Art Meets Nature and Activism at Sandy Lake – art show opens Thursday July 13th, 2023 !

Posted on July 12, 2023 by admin

Sandy Lake at Peverill’s Brook, by Jeremy Vaughan. Click on image for larger version.

A wonderful collective of artists has been creating works based on their experiences at Sandy Lake Regional Park.

Their gorgeous paintings and drawings will form part of a 2-week long art show at Second Gallery (Upstairs at 6301 Quinpool Road, Halifax), called “Sanctuary – Save Sandy Lake.”

The show opening is on Thursday, July 13, from 6 pm to 8 pm and ALL are invited (so is everyone you know). It  runs for 2 weeks.

Read more about the artists’ inspiration and how it relates to the campaign to save critical lands – including important wildlife corridors connecting the mainland and lands of the Chebucto Peninsula – and protect Sandy Lake in the press release about the show.

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NSWFS/Nature Conservancy of Canada’s Botanical Walks – June 26 Inverness County

Posted on June 10, 2023 by Bob Kennedy

Showy Lady’s Slipper – Cypripedium reginae – Photo by Jeff White

There will be two walks near Lake Ainsley on June 26

The morning walk will be conducted by the Nova Scotia Wild Flora Society to see the Showy Lady’s Slippers. Participants will meet at 1171 Blackstone Rd. (at the intersection with W. Lake Ainsley Rd.) at 9:30. We will car pool to the head of the Inverness Shean/Celtic Shores Coastal Trail, then walk about a km to the access point for the orchids. We will then hike about 200m into the brush. If time allows, we will then drive to a site where a pure white Lady’s Slipper is known. Please register for this walk (if you have not yet done so) by emailing novascotiawildflora@gmail.com

Bring a lunch, boots and insect repellent.

The afternoon walk starts from the same location, 1171 Blackstone Rd. at 1:00pm. This walk is being conducted by the Nature Conservancy of Canada in conjunction with the Atlantic Canada Conservation Data Centre and the Nova Scotian Department of Natural Resources and Renewables.  We will wander through the Black River Bog property nearby and check out some wonderful bog and other flora, including the rare sage willow. We look forward to seeing you there!

Registration and more details for the afternoon walk are to be found at:

https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/black-river-bog-botanical-walk-tickets-653998135027?aff=oddtdtcreator

Please register separately for both events!

 

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Meguma Falls Field Trip with Nature NS – May 27

Posted on May 16, 2023 by Bob Kennedy

Field Trip starts at the Yellow Birch Trailhead 9:00AM May 27. We will follow Sandy Cope trail (solid red line) then the trail to Meguma Falls (dotted line). The Sandy Cope Trail is easy and the Meguma Falls Trail is moderate. Some may wish to only do the easier part of the trail.

To get there from Halifax: Drive to Truro,take exit 14A turn Right onto Onslow Road ( NS 2) and drive 3.7 Km at a Flashing Yellow light turn left onto Hwy 311. Drive about 26 km,and turn right onto Kemptown Road. Drive about 5 km on the Kemptown Road. The Gully lake Wilderness Trail Head will be on your left. There is limited Parking for cars; if full, park on the roadside. Do not block the entrance as this is also a Gated fire road. We will access the trails from the fire road., and return along the fire road.
We should arrive by 09:00 hrs.

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Ram’s Head Lady’s Slipper Field Trip May 26 Confirmed

Posted on May 9, 2023 by Bob Kennedy

Trip is now confirmed. Meet at the Carpool Parking lot near exit 4 at St Croix at 10:o0hrs. : Take exit 4 at St Croix go to the Evangeline Trail, turn left (marked exit to Halifax), drive about ½ km to the carpool site, gravel road near Hwy 101, exit to Halifax is on the opposite side of the 101. Do not drive under the highway as you will have gone too far. The carpool site is off the gravel road adjacent to the 101 on the St Croix side of the 101. We will meet there.

This walk will be on Nature Trust land and will include a person from Nature Trust and 2 land owners. It will probably be 2-3 hours of light hiking. The maximum participants from NSWFS is 8, so please register with Charles Cron if you plan to attend. ccron72@hotmail.com

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Still space left on Atlantic Coastal Plain Flora Field Trip Aug 20-25

Posted on May 5, 2023 by Bob Kennedy

Nova Scotia is fortunate to be the home of a large, disjunct population of Atlantic Coastal Plains plant species. For most of these species, specialized habitats in South-West Nova Scotia are the only places in Canada where they can be found. The next nearest occurances can be in Massacheusetts, New Jersey or even the Carolinas. This field trip is a chance to learn about and see many of these rare plants when they are in bloom.

The trip will encompass the Tusket River and Estuary areas, bogs near Barrington, Ponhook and Molaga Lakes and a site near Kejimkujik park. We are coordinating accomodations and meals. So far we have 8 people signed up and room for four or so more. If you are interested in some or all of the trip, contact bob@grimsey.ca

Goldencrest – Lophiola aurea and Plymouth Gentian  – Sabatia kennedyana in bloom    Photos Bob Kennedy
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May 22 Outdoor LIVE Member’s Meeting – Herring Cove, 5:30pm

Posted on May 4, 2023 by Bob Kennedy

Hobblebush – Viburnum lantanoides  Photo Bob Kennedy

We will have our first in-person meeting of the year on Victoria Day, May 22 at 5:30pm. We will meet in the parking lot near the Naval Firefighting School (Fleet School) at 31 Fire Rd near Herring Cove. Once everyone has arrived, we will discuss business then decide where we wish to head to – depending on the turnout and the majority opinions. The options include going towards the Pine Island Ponds or towards the York Redoubt. The focus will be on what plants we find coming out, but the local birds will be giving their evening songs as we explore.

To get there, from the Armadale Roundabout take the Herring Cove exit. Head up the hill for about 200m then take the left fork onto Purcell’s Cove Rd. Highway 253. Stay on the road for 9 km (which at some point turns into John Brackett Dr.), then turn left onto Fire Rd. where you will see the large school building. There is parking just as you enter Fire Rd.

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Mark the Date – Acadia University Native Plant Sale June 3

Posted on May 3, 2023 by Bob Kennedy

One of the best sources of ethically grown native plants is the Native Plant Sale at the Harriet Irving Botanical Gardens at Acadia University in Wolfville. This year it is on Saturday June 3. I need to confirm the times, but I believe it is between 9:00AM and 1:00PM – and some of the limited stock often sells out early.

Some of the vendors and exhibitors include Baldwin Nurseries, Falmouth; LeHave Drumlins Native Plant Nursery, New Germany; Beneath the Boughs Woodland Plant Nursery, Kentville; Helping Nature Heal Restoration Gardeners, Bridgewater; the Nova Scotia Invasive Species Council and Blomidon Naturalists Society. Find out more, including a list of available plants here.

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Nova Scotia Wild Flora Society Annual General Meeting – Apr 24 7:00pm via Zoom

Posted on April 20, 2023 by Bob Kennedy

Beaked Hazel Corylus cornuta and Eastern Leatherwood Dirca palustris – Photos Bob Kennedy

Our 2022 AGM will take place Apr 24 at 7:00pm via Zoom.

If you are a NSWFS member, you should receive an email zoom invitation with attached agenda, financials and membership report. Please contact novascotiawildflora@gmail.com if you do not receive it.

Following the AGM, Burke Korol and Iain Crowell of the Atlantic Canada Conservation Data Centre will make a presentation of their most recent activities documenting the flora of the Maritimes.

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Hike to McIntosh Run Trails for City Nature Challenge – Sat. Apr. 29

Posted on April 18, 2023 by Bob Kennedy

As a contribution to the iNaturalist City Nature Challenge, NSWFS is conducting a hike through some of the more unique vegetation in HRM on Saturday April 29: Starting in the Jack Pine barrens of McIntosh Trail Run then down to the wetlands of Flat Lake .

Broom Crowberry – Corema conradii          Phot0 Charles Cron

We will meet at the Osprey Trailhead Parking Lot at the end of Alabaster Way;  10:00AM. It is an entry point to the McIntosh Run trail system.

Parking is limited. Street parking is possible in some areas. An alternate parking lot is available at the Spryfield Lions Rink. You can carpool from there in limit numbers. There are multiple access points to the trail system along the granite ridge, running parallel with the houses.

We will travel east along the green marked trail to the Flat lake lookoff, hopefully to the lakeshore, then return to the west through a complicated series of trails known as the attic and Lou’s basement. There are many switchbacks and informal unmarked cross trails, much of which is on private lands and not part of the McIntosh Run trail system. 

About 4 hrs. bring  lunch, cameras, binoculars, rain gear, hiking boots or waterproof footwear. Trails are easy but mostly on granite rock. Expect to see Jack pine in various stages, Broom Crowberry, Leatherleaf, Sweet Gale, and Long Stalked Sedge in bloom. We will also visit a site of the endangered Pine Barren Goldheather, just emerging from the harsh winter.

Please email novascotiawildflora@gmail.com to register. All are welcome.

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Mar 27 Online Member’s Meeting – The Logic of Black Ash

Posted on March 20, 2023 by Bob Kennedy

Our next member’s meeting is on Monday March 27, 7:00pm via Zoom. If you are an NSWFS member, you should receive an email towards the end of the prior week with a Zoom link to the meeting. If you do not receive it, please contact paris2@ns.sympatico.ca

Many people have never seen a black ash tree. As Ecologist Nick Hill says “truth told, I was in my fourth decade of Nova Scotian botanical fieldwork before I noticed one. Why?”

The black ash, “wisqoq” of the Mi’kmaq, can be large bottomland trees in the Great Lake states and along the St John River but there is only a scattering in Nova Scotia and they are rarest in the acidic southern uplands. Nick will summarize and interpret the findings of the latest field research and try to answer:
Why is the black ash rare?
How can it survive?

Nick Hill PhD has worked Post-Doctorate and as an Associate Professor in Botany/Ecology. He is currently a self employed Consultant Ecologist and has Adjunct Status at Dalhousie and St. FX Universities

He has been Project Coordinator for: 1. Bog Restoration, Globally Imperilled Avens, 2. Wetland delineation and assessment, 2. Botanical inventories (rare plants), 3. Ecological assessments , Monitoring, Restoration analyses, 4. Wetland training courses

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