Nature Club News for March 2025
by John Dickson
Each year, the Owen Sound Field Naturalists (OSFN) club features several presentations with a great variety of topics, on the same evening. Described as a potpourri of OSFN members’ photos, displays, art, collections and compositions focusing on the natural world this year’s Members’ Night promises all of the above plus great fun too and it is set for 7pm Thursday March 13 at the Harry Lumley Bayshore Community Centre.
Featured presenters will be: Nan Brown – More than ‘just trees’ at the Inglis Falls Arboretum :“The talk will be a 10 minute exposé of what nature lovers may expect to find at the arboretum including trees, along with many shrubs, woody vines, small mammals, insects, reptiles, birds and more!”
Robert Burcher When I nudged OSFN’s Robert Burcher about his sailing on the prairies two years ago he replied with – Big Skies on the South Saskatchewan River, saying “Yes, I will do a 10 minute show of sailing on the mighty South Saskatchewan. I just looked through all my photos and was nostalgic. It will be good to refresh my memory of the trip. This will be a fun show! Did you ever hear the song about Pirates on the South Saskatchewan? ” https://youtu.be/8G_L9tXEwmc?si=3rGqrCR5s_cX7VKS
David Morris – Reflections on Sustainable Agriculture -” There is general agreement that sustainable agriculture entails farming in a way that will meet the world’s present and future needs while minimizing damage to the environment. David Morris, a retired agriculturalist, will offer some insights into why agreeing what this means in practice is much more complicated than it might seem.”
Bill & Cecilie Moses have entitled their session – Preserve Nature: They Aren’t Making any More, with some helpful insights into some of the options and opportunities with land trusts, nature reserves, conservation agreements, etc.
Marilyn Scriver – Common Loons – From a lakeside cabin in the Gatineau Hills, Marilyn will share her photos of Common Loon Families, from her time with the Canadian Loon Survey, Birds Canada.
In addition, OSFN also announces that its 10th annual Keynote Speaker Event to Celebrate Earth Day, will feature Dr. Anne Bell, the much revered former Director of Conservation and Education at Ontario Nature for 17 years, once again sponsored by Caframo. Entitled ‘Rapture and Resistance – the Heart of Nature Advocacy’ this event will take place at the Harmony Centre at 2pm Sunday April 27. Tickets for this special event, $10. each, will be available at OSFN meetings March 13, and April 10, as well as at these ticket outlets: Owen Sound and North Grey Union Public Library, the Ginger Press, Sheila Gunby’s Paper Cut Designs at the the Owen Sound Farmers’ Market and at Suntrail Source for Adventure in Hepworth.
With the doors opening by 6:30pm, March 13, there will be opportunities to browse OSFN’s many publications and merchandise, followed by the evening programme at 7pm in person at the Bayshore and also on zoom at this link
https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/Rz6Gqsy5QP-3XsFc3Tcbhg
The Owen Sound Artists’ Co-op is hosting several exhibitions in which Nature plays a prominent role, including works by Sue Allison. From ‘March Miniatures’ one distinctive sampling by Maureen Elliott features her ‘Wildlife Profiles’ … photography on metal, including Moose, Pine Marten, Black Bear and more.
I know that I will be visiting the Co-op several times to witness these and other exhibits too.
Male Golden Eye displaying to impress a mate
(north of Kimberley) March 2, by Ingrid Remkins
Although I haven’t yet seen pussy willows this year, I have heard one Robin, and noticed brighter yellows on the American Goldfinch males and willow trees, plus the bright red leaf buds sported by some Maple trees – so I do believe that Springtime is on its way.And to reinforce that sentiment, Peter Middleton has recently had a migrating pair of Carolina Wrens visiting and shared this prognostication “
Yesterday morning when I stepped out into the glorious sunshine, it was to the energetic singing of a Cardinal and a Carolina Wren, both in full voice. It was soul-stirring and a promise that Spring is definitely on its way.”
Owen Sound Young Naturalists Report by Amanda Eriksen
The February meeting was held at the Grey Sauble Conservation Authority building where we learned about butterflies, moths and host plants. I used the monarch as an example, but I had a slideshow showing 12 other moth and butterfly species common to our backyards that also only lay eggs and eat one plant family. I had some pictures and videos of monarch caterpillars and one of the members shared his experience raising and tagging monarchs. He brought a slide of a butterfly wing, so we hooked up the microscope to check that out. Amy Darrell from both OSFN and the Escarpment Biosphere Conservancy (EBC), gave us three pillowcases full of milkweed pods for us to smash up to free the seeds from the fluff.
Once thoroughly smashed you shake the seeds to the bottom and cut the corner off the bag. The seeds can then be poured out.
The kids were a great help in the smashing up part of the process. Each youngster was encouraged to take some seeds home to plant some milkweed for the monarchs. The rest of the seeds will be given back to Amy to be handed out by the EBC at various events they take part in.
We also got busy crafting butterflies and cloud air fresheners. I brought in some wooden butterflies, cardboard, feathers from my chickens, fluff from the milkweeds and various crafting supplies and let the
kids at it. We then added a few drops of essential oils to the art to turn them into air freshers. There was some great art created. We had a great turn out of twelve kids. Our March meeting is to be held a bit earlier so that we can check on the maple syrup production at Robert Gray’s property.
To close, a Nature quote from Horizon by Barry Lopez, in mountainside habitat within sight of the Pacific Ocean –
“These scenes, inland and oceanward…encourage two thoughts that have organized my perceptions in nature for decades. First, diversity is not a mere characteristic of life… Diversity is a condition necessary for life. Diversity creates the biological tensioning that makes life in general vigorous and sustainable. It’s diversity that ensures perpetuity. The loss of diversity, on the other hand, threatens all life with extinction.”