Nature Club News for May 2026
by John Dickson
The Owen Sound Field Naturalists (OSFN) are pleased to offer ‘Gaia’s Gifts’ May 14, with special guest Peter Rasberry, a hobby photographer with a special interest in the natural world – birds, wildflowers, insects, landscapes and others.
“I had the great fortune of working in Outdoor and Environmental Education for 38 years which presented me with countless opportunities to learn about and photograph many species of wildlife, and to share my appreciation of the environment with others.’Gaia was the Greek Earth goddess who emerged from Chaos and created the Mountains, Sea and Sky. We know her as Mother Earth. The Gaia Hypothesis is a book written by Dr. James Lovelock, a British scientist working for NASA in the 1970’s in which he describes the Earth as a self-sustaining organism, providing and maintaining the conditions that support life. Both of these concepts inspired my choice of “Gaia’s Gifts” as the title for this presentation.”
This event is scheduled for 7pm Thursday May 14, at the Harry Lumley Bayshore Community Centre. Doors will be open by 6:30pm for checking goods and merchandise in the lobby, including Nature books, field guides, Nature Art, clothing, and more. Admission is by Donation (free for OSFN members). It will also be available on Zoom at this link – https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/sTRjRwCySSGK4JE7Be1a3Q
In addition to Gaia’s Gifts, also on May 14, OSFN is delighted to once again partner with Artist and Marine Biologist Sarah McComb-Turbitt in presenting ‘The OSFN Collection.’ In Sarah’s words:
“To celebrate Ontario’s backyard wildlife, I joined forces with the Owen Sound Field Naturalists (OSFN) for a special challenge: painting as many local species as I could throughout March 2026! Part of every sale goes to OSFN—15% from original art, 35% from limited-edition prints, and 50% from artwork cards. Your support helps fund programs for young naturalists, care for natural heritage sites in Grey and Bruce Counties, post educational signs, host guest speakers, and offer guided outdoor adventures!”
Now that she has completed this exciting task, Sarah says “I am THRILLED to finally share the complete OSFN collection with you, as we kept working toward our goal of 15 new wildlife paintings. Worth every hour! This series has been unlike anything I’ve painted before. Every piece is based on local reference photographs taken right here in Grey and Bruce Counties, and each one tells a real wildlife story. Some of the encounter tales are genuinely hilarious — I’ll be sharing more of those on the website pages.” To view more please visit https://www.smccombturbitt.com/
A message from Lloyd Lewis at NeighbourWoods North –
‘Hello Tree and Nature Lovers, NeighbourWoods North is welcoming all volunteers to help us with our Spring Tree/Plant work at the Owen Sound Hospital. We are meeting on Saturday mornings on May 9, 16, 30 and June 6th.from 9:30 to 11am, followed by coffee and cake, resting on your own upside down bucket 🙂 It’s all very satisfying work, knowing YOU are making an impact. We hope to see some of you.’
Shawna Macivor added these helpful details: NeighbourWoods North work bees will take place every Saturday in Spring 2026 until June 6th. Helpers should bring their own garden tools and meet at the shed to the north west of the Emergency drive near the hydro wires. More information can be found at https://www.facebook.com/NeighbourwoodsNorth
Keefer Falls Tree Planting Event – Something special is taking root at one of the Escarpment Biosphere Conservancy’s Living Landscapes 2026 initiatives.
On Mother’s Day weekend – May 10, we will be gathering at Keefer Falls to celebrate a landscape that has captured the hearts of so many, owned for many years by Jim and Fran McArthur, and more recently by Lee McArthur and family. Flowing water, fresh spring air, and young trees planted with care, all in honour of the people and places that nurture us. This gathering marks an important step in our work to secure and protect this remarkable property.
To learn more, visit – https://escarpment.ca/ To register, visit: https://www.zeffy.com/en-CA/ticketing/keefer-falls-tree-planting-event
There are so many more signs of Spring these days. Finally, most of the well-known early wildflowers are blooming. Just a week ago, while I was enjoying some trail running, I noticed a patch of trilliums that included both white and red flowers. I also found a sample of fiddleheads and a larger area densely packed with two different yellow flowers – the taller Large-flowered Bellwort towering over the shorter Trout Lilies (also known as Adder’s Tongues, Dog-toothed Violets and Fawn Lilies). I had never seen these together in the same spot before. Trees are leafing out just in time to give the newly arriving birds more shelter for nesting. This week, while many local birders have been at Point Pelee and/or Pelee Island, there were still many of us here with the Bruce Birding Club enjoying the arrival of Baltimore Orioles, Palm Warblers, Northern Parulas, Blue-headed Vireos and more, at what we have dubbed ‘Pelee North,’ a birding hotspot on the south side of Kincardine. And I expect I will soon be watching the amazing displays of Chimney Swifts right here in Owen Sound.
Marsha Courtney tells of the OSFN Young Naturalists’ (YN) recent activities: Our Young Naturalist Group under the OSFN had a lovely hike in the Escarpment Biosphere Conservancy (EBC) Mooi reserve led by Amy Darrell. She put together a bingo for things that we might see and although we did not see the barred owls or the porcupine the kids had a pretty awesome bushwack through the woods to the Spey River. Such a gorgeous day and the weather was perfect for a change.YN Coordinator Amanda Eriksen added – Thanks to Amy Darrell of the Escarpment Biosphere Conservancy for hosting us!
To close, a Nature quote from Vesper Flights by Helen Macdonald. As a writer “I choose to think that my subject is love, and most specifically love for the glittering world of non-human life around us…To rejoice in the complexity of things.”