#foraging manitoba

[jazzeria]

A relatively recent birthday tradition is foraging for birthday horseradish.  We revisited the same site as last year, to find that the plant had grown even bigger!  We came prepared with a legit shovel this time, and sliced a big nob of root (instead of digging a whole taproot).  

We got about 500g of usable root; and a few nubs to experiment with planting (at least, overwintering in a pot indoors).  

I made a horseradish cranberry sauce (added orange juice + zest)!  It goes well with pork roast.  

The rest made a decent-sized jar of prepared horseradish (grated root + salt + vinegar) and I froze the rest (grated root + salt).  We’ll see how both these preservation methods work.  

The little end-bits leftover from grating, I threw into pickle jars.  Those pickles pack a wallop!  

[thesunndragon]

birdfoots trefoil, on the beach. 

[xtruss]

Polar bears are a common sight in the western Hudson Bay in Manitoba, Canada. Photograph By Roy Toft

Polar Bears are Trying to Adapt to a Warming Arctic. It’s Not Working.

The Bears Can’t Thrive on Land, a Concerning Discovery as Sea Ice Continues to Disappear at a Rapid Pace, a New Study Says

— By Stefan Lovgren | February 13, 2024

For the polar bears of Manitoba, Canada, the sea ice that envelops western Hudson Bay for most of the year is the ideal hunting ground for a feast of blubber-rich seals. But then come the dog days of summer, when the ice melts and the bears are forced onto land. There, life is no picnic for these giant creatures.

Deprived of adequate food supplies, the bears must live off their fat reserves for several months. Now, climate change is causing that wait to grow even longer, as warming temperatures melt the sea ice earlier in the spring and solidifies it later in the fall. The Arctic, research shows, is warming twice as fast as the rest of the world. The question is: How will polar bears adapt to more time spent on land?

The answer, according to a new study published in Nature this week, is not very well. The study shows the carnivores forage for food, such as birds and berries, rather than resting, which is what scientists thought most bears did while on land. But the study also concludes that doing so causes the bears to spend as much extra energy as they gain from eating the food. During the study's three-week research period, bears lost an average of more than three pounds of weight each day while waiting for the ice to form again.

“There’s no winning strategy” for the bears, says study leader Anthony Pagano, a research wildlife biologist with the U.S. Geological Survey in Anchorage, Alaska. “They will not be able to find the food they need on land.”

Forced to spend longer periods on land without sufficient food could cause vulnerable individuals, especially young bears, to suffer from starvation, scientists warn, eventually endangering the survival of entire populations.

With polar bears increasingly moving into new land spaces in search of food, dangerous confrontations with humans are also likely to increase, researchers say.

Today is International Polar Bear Day … and we are discovering how the animals (above) are adapting to a warming environment. In Manitoba, Canada, the sea ice that covers western Hudson Bay for most of the year serves as their hunting ground and haven. However, as the months become warmer and the ice melts, polar bears are forced to live longer periods of time with less food. Photograph By Norbert Rosing, National Geographic Image Collection

Surprisingly Active

Polar bears live in 19 regions across the Arctic, from Canada to Greenland to Russia. While some populations live on permanent ice, others inhabit seasonal ice. Climate change has caused ice loss to some degree in all the regions, leading to drastic population declines. As a result, the International Union for Conservation of Nature lists polar bears as vulnerable to extinction.

Between 1979 and 2015, the length of time without ice in western Hudson Bay has risen by three weeks, according to the study. About 800 polar bears dwell in the western side of Hudson Bay, a decline of 30 percent since 1980. Those bears now spend an average of 130 days on land a year, a number expected to increase by 5 to 10 days per decade in the future.

To glean how the polar bears spend their time on land, Pagano and his team placed GPS-enabled video trackers on 20 Hudson Bay bears for three-week periods in the summers between 2019 and 2022. The scientists tracked the animals’ diet, movement, behavior, changes in body mass, and how much energy they exerted each day.

“Previously we only had snippets [of information] on what the bears do on land,” says Pagano, who led a similar study several years ago focusing on the bears’ activity on sea ice.

The behavior of the bears varied wildly. Three made long swims in open water, with one female swimming over a hundred miles. Video footage revealed the bear finding a dead beluga whale during her swim, but that she was unable to feed on it. “It highlighted how the bears are not able to eat in open water,” says Pagano.

He says the findings surprised him and his colleagues, who had thought polar bears mostly minimized their activity while on land to conserve energy.

While adult males did indeed spend almost all their time resting—reducing their energy expenditure on land to levels similar to hibernating bears—70 percent of the bears were shown to actively move around in search of food sources, which included berries, grasses, and bird and caribou carcasses. Those foods are far less energy rich than a seal's blubber.

Nineteen of 20 bears—regardless of age, sex, or size—lost weight.

The study predicts that a quarter of adult males, the largest and most resilient individuals that can weigh up to 1,700 pounds, would start running into starvation issues after 180 days on land. But more vulnerable individuals, such as young bears, would get to such a point far sooner.

Survival of the Fattest

Andrew Derocher, a Biology Professor at the University of Alberta in Canada who has long studied polar bears, points out that some individuals are in better shape than others.

“Some animals can go many, many months before they’re in trouble, while others may run out of energy in a matter of weeks,” says Derocher, who wasn't involved in the study. He says the fatter a bear is from the months of feeding on the sea ice, the better it can deal with the ice-free period. “I call it survival of the fattest,” he says.

With polar bears spending more time on land and actively moving about the landscape in search of food, “there’s an element of desperation that goes on with some of these individual bears that puts them into potential conflict with people."

In the past, the polar bears have usually come to shore and congregated near the town of Churchill in Manitoba, which has a long history of managing polar bears, including maintaining a holding facility known as “polar bear jail” where dangerous bears are held before being relocated far from town.

But there are now signs that more polar bears may be migrating farther north in search of sea ice, potentially moving into communities that are nowhere near as well set up to deal with problem bears as Churchill is.

“These bears may smell some dog food and go right in,” says Derocher. “It’s not like they want to feed on our garbage. They want to go out on the ice and start hunting seals. But increasingly they’re stuck on land.”

[blogynewsz]

Unveiling the Enchanting World of Mushrooms: Discover the Surging Passion for Mushroom Foraging in Manitoba - Winnipeg

While the majority of individuals are preparing for the winter season, mushroom foragers in Manitoba are still diligently exploring fields and forests in search of edible treasures. Ehor Ruday is one of these foragers, and he is particularly fond of honey mushrooms. With excitement, Ruday swiftly slices the stem of a honey mushroom and adds it to his bucket, which rests on a bed of fallen foliage…

[thxnews]

Sustainable Canadian Agriculture: Investing in Canada's Future

  Resilient Agricultural Landscape Program Supports Sustainable Farming

Federal Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, Lawrence MacAulay, and Manitoba Minister of Agriculture, Derek Johnson, announced that the governments of Canada and Manitoba are providing over $1.9 million in funding through the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (Sustainable CAP) for 54 projects aimed at promoting sustainable farming practices in Manitoba. The projects are part of the Resilient Agricultural Landscape Program (RALP).   Two Streams of Funding for Sustainable Farming RALP offers two streams of funding: Watershed Resilience and Carbon Sequestration and Grassland Resilience. These funding streams support on-farm management practices and projects that sequester carbon, enhancing sustainability through grassland management and agroforestry practices, including maintaining and restoring grasslands and wetlands.  

Watershed Resilience Stream: Promoting Collaborative Projects

The Watershed Resilience stream provides funding to watershed districts to collaborate with farmers on implementing various projects. These projects include agroforestry, grasslands, and grazing management, enhancing and rejuvenating natural upland areas, improving riparian areas, managing water retention and runoff, and restoring and enhancing wetlands. Selected watershed districts will receive up to $100,000 per project, covering 100% of the total approved eligible costs. The projects will be completed within 18 months. Farmers are encouraged to reach out to their local watershed districts to inquire about available programming.  

Carbon Sequestration and Grassland Resilience Stream: Boosting Livestock Industry

The Carbon Sequestration and Grassland Resilience stream provides funding to community pastures, Agricultural Crown Land forage leaseholders, Indigenous farmers and communities, and farmers outside of watershed district boundaries. The projects aim to increase the productivity of grasslands, supporting a strong and viable livestock industry in Manitoba. These projects enhance ecological goods and services while providing mitigation and adaptation practices to support producers in a changing climate. Selected applicants will receive a maximum of $15,000 per project, covering 75% of the total approved eligible costs. Projects will be completed within 18 months.  

Focus on Environmental Resilience

Projects under RALP were evaluated based on their potential to enhance the environmental resilience of agricultural landscapes through practices that increase environmental benefits, including improving soil and water quality, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, addressing stream-bank degradation, enhancing nutrient and water retention, and improving biodiversity and wildlife habitat.   Advancing Manitoba's Agricultural Commitments Minister Johnson highlighted that projects under RALP align with Manitoba's commitments to improve the productivity of Agricultural Crown Lands, promote improved soil health, and implement on-the-ground actions outlined in Manitoba's Protein Strategy and Water Management Strategy. These projects will further enhance the province's sustainable farming practices and contribute to its environmental and agricultural goals.   “As good stewards of the land, Manitoba producers are prepared to embrace new, proactive on-farm projects that help mitigate the effects of climate change. Support for sustainable farming projects through these programs helps producers take a leadership role in shaping the future of Manitoba’s resilient agriculture sector.” - The Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food “Manitoba farmers know the success of their business depends on good stewardship of the land. We are proud to support them as they work to maintain and restore grasslands and wetlands on agricultural lands. This work is not just beneficial to the farmers; it contributes to the environmental and economic benefit to all Manitobans.” - Derek Johnson, Manitoba Minister of Agriculture   Sources: THX News & Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. Read the full article

[foragingincanadamb]

Green flowered Peppergrass

Find:part shade, sun; average to dry soil; roadsides, waste places, fields, open woods, woodland edges, disturbed soil.

Description:Elongating clusters of stalked flowers at the top of the plant, arising from the upper leaf axils, and at the tips of branching stems, with a densely packed, rounded cluster of open flowers at the tip and fruit forming below.Leaves are in a basal rosette as well as alternate all along the stem. Basal leaves are long stalked, spatula shaped to pinnately lobed and wilt away early. Lower stem leaves are irregularly toothed or lobed, 1 to 3 inches long, up to ½ inch wide, widest above the middle, tapering to a stalk at the base.

Leaves become more linear, less toothy, and stalkless as they ascend the stem. Surfaces are minutely hairy. Stems are erect, often much branched and also minutely hairy. Stem and leaf hairs are cylindric to club-shaped and mostly straight.

Edible parts and uses:The entire plant is edible. Young leaves can be used cooked or fresh in salads. The young seedpods can be used as a substitute black pepper.The flowers can be tossed into a salad . This entire plant can be put into a food processor along with turmeric, vinegar, miso, garlic and salt to make wild mustard.Roots can be washed then, crush them and add vinegar and salt you have a horseradish substitute.

Precautions:no side effects

[theburntleaf]

Balsam Fir // Abies Balsamea

Economically and ecologically important, Balsam Fir is a keystone species of the eastern North American boreal zone. -Vermont Center for Ecostudies

Family: Pinaceae (pine)

Abies from the Latin “rising one” and Balsamea producing a fragrant gum or resin [1]

“Fir” comes from a proto-Germanic word referring to fir or pine trees [x]

Other common names include: eastern fir, Canadian balsam, and blister fir. [2]

Description:

“A steeple-shaped evergreen tree with [flat] needles 3/8” - 1 1/2” long and whitened beneath...cones are 1” - 3” long, upright and fleshy, purplish to green [when fresh]. Bark rather smooth with resin blisters. Height 40’-60’; diameter 1’-2’” - Eastern Trees, Peterson Field Guides, George A. Petrides and Jane Wehr

Distinguishing features that I personally use to identify Balsam Fir is its pointy pyramid shape, flat needles that don’t roll between fingers, and the resin blisters that cover the bark.

Habitat:

The soils on which balsam fir grows range from silt loams developed from lake deposits to stony loams derived from glacial till. Fir will grow, but comparatively slowly, on gravelly sands and in peat bogs. It grows on soils of pH ranging from 4.0 to 6.0. It is generally found in areas with a cold moist climate and with 30 inches or more of annual precipitation [3]

Balsam fir is widely distributed in northeastern North America. It occurs from Newfoundland west across northern Quebec, northern Ontario, central Manitoba, and Saskatchewan to northwestern Alberta... southeast to northern Minnesota and Wisconsin, and east to New England... scattered populations occur in southern Minnesota, southern Wisconsin, northeastern Iowa, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and northern Virginia. [2]

The only native Fir to the Northern Piedmont and a major component of the landscape both as a key to the Spruce-Fir-Northern Hardwood Forest formations and as major commercial crop in local agriculture (for christmas trees). It’s cone shape helps shed heavy snow load “like Vermont’s steep-pitched roofs” and it’s heavy resin content in its needles prevents cell walls from freezing. [4]

Ecosystem:

Balsam fir is a major food of moose during winter... Spruce and ruffed grouse feed on balsam fir needles, tips, and buds... Red squirrels feed on balsam fir male flower buds. Stands attacked by the spruce budworm attract numerous insect-eating birds, especially warblers and woodpeckers... Balsam fir provides important winter cover for white-tailed deer and moose. During summer, deer, bear, and moose often rest under the shade of balsam fir trees. Young balsam firs provide cover for small mammals and birds. Martens, hares, songbirds, and even deer hide from predators in balsam fir thickets. Grouse and songbirds seek shelter during winter within the evergreen foliage. In Maine, fishers often nest in witches brooms in balsam fir trees [2]

Balsam fir is a mostly early and mid successional, but is late successional or climax species in the mountains. Balsam fir seedlings are shade tolerant and can establish underneath a canopy of hard wood and other conifers and they can grow to be 200 years old [maximum]. Locally they form communities with Red Spruce and are accompanied by other trees in the Northern Hardwood Forest. Common understory plants include bunch berry and mayflower and balsams are often hosts to many lichens. [4]

Harvesting:

Resin, needles, and wood are collected from Balsam Fir

Oleo-resin is harvested (using a tool called a picoué) by cutting into blisters best in Jul-Aug [5] but I also like to do this in the winter and early spring when there is not much else to forage for. Dryer resin drips, found on the outter bark or cones, are best collected when temps are well below freezing and even then handled with care (very sticky). [a good video]

A coniferous forest on a warm summer day smells intensely evergreen, a signal essential oils production is high and would make for a good time to harvest needles as well. I have also heard it is good to harvest evergreen needles in early spring when photosynthesis starts back up and sap is flowing. But they also can be harvested in winter time for a late season tea (though perhaps not as potent)

Wood is usually harvested when trees are dormant.

Chemical constituents:

Vitamin C, beta-pinene, delta-3-carene, alpha-pinene, bornyl acetate, α-terpineol, piperitone, and thymol are found in the needles [x], a similar profile is derived from the resinous bark but also includes limonene, beta-phellandrene, camphene [X], and cis-abienol is a major component of its aromatic resin [5].

Actions:

The Penobscot applied resin as an analgesic antiseptic for burns, sores, bruises, and wounds. Iroquois used leaf tea for colds, coughs, and asthma. The Chippewa inhed fumes from resin on hot coals to treat headache. [5]

(balsam fir) Kokokha8wk: A tea made from the leaves is used for coughs, colds and fevers. The tea can also be used as a scalp wash for dandruff. The leaves are harvested in the spring and dried. The resin is an antiseptic and healing agent and is used for frostbite. - From Ethno-Botany of the Abenaki and other Northeast Tribes Compiled by Brian Chenevert

Antiseptic, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, diuretic, laxative, expectorant, vulnerary

Affinity for the respiratory system, skin, immune system

Energetics:

The presence of delta-3-carene is a good indicator that balsam is drying. Balsam is also stimulating, it helps activate and get things moving.

Safety/Cautions

Generally safe, no found contraindications, resin may cause skin irritation [5] heavy resin content may put stress on kidneys [x], pregnant and nursing mothers should avoid or consult a physician. As always medicinal information is for educational purposes, consult a doctor or clinical herbalist before using plants for treatment of illness.

History:

Because it is only native to North America, Balsam Fir has a well established history with the indigenous peoples some of which is noted above.

Locally I’m interested to learn more about how Balsam Fir has shaped the Northeast Kindom. It is logged for pulp wood and light construction, but more so commercially farmed for Christmas trees so it has a role to play in the local economy and agriculture and I’m sure it played a big role in the reforestation of Vermont after the 1800s.

A historic fun fact that also might come in handy (for doing natural crafts) is the resin was used as a transparent cement and to fix samples and slides for the microscope.

Read more:

Note on the Early History of Canada Balsam by Professor Flückiger

Maine Balsam Fir: A Tree of Many Uses, by David Fuller

The Evergreen Economy: NH & VT Christmas Wonderland by Amy Ash Nixon

Aromatic Use:

Thoreau wrote that the young shoots of the balsam fir, Abies balsamea, when picked and kept in a pocket for a few days emit the fragrance of strawberries “only it is somewhat more aromatic and spicy” [1]

Abies balsamea (L.) Mill. (Pinaceae). balsam fir. Unspecified parts of this species were burned as incense in Iceland (Bjornnson 1475). In parts of North America, Native Americans threw the needles on hot coals in their sweat baths and inhaled the fumes to relieve coughs and colds (Krochmal and Krochmal 1973). The gum from the tree was used in churches in Paris as frankincense (Lescar- bot 1609). From The Uses and Abuses of Plant Derived Smoke by Kayri Havens, Lara Jefferson, and Marcello Pennacchio

Paine’s products in Maine has been making balsam incense since 1931 and is featured in this article The Best Incense Sticks Are From an 85-Year-Old Company in Maine. Balsam fir pillows are also a common staple in country stores here in Northern New England, and is most popular in the area for trees, wreaths, and kissing balls to bring coniferous aromas inside during the holidays.

Recipes:

Fir needle makes a great tea. Combined with dried orange peel, cinnamon, cardamom, star anise, ginger, and peppercorns for a spiced chai. Using folk methods of preparation: the needle and resin can be made into an oxymel or infused in honey, tinctured, or infused into oil for salves and soap. Definitely for incense and aromatic applications, most recently it was included in an incense dedicated to winter’s longest night and I am working on an all fir formula. I also make balsam sachets for clothing drawers and under pillows. It can be used in culinary endeavours, I have a good recipe for balsam fir and cranberry cookies. It can be used as a substitute for (white) pine which is often found in recipes as it is more wide spread.

Virtues:

Fir whose twigs and needles are burned as a protection from lightning during storms. The fresh branches are of especial merit as switches for scouring the ghost-ridden, or beating the evil out of a haunted place. Its resin... serves as a peerless fume for the removal of intruding ghosts... Abies balsamea,... is an Evergreen of northern latitudes, long valued for its fragrant contribution to the magical fume. Its principal magical virtues are purification, healing, and resonating the Genii of the Forest, though its more specialised formulae may render fumes which give rise to trance states... In the Work of the Hedge, the Fir stands as a charm against nightmares and nocturnal intrusion by hanging fresh branches hung over the bed. Similarly, a branch hung over the barn door keeps noxious spirits from stealing grain. -from Viridarium Umbris by Daniel Schulke

[most of this is also reiterated in Myths and Legends of Flowers, Trees, and Plants by Charles M Skinner]

One of the things that bothers me with the entry above is the lack of context, (where who why etc), which is an often occurrence with gathering such info. I’m assuming its use as a preventive against nightmares and thieving spirits is an act of sympathetic magic, (I’m also assuming some of this lore is specifically about Abies Alba balsam fir’s European counterpart. but as for balsamea...) as the resin bisters on its bark act as a trap against predators or perhaps it is a lure, dooming noxious spirits to count its many little leaves. Im unsure of the history or lore of its use to protect agaisnt lightning storms but in my personal practice evergreens are used to help bring rain [x]. It’s use in healing and purification is a little more obvious.

Personally I find balsam most pertinent in working with the genii loci. Balsam fir just embodies so much of the local landscape it’s hard not to encounter. There are the hedge keeping balsams the grow bushy and protect the forest boundary and there are balsams of the inner woods that grow tall resinous trunks. The perfume of its resin is favored by local land spirits. I find it specially tied to the varying hare. Balsam has a wonderful seasonal duality of being a beacon of life and warmth during winter, but one who harbors a cool relief to summer heat. But it is during winter that Fir receives the most adoration.

Botanical astrology is a subject I am still relatively new to (but very intrigued by) so my understanding of this might evolve. Agrippa gives rulership of pine trees to Saturn, and balsam fir (in the same family) has some saturnine traits as tree that grows in harsh conditions, a gymnosperm the oldest kind of seed producing plants, evergreen in immortality. In Culpepper’s Complete Herbal, he gives Fir trees to Jupiter, though is referring to a different species but with similar qualities. Looking to its medicinal application I can see how it may balance a phlemegtic temperament. More specifically when looking to clear the lungs I might consider Gemini, when concocting unguents for the skin: Capricorn, and Pisces when looking to stimulate the immune system. As an incense I am personally drawn to work with balsam in Lunar formulas especially when focusing on local materials. It is not a cooling sedating plant in action, but as an aromatic it I find it to be more aligned with the Moon. According to Agrippa “leaves of all vegetables” are appropriate in Lunar suffumigations, perhaps balsam needle would fall into that category. But I am more interested in its resin. Hiding behind round swolllen blisters, the oleoresin is very “watery” and is clear (to yellow tinged), even the slightly hardened resin is whiteish and moon like. Of the local (mostly conifer) resins it is the most true to the cool camphoraceous conifer scent that evokes the Moon, even when burned. These formulas often seek to enhance the trance iducing qualities of the burning resin and are to accompany dreaming, divination or to welcome Lunar influences. The Moon often rises over a particulary favored patch of balsam which was another draw and personal connection. I’m also interested to experiment and see if the Moon (phase or sign) has any effect on resin production for harvesting.

References:

*sorry for using both direct sources and footnotes*

"Gardener's Latin: A Lexicon", Barbara Damrosch.

Uchytil, Ronald J. 1991. Abies balsamea. In: Fire Effects Information System, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service

Plant Fact Sheet: Balsam Fir, USDA NRCS

Wetland, Woodland, Wildland: A guide to the natural communities of Vermont, Elizabeth H. Thompson and Eric R. Sorensen

Peterson felid guide to medicinal herbs and plants of Eastern North Armerica, Steven Foster and James A. Duke

*as always with these monographs, this post is not static and is subject to change and updates as more information is discovered, learned, and processed. For educational purposes only and not for medicinal adivse*

[amaze-animalia]

Eastern Wolf - Canis lupus lycaon or Canis lycaon

The Eastern wolf, also known as the timber wolf, is native to the forests of the Great Lakes region and Southeastern Canada. It is considered either a unique subspecies of the gray wolf (Canis lupus lycaon) or a completely different species (Canis lycaon). There is a lot of debate surrounding the genetics of the timber wolf. Many different studies have suggested that the Eastern wolf is actually a genetic mix of the gray wolf and coyotes, leading to the debate. A study in 2016 found that Great Lake wolves had 25% coyote ancestry and Algonquin wolves had 40% coyote ancestry. Other studies have found that the wolf originally separated from a common ancestor with the wolf over 1 million years ago. There are even some who conclude that the Eastern wolf is the same species as the red wolf (Canis rufus). According to the mammalogist W. Christopher Wozencraft in the third edition of Mammal Species of the World in 2005, the Eastern wolf was still classified as a subspecies of the gray wolf (this is also what Wikipedia classifies them as). According to LiveScience, in October 2012 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service scientists published a study in the journal North American Fauna stating that the Eastern wolf was a separate species and not a subspecies. The Nature Conservancy of Canada also considers them a different species. There are two different forms of timber wolves. The larger form is the Great Lakes wolf, found in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, southeastern Manitoba, and northern Ontario. The smaller form of wolf is the Algonquin wolf in Eastern Canada. In 2016, the Committee on the Status of Species at Risk in Ontario recognized the Algonquin wolf as a separate species from the gray wolf and concluded they were different than the Great Lakes wolf.

Timber wolves can be of different colorations, although they are typically reddish-brown or grayish-brown with a creamy flank and chest. They often have a black-grey nape, shoulder, and tail. Timber wolves have a faint red color behind their ears. As they grow older they get darker, black fur. These wolves are similar to the red wolf in size, being bigger than a coyote and smaller than a grey wolf. This is believed to be due to environmental adaptations rather than their genetics. They weigh approximately 50 - 70 lbs, males being larger. These wolves typically live in packs of 3 - 6 adult wolves, hunting together. They primarily prey on white-tailed deer and beaver, and have been known to hunt moose as well. Despite being carnivores, timber wolves will forage for blueberries in the summer months.

All information was found from Wikipedia and here [2] [3]. Images are not mine.

Bonus image:

[kbenvs3000-19]

The Polar Bear Poster Child

With technology advancing and the burning of fossil fuels becoming more prominent in our daily lives, our greenhouse gas emissions have reached a harmful rate. We are seeing changes in precipitation, dramatic increases in temperature, and higher chances of extreme weather events. Arctic sea ice is melting earlier than before and is decreasing at a rate of 12.85% per decade. This effect of climate change has lethal consequences for one of the most well-known arctic mammals, the polar bear.

A video of a starved polar bear, captured by Paul Nicklen. 

I can confidently say that I am sure you have all watched this video before. The polar bear has become the poster child for the effects of climate change on wildlife, but there are so many additional species that are threatened or endangered that most people don’t know about. Here’s a few:

1)    Peary Caribou (Rangifer tarandus pearyi)

Image taken from Nature Canada. 

The Species at Risk Act (SARA), introduced to Canada in 2002, has this subspecies of caribou listed as endangered. Because this species can only be found in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, it is Canada’s job to protect our current populations. This caribou feeds on arctic vegetation, which is only available for a few months of the summer. During this short period of time, if the females are able to gain enough weight, they would ideally be able to reproduce annually. This rate of reproduction is all dependent on the severity of the passing winters, which vary from year to year. Multiple harsh winters in a row can wipe out an entire herd, whereas multiple mild winters in a row can reduce the caribou’s ability to travel from island to island and lead to a decrease in foraging ability. The warmer winters can lead to population growth, but with limited foraging the population will eventually take a hit. This reduction in population size decreases their genetic diversity, increases the rate of inbreeding and will therefore make them more susceptible to extinction. Other risks for this species include predation, habitat competition and hunting.

2)    Blanding’s Turtle (Emydoidea blandingii)

Image taken from Wildlife Preservation Canada.

The Blanding’s Turtle is another species that is listed as endangered under. Approximately 20% of the global abundance can be found in Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia. You can find these turtles in lakes, streams, marshes and swamps, as they prefer shallow water with lots of vegetation and nutrients. Females leave the water and look for nesting sites to lay clutches of 3-19 eggs every 2 or 3 years. Natural predators of this species include coyotes, skunks, foxes and racoons raiding the nesting sites. The real threat to the Blanding Turtle comes from increased human activity, as wetlands become more developed and increased traffic heightens the risk of vehicles striking and killing them. 

3)    Gray Fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus)

Image taken from the government of Ontario’s website.

The Gray Fox has been listed as a threatened species under SARA and a 2015 assessment from the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC). This species of fox is part of the dog family (Canidae) and can be found in Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec. This nocturnal species feeds on small rodents and vegetable matter, making it easy to inhabit both deciduous forests and the outskirts of cities. The Gray Fox disappeared from Canada during the European settlement and did not return until the 1930’s and 1940’s, as the US populations expanded their ranges northward. Sightings of this fox species is very rare and due to this, the explanation for the decline in its population is unknown. The predicted threats are vehicle collisions, canine distemper, rabies and predation from larger predator species.

I have just told you about three endangered or threated Canadian species that most people don’t know about, but there are still so many more! You may feel like you have no impact on them, but every little bit helps! So, if you see a Gray Fox report your sighting to The Ministry of Natural Resources or if you see a turtle trying to cross the road, help it along in the direction it is travelling. You have an impact and your actions can make a difference!

References 

Berrigan, M. (2018, October 15). Blanding's Turtle. Retrieved from https://naturecanada.ca/discover-nature/endangered-species/blandings-turtle/.

Leishman, C. (2018, October 15). Gray Fox. Retrieved from https://naturecanada.ca/discover-nature/endangered-species/gray-fox/.

Peary Caribou. (2018, October 15). Retrieved from https://naturecanada.ca/discover-nature/endangered-species/peary-caribou/.

[ultra-greenmojo-me]

Northstar Seeds to be acquired by Germany-based DSV

Northstar Seed Ltd., based at Neepawa, Manitoba, has signed a deal to be bought by Germany-based, Deutsche Saatveredelung AG (DSV). Founded in 1982 by a group of alfalfa seed producers, Northstar Seed specializes in the production, marketing, and distribution of forage, turf, cover crops and native grass seed, as well as leafcutter bees and equipment. DSV, a... Read More source https://www.realagriculture.com/2022/04/northstar-seeds-to-be-acquired-by-germany-based-dsv/

[jazzeria]

Foraging in early July 2021, Part 1 (hazelnuts, plums)

Note: I will not disclose exact locations I went foraging.

These photos were taken on 12 July 2021, North of Winnipeg ("location A"); and 17 July 2021, in the northern part of Winnipeg ("location B"). This is the driest July in Manitoba on record! So I expect that my experiences this year might not be the norm.

We found a surprising amount of hazelnut (Corylus americana) at location A:

This was new to me--I'd never seen American hazelnuts before! The green leafy things covering the nuts are called involucres; they're fuzzy but the fuzz can get stuck in your fingertips and cause irritation. These are much too green to pick at this stage, but I took note of them for later.

Last year, I was delighted to find wild plums in a city park!

From what I understand, there are two species of "wild plum" that grow in this area: Prunus nigra (Canadian plum) and Prunus americana (American plum). I'm not yet at the level of familiarity where I can tell the two apart, but they look very similar and (as I understand) produce similar fruit.

We looked around locations A and B and found a few:

This tree had a shriveled fruit leftover from last summer:

The branches are thorny!

Generally the fruit was still very green (a few were starting to blush) and quite small. I don't think they will get any more plump--it's been a very dry year.

[thesunndragon]

i love a good looking mushroom

[unickwork]

Last Frame: I Spy

Last Frame: I Spy

By Staff Published March 21, 2022 Photo By Bob Faucher “My daughter and I attended a polar bear tour out of Churchill, Manitoba,” explains Bob Faucher. “Our group rented one of the famous Tundra Buggies on this day. Around midday, we spotted this mother and her cubs foraging on the tundra. The mother caught the scent of food wafting out the open windows of our buggy and cautiously approached.…

[atlanticcanada]

Maritime farmers ship hay to drought-stricken West

Farmers in the Maritimes are sending surplus feed west, as drought-like conditions have cut the winter feed supply by 90 per cent.

The question is, who should be paying for the costly shipments?

‘Hay West’, an initiative organized by the Canadian Federation of Agriculture was first launched in 2002, when Maritime farmers helped their counterparts in the Prairies who were dealing with hay shortages due to drought.

Western farmers returned the favour a decade later in 2012, by shipping surplus feed to the east coast, where Maritime farmers were dealing with extreme heat and a lack of rain.

Now, drought-like conditions have returned to Western Canada, with some saying it’s a worse situation than 20 years ago.

“They thought they might be up to a million tons of feed short, in Manitoba alone,” says Tim Marsh, President of the Nova Scotia Federation of Agriculture.

Nova Scotia on the other hand has seen a high yield for forage crops this summer.

Speaking from his farm in Poplar Grove, N.S., Marsh says some farmers are on their fourth cuts, and are now sending any surplus to the Prairies.

“We’ve got a good 10,000 or so of the big, round bales being on offer, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see that doubled or tripled.”

Marsh says one round bale of hay will feed eight to 10 adult cows a day.

While farmers out West are grateful for the hay stimulus, concerns remain that whatever they get, still won’t be enough.

“I think feed is going to be in short supply, and producers might find themselves caught short with feed,” says Stuart Dodds, provincial supervisor of the Alberta SPCA.

“The problem is, they’re going to have to make decisions about reducing herd numbers, because you can’t let these animals starve.”

There is also the question of who will pay for the shipping costs.

Marsh says the cost of shipping enough feed from East to West is between $6-million to $10-million, and the federal government should be footing the bill.

“This is a national food security issue,” says Marsh. “The entire idea with taking hay west, is to protect a few of the cow herds, because if you can maintain some of the breeding stock out there, then they’ve got a chance to rebuild again in the next couple years. Once those cows go, you’re looking at another couple of years to rebuild.”

That’s why Maritime farmers are now stepping in to help, just like they did 20 years ago.

“We’ve sent five bales through the Canadian Federation of Agriculture already,” says Greg Morrow, Nova Scotia’s Minister of Agriculture.

That shipment was paid for by the Ontario Federation of Agriculture.

In an emailed statement to CTV Atlantic, P.E.I.’s Minister of Agriculture says the province is covering the cost of their first three shipments. 

from CTV News - Atlantic https://ift.tt/3k5VCjj

[stevemaclellan]

Relentless heat, record-breaking temperatures and a lack of rain are pushing some Manitoba farmers over the edge.

The Rural Municipality of St. Laurent, in the Interlake region, declared an agricultural state of disaster on Monday after weekend temperatures reached the mid-30s C over the weekend.

The municipality says it has received less than 40 per cent of the normal amount of rain so far this year, crop yields are coming in at excessively low volumes, and dugouts and wells are dry or drying up.

Water supply and water quality is a growing concern, while a grasshopper infestation is compounding the lack of forage, the municipality said.