Nature

Puncturevine seedpod (OASISS/file)

Weeds to watch for in the Okanagan-Similkameen

Hoary Alyssum and Puncturevine are on the move in the RDOS

  • Sep 6, 2021

 

(File)

VIDEO: Fraser Valley pilot spots black bear from the air

Agassiz area pilot captures footage of a wandering black bear among the stalks of corn

 

This year’s Western hemlock "looper" moth outbreak has been seen in the Lower Mainland and the Interior, including communities throughout the Columbia Shuswap Regional District. (Lorraine Maclauchlan photo)

Western Hemlock Looper Moths return for a third feast of B.C. foliage

Outbreaks of the moths occur every 11 to 15 years in Coastal and Interior forests

 

A common wall lizard scrambles across a concrete wall in a Saanich yard. July 15, 2021 (Christine van Reeuwyk/News Staff)

VIDEO: Invasive lizard population runs, climbs and clings across Vancouver Island

Even record-breaking heat didn’t diminish European wall lizard population

A common wall lizard scrambles across a concrete wall in a Saanich yard. July 15, 2021 (Christine van Reeuwyk/News Staff)
Wildflowers, rare grasslands and at-risk species are part of the rich landscape of the Park Rill Floodplain which is now part of the Nature Trust of B.C. in the South Okanagan. (Graham Osborne photo)

151 acres of biodiverse South Okanagan land donated to Nature Trust of BC

The land near Willowbrook is home to rare grasslands and at-risk animals

Wildflowers, rare grasslands and at-risk species are part of the rich landscape of the Park Rill Floodplain which is now part of the Nature Trust of B.C. in the South Okanagan. (Graham Osborne photo)
Wildflowers, rare grasslands and at risk species are part of the rich landscape of the Park Rill Floodplain which is now part of the Nature Trust of B.C. in the South Okanagan. (Graham Osborne photo)

151 acres of biodiverse South Okanagan land donated to Nature Trust of B.C.

The land near Willowbrook is home to rare grasslands and at-risk animals

Wildflowers, rare grasslands and at risk species are part of the rich landscape of the Park Rill Floodplain which is now part of the Nature Trust of B.C. in the South Okanagan. (Graham Osborne photo)
Yellow starthistle is one of the invasive species now found in the Okanagan and Similkameen Valleys. Okanagan and Similkameen Invasive Species Society has been addressing ways to manage invasive plants and animals. The society began in 1996. (Contributed)

Society focuses on invasive plants and animals in Okanagan and Similkameen region

Okanagan and Similkameen Invasive Species Society was formed in 1996

Yellow starthistle is one of the invasive species now found in the Okanagan and Similkameen Valleys. Okanagan and Similkameen Invasive Species Society has been addressing ways to manage invasive plants and animals. The society began in 1996. (Contributed)
Saturnina Island is situated off the east coast of Gabriola Island. (Google Maps image)

Island near Nanaimo preserved as park after $4M donation from Lululemon founder

Chip Wilson’s family’s foundation supports three land purchases in the Strait of Georgia

Saturnina Island is situated off the east coast of Gabriola Island. (Google Maps image)
Although the process to prepare the snails is long, Revelstoke resident Hailey Ross said they are mighty tasty. (Contributed)

1 way to deal with invasive snails in B.C. is… to eat them?

Foraging for Roman snails, which are cooked in fancy dishes globally as escargot

Although the process to prepare the snails is long, Revelstoke resident Hailey Ross said they are mighty tasty. (Contributed)
Chipping Sparrows, 1909, mixed media on paper, Vernon Public Art Gallery permanent collection. (Allan Brooks)

Okanagan nature centre hosts original Allan Brooks art

First ever exhibit at the Allan Brooks Nature Centre

Chipping Sparrows, 1909, mixed media on paper, Vernon Public Art Gallery permanent collection. (Allan Brooks)
University of Maryland entomologist Paula Shrewsbury, reaches for a cookie topped with a cicada nymph, Monday, May 17, 2021, in Columbia, Md. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Freaked by cicada swarms? You could just stick a fork in ‘em

Full of protein, gluten-free, low-fat and low-carb, cicadas are eaten by humans in many countries.

University of Maryland entomologist Paula Shrewsbury, reaches for a cookie topped with a cicada nymph, Monday, May 17, 2021, in Columbia, Md. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
A fledgling white raven was spotted near the end of Winchester Road in Coombs. (Mike Yip photo)

Legend continues as iconic white raven spotted once again on Vancouver Island

Sightings rare everywhere in world except for central Vancouver Island location

A fledgling white raven was spotted near the end of Winchester Road in Coombs. (Mike Yip photo)
Someone or something is vandalizing birdhouses built and erected along Salmon Arm’s Foreshore Trail, much to the chagrin of a Shuswap biologist who looks after the houses. All but one of 32 along the trail are occupied. (Facebook photo)

Ongoing birdhouse vandalism rocks Shuswap trail, groups

Eight more boxes were destroyed Saturday, May 15

Someone or something is vandalizing birdhouses built and erected along Salmon Arm’s Foreshore Trail, much to the chagrin of a Shuswap biologist who looks after the houses. All but one of 32 along the trail are occupied. (Facebook photo)
Joe Sommer of Chilliwack reaches toward a killdeer on its nest on his property, in March 2021. The red marking is to alert the neighbouring farm to avoid the area. (Submitted photo)

Chilliwack man has close encounter with killdeer after marking nest

Killdeer nest near farm fields and other high danger areas, but man is intent on saving birds

Joe Sommer of Chilliwack reaches toward a killdeer on its nest on his property, in March 2021. The red marking is to alert the neighbouring farm to avoid the area. (Submitted photo)
Susan Henderson looks through her binoculars at a pair of bald eagles while performing the annual Christmas Bird Count in Peter Jannink Nature Park. (File Photo)

Waterfowl most prominent in Salmon Arm bird count

Local naturalists saw thousands of ducks and geese taking advantage of mild weather and thawed lakes

Susan Henderson looks through her binoculars at a pair of bald eagles while performing the annual Christmas Bird Count in Peter Jannink Nature Park. (File Photo)
Virtual programming will assist the Allan Brooks Nature Centre Society in spreding environmental education. (ABNCS photo)

North Okanagan nature centre online with gaming grant

Allan Brooks Nature Centre Society benefits from provincial funds

Virtual programming will assist the Allan Brooks Nature Centre Society in spreding environmental education. (ABNCS photo)
(Courtesy Photo | Frank Zmuda)

VIDEO: Beaver waddles through downtown Vancouver

‘Makin’ my way downtown…’

(Courtesy Photo | Frank Zmuda)
The Summerland cannonballs are a unique geological feature found in and around the community. (Contributed)

Cannonball rock formations unique to Summerland

Geologists are studying the round rocks found in the community

The Summerland cannonballs are a unique geological feature found in and around the community. (Contributed)
Two giant grizzly bears engaged in a territorial fight. (Wayne Duke photo)

Trouble’s a bruin: B.C. photographer’s images of grappling grizzlies garner international acclaim

Amazing photos taken on trip to Tahumming River in Toba Inlet picked up by Daily Mail in Britain

Two giant grizzly bears engaged in a territorial fight. (Wayne Duke photo)
A happy, well-fed bear cub plays in the grass in northern B.C. (John Marriott photo)

Bear witness: Shuswap’s John Marriott offers intimate look at black, polar and grizzly bears

Sarah Elmeligi and Marriott’s What Bears Teach Us explores bear/human co-existence

A happy, well-fed bear cub plays in the grass in northern B.C. (John Marriott photo)