Acadia University’s 2024 Native Plants Sale – June 1

Posted on April 12, 2024 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 1  between 9:00AM and 12:00PM – and some of the limited stock often sells out early.

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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Eagle Hill Entomology Seminar (May 6th – May 20th, 2024)

Posted on March 26, 2024 by Bob Kennedy

The course will explore topics including an overview of the insect orders, evolution, external morphology and internal anatomy, reproduction and mating strategies, social behavior, ecological services, and conservation. The course will also include some simple methods and resources for beginning the study of insect identification. Participants will be invited (as time allows) to share their own insect images for group consideration. No previous background in entomology is required for this course – only an interest in insects.

See more here

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Member’s Zoom Meeting March 25 7:00pm – Rebecca Parker Gets Us Up to Date with The Young Naturalists Club

Posted on March 24, 2024 by Bob Kennedy

Pollinator Count and Bee Friendly Activities

Rebecca (Becky) Parker is Executive Director at Nature Nova Scotia and helps run the Nova Scotia Young Naturalist’s Club. She will talk to us about their activities including the multi day expedition to SW NS in 2021 with the YNC’s older youth chapter, where they worked on various plant surveys. They found and recorded field notes on species like redroot, goldencrest, and thread-leaved sundew.

After returning home they then compiled their observations and drawings into the Kids Guide to Weird Plants book, which the YNC now distributes.

They repeated the trip in 2023 and chose educational signage as their science communication topic, drafting signs that could be placed in and around national or provincial parks in the area. They’re hoping to make that a reality this or next year, but really the best part of both trips has been just letting the kids explore and draw and ask questions.

As part of the meeting, we also hope to talk with Becky about how the Nova Scotia Wild Flora Society can better work with the Young Naturalists.

If you are a member of NSWFS, you should be getting an email with the Zoom link. If you do not receive it, please contact novascotiawildflora@gmail.com

 

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Field trip to Balancing Rock, Long Island – Sunday March 24, 2024

Posted on March 20, 2024 by Bob Kennedy

Balancing Rock Trail on Long Island. Meet at trail head at 10:00 hrs. If you miss the Ferry at 09:30 catch the next crossing.

We will be near the start of the trail and looking for Skunk Cabbage in bloom, Dwarf Mistletoe flowers  – male in bloom and female flowers ( the female will not be in bloom). We then return to long Island and search a bog for Curly Grass Fern. If time permits we will then try to locate and briefly explore a new trail near Acaciaville ( Nature Trust Property).

From Halifax take the 101 to Digby ( 2hrs): get Gas in Digby if required) then take the 217 to Tiddville and the Ferry to Long Island. The trail is about 1Km South west of the Ferry landing. Just follow the Road signs the area is well marked and easy to find.

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Update to Eagle Hill Seminars for this Summer

Posted on March 8, 2024 by Bob Kennedy

Join the people at Eagle Hill this summer for a week-long, natural history seminar taught by expert field biologists. Eagle Hill is located on the coast of Maine, between Acadia National Park and Petit Manan National Wildlife Refuge. For more details click here

Eagle Hill Institute’s 2024 Vascular Plants and Related Seminars

Jun 30 – Jul 6 Grasses and Sedges as a Way to Read the Landscape *1 Brett Engstrom and Jerry Jenkins
Jul 14 – 20 Grass Identification: An In-depth Review Dennis Magee and Rick Van de Poll
Jul 28 – Aug 3 Natural Communities of the Maine Coast: An In-depth Experience for Field Botanists and Naturalists *1 Robert Wernerehl and Kristen Puryear
Aug 4 – 10 Submersed and Emergent Aquatic Flowering Plant *1 *F C. Barre Hellquist
Aug 11 – 17 Ferns and Lycophytes: Identification, Biology, and Natural History *2 Robbin Moran, Carl Taylor, Alejandra Vasco
Aug 25 – 31 Pressing Plants for Art and Science *F Daniel Atha
Sep 8 – 14 Identification of Trees and Woody Plants of the Northern Forest: A Wholistic Approach Erika Mitchell

For general information, the registration form, seminar flyers, and a complete calendar:

https://eaglehill.us/programs/sems-weeklong/calendar-weeklong.shtml

If you have any questions about the content of the seminar, please reach out to the seminar instructor(s), whose contact info can be found on the seminar flyer. If a seminar you are interested in is full, and you would like to be put on the waitlist, please fill out the application form.

If you have any questions about registering for the seminar, please contact us at office@eaglehill.us.

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The Nova Scotia Museum Research Grants Program is Open  – Deadline March 8

Posted on February 16, 2024 by Bob Kennedy

The Nova Scotia Museum’s call for applications for Research Grants in Natural History is live for 2024. It’s a tight turnaround time (due March 8th), but the maximum funding amount is $10,000.

https://museum.novascotia.ca/grants

The Nova Scotia Museum Research Grant Program, administered by the museum’s board of governors, annually contributes funding toward research projects that improve Nova Scotians’ understanding of our natural and cultural history. Research that links with the Nova Scotia Museum collection is prioritized for support. Results from the research may generate artifacts and specimens for the provincial collection or work directly with the existing collection in new and innovative ways.

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Member’s Meeting Feb 26, 7:30pm – Mike Lancaster shows us the new Island Lake Wilderness Area

Posted on February 10, 2024 by Bob Kennedy

The next members meeting will be on Monday Feb. 26 at 7:30 pm, both in person at the Museum of Natural History 1747 Summer St. and by Zoom. If you are a member, you will be recieving a link to the Zoom presentation in your email closer to the date.

Mike Lancaster, Executive Director of the St. Margaret’s Bay Stewardship Association, will take us on a virtual tour of the newly designated Island Lake Wilderness Area, a 3,927-hectare Protected Area in the St. Margaret’s Bay Area and part of the broader Ingram River Wilderness Area proposal. Mike will also discuss the 8-year campaign that this designation required and the need for continued support for the 11,000 hectares of the proposed Ingram River Wilderness Area that remains unprotected.

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Newest Eagle Hill Seminars

Posted on December 20, 2023 by Bob Kennedy

See the full schedule here

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Nova Scotia Wild Flora Society Members’ Photo Night Monday Jan 22, 2024

Posted on December 15, 2023 by Bob Kennedy

Our next member’s meeting will be on January 22 in the new year. As has been our tradition for many years, you are invited to share up to 20 of your favourite wild flora photos. Do you have a photo of a Mystery Plant to include?  You only need to have Zoom capability and current membership.

If you would like to participate , please read the attached document Slide Presentation Specs 2024 and contact novascotiawildflora@gmail.com

Netted Chain Fern – Photo Bob Kennedy

All members will received an email invitation to the Zoom meeting later in January.

Time to renew for 2024! Membership is still $15 individual, $20 family membership. You can pay by e-transfer or cheque to novascotiawildflora@gmail.com

 

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If Nature Nova Scotia can inspire 4,205 members to each donate $20, Nature NS will receive an additional $100,000!

Posted on November 24, 2023 by Bob Kennedy

The Echo Foundation will give Nature NS $100,000 if they can raise a minimum of $20 each from 4,205 of their members.

Bob Bancroft’s attached letter shows the importance to all our members (and non member Nature advocates) of this opportunity. Just click on the link below to see the details and context of the offer.

Funding Nature NS is important. We (NSWFS) are founding members of Nature NS, and have an obligation to support this group not only as our Society, but also as individuals. This looks like a good funding opportunity for Nature NS.  I urge all our members to support Nature NS with a $ 20.00 donation now to help meet the funding requirement.

Thank you.

Charles Cron President NSWFS.

NNS updateappeal #4

See this link for their latest doner appeal Take Action for Nature this Winter

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