The oak woodland in south-end Halifax

Posted on May 7, 2020 by admin

“The Oaks” is the estate at the south end of Robie Street in Halifax. It  includes a historic house, lawns and gardens and the surrounding mostly red-oak woodland. It was occupied by Premier Robert Stanfield for a lengthy period; he was an avid gardener. In 1968 The Oaks was sold to St. Mary’s University.

Photos by Ann-Li Huestis of plants in the oak woodland in 1992. Click on image for a larger version.

An oak woodland bordering the rail cut extends from The Oaks estate to the south end of Beaufort Avenue (see map below). It’s a popular spot for NS Wild Flora folk to view Witch Hazel, Lady Slipper orchids, and Indian Pipe, amongst other species.

Recently I was forwarded a photo of a plant taken in the area by a NS Wild Flora member…did I know what it was?

I am not the best person to ask for random ID of plants, but in this case I knew the area and many of the plants quite intimately.
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There are “guerilla gardeners” and now “guerilla plant namers”

Posted on May 2, 2020 by admin

View ‘Not just weeds’: how rebel botanists are using graffiti to name forgotten flora
In the Guardian, May 1, 2020.

A rising international force of rebel botanists armed with chalk has taken up street graffiti to highlight the names and importance of the diverse but downtrodden flora growing in the cracks of paths and walls in towns and cities across Europe.

Also view their Wild Cities page.

I guess this is a next step from Guerilla Gardening!

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Charlie’s Spring Bloomers

Posted on April 16, 2020 by Bob Kennedy

While we may not be able to get out this year due to social isolation, Charlie Cron has sent us some pictures from last year of what we are missing…

Broom Crowberry – Corema conradii – Early April 2019

Coltsfoot – Tussilago farfara – Early April 2019

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New resources for Mosses and Lichens

Posted on April 11, 2020 by Bob Kennedy

Dr. Sean Haughian, Botany Curator of the Nova Scotia Museum has kindly made some of the museum’s archived materials on Bryophytes and Lichens available to us. PDF files can be found here for Bryophytes  and Lichens  and web site links can be found at here for Bryophytes & Lichens

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What’s the earliest flowering native plant in Nova Scotia?

Posted on March 29, 2020 by admin

I guess it’s a toss-up between Skunk Cabbage and Dwarf Eastern Mistletoe

Above: Skunk Cabbage Mar 30, 2008, St. Mary’s Bay area, Digby Co. Left: Spathes emerging from snow. Right: spadix (flower clusters) exposed.
Below:Eastern Dwarf Mistletoe, Mar 28, 2020; at right, opened up. These photos by Bob Guscott
Click on image for larger version

I thought the answer was skunk cabbage, Symplocarpus foetidus, which I thought is found naturally only in SW Nova Scotia but, according to Nova Scotia Plants, also occurs in Cumberland Co.

The skunk cabbage pics at right were taken during  a NS Wild Flora Society outing in 2009, led by our President, Charlie Cron, who travels to SW Nova Scotia most springs to check it out.

I made a post about it on Facebook and soon got a message from Bob Guscott, retired forest pest specialist with DNR (now L&F), one of his obsessions being the  ecology of mistletoe in NS.

Said Bob:

“Saw your FB post today on Skunk Cabbage. I have not seen it in Nova Scotia yet, but always thought that it was a candidate for first native plant to flower. The other candidate for first to flower in NS is Eastern Dwarf Mistletoe, Arceuthobium pusillum.
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ALL NSWFS MEETINGS AND FIELD TRIPS CANCELLED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE

Posted on March 16, 2020 by Bob Kennedy

The Museum of Natural History is now closed as a precaution to the spread of COVID-19. We will be postponing all future meetings and field trips until we hear that circumstances have changed.

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Annual General Meeting of Five Bridges Wilderness Heritage Trust

Posted on March 7, 2020 by Bob Kennedy
You are cordially invited to join the 19th Annual General Meeting assembly of members and volunteers/supporters of the Five Bridges Wilderness Heritage Trust.  Mark your calendar today for Sunday, March 22 from 2 – 4 pm at the Estabrooks Community Hall.
Our guest speaker Allison Thorne, NS Nature Trust, will share news about saving local urban wild lands, like the Blue Mountain Birch Cove campaign.  Free event. Everyone is welcome.
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MEETING CANCELLED: March 7 – Ingram River Wilderness Area Public Consultation

Posted on February 28, 2020 by Bob Kennedy

Meeting was cancelled yesterday by the Dept of Lands and Forestry

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Flora of Nova Scotia Course – Acadia University

Posted on February 8, 2020 by Bob Kennedy

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Looking for Circumboreal Plants Common to Two Continents – and A Visit to the Linnaean Botanical Garden in Uppsala, Sweden

Posted on February 4, 2020 by Bob Kennedy

Monday Feb. 24

Bob Kennedy had the opportunity to briefly visit Northern Europe this past summer. He became fascinated by the few plants which were native to both Europe and Nova Scotia and the many more that were similar, yet different species. Bob will take you through his explorations in the Black Forest, Grindewald in the Swiss Alps and Denmark, Sweden and Norway.

While in Sweden, Bob also had the opportunity to visit the Linnaean Botanical Garden in Uppsala. Bob will introduce us to Carl Linnaeus, the father of modern taxonomy, at the location he did much of his work.

 

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