora of Nova Scotia” credit course at Acadia U. but she notes that most of her rare botanical “discoveries” were made prior to that time. Her records are included in the 1998 Roland’s Flora of Nova Scotia, revised by Marian Zinck.

For Lisa and her brothers, growing up with Gini Proulx as a mother was always an adventure… running through the hayfield to catch a glimpse of their first Pileated Woodpecker or listening in awe to the Nighthawks and Meadow Hens over the marsh below the house. Lisa was immersed in the natural world from a young age and encouraged to be curious and enthusiastic about all things.
A move to Calgary, Alberta wasn’t easy for a young, homesick Nova Scotian so when she started visiting the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary and realized there was so much that she didn’t know about western wildlife, she took advantage of their courses on bird and wildflower ID. Around the same time Gini went on a guided nature walk at Keji and was surprised to learn there was so much she didn’t know! When Lisa finally moved home in 1986, they had almost 10 years of lost time to make up for. Their first collaboration was the 1986 Maritimes Breeding Birds Atlas. Since then they have been involved in the Christmas Bird Count and the Lake Rossignol Bioblitz. Together they have travelled from Newfoundland and Labrador to British Columbia, Yukon and Nunavut and points in between in pursuit of the joy of discovery!
Their individual paths have intertwined with each one pursuing their individual passions while always sharing with and supporting each other. Lisa’s interest in Monarch butterflies and Milkweed has given way to learning to identify other Species at Risk to try and protect our old forest habitats before it’s too late.
Lisa loves using the iNaturalist platform to help identify and document her findings and offers workshops for Save Our Old Forests (SOOF) to teach interested naturalists. She loves being a Citizen Scientist and sharing her discoveries with others.

NSWFS Members will be emailed a link to the Zoom Meeting.

Seaside goldenrod (Solidago sempervirens) at the Historic Gardens with a Western Honey bee (Apis mellifera) – Ashlea Viola

There will be a member’s meeting, by Zoom only, on Monday Feb. 23 at 7:30pm. Invitations including the Zoom link will be emailed to registered members beforehand.

For February’s meeting, Ashlea Viola will share her experiences with native plants and native plant cultivars at the Annapolis Royal Historic Gardens, where she has been a gardener for the last ten years. While working in ornamental/educational horticulture, Ashlea has also been inspired by the province’s wild flora. Her presentation will then take us to several of Nova Scotia’s Parks and protected areas as well as places proposed for protection in Annapolis County.