Special unDeergraduates at U of A
Students and faculty are staying away from the University of Alberta because of the pandemic, but that does not mean the campus is empty. Classes at the university were moved online on March 16. If nature abhors a vacuum, then this and other photos by Michael Gravel of deer at the Business/Arts quad at the university are evidence https://edmonton.ctvnews.ca/undeergraduates-special-visitors-at-the-u-of-a-campus-1.4893059
The city has a thriving wildlife population, including porcupines, beavers, badgers, chickadees, American white pelicans, great horned owls, Canadian toads, peregrine falcons, and shrews. The city is potentially home to as many as 178 species of birds, 47 mammals, 27 species of fish, two kinds of reptiles, five amphibians, 487 kinds of plants including two kinds of carnivorous plants and 221 different kinds of fungi.
According to Edmonton’s 2008 Biodiversity Report, the city’s natural areas in the river valley and tablelands provide high quality habitat for native species, and semi-natural steppingstones and linkages throughout developed areas offer additional support for wildlife movement and ecological processes like pollination.
Although Edmonton’s biodiversity and natural habitats have decreased with time and continue to face significant challenges, the entire complex of Edmonton’s natural areas form a functional ecological network that supports local plant and animal species and provides essential ecosystem services. Learn more at https://www.edmonton.ca/city_government/documents/PDF/BIO_DIVERSITY_REPORT_-_high_res_August2008.pdf
New life throughout the river valley
Bob and Louisa sent photos of three Great Horned owlets being raised in the river valley near Beverly. Bob said, “It’s been a real treat for Louisa and me to see this wonderful affirmation of life in the midst of this strange and baffling time of COVID-19.”
An owlet is a young baby owl, typically a recently hatched bird that has not yet developed its full mature plumage and is still dependent on its parents for feeding, care, and security. The great horned owl nests earlier than all other birds in Alberta except for grey jays. Two to three eggs are laid in late February and early March in old nests built by hawks or crows
Alberta's largest eared owl, the great horned owl is common throughout Alberta, and is the Provincial Bird. It is readily identified by its large size and prominent "horns" pointed toward the sides of the head. In flight, the ear tufts are held flat against the head.
Prey includes large insects, mice, rabbits, domestic and game birds. Hunting begins at dusk, but on dark days the owl may hunt in the afternoon. Learn more at https://www.ealt.ca/species-spotlight-list/great-horned-owl
Prairie Crocus our announcement of spring
As soon as the snow melts, you will want to start looking for this harbinger of spring. The prairie crocus has pale blue or purple flowers arising from the woody rootstock that appear early in spring. The whole plant is covered with woolly-white hairs. This furry little perennial is not a crocus, which is in the Lily family. It is really an anemone, in the Buttercup family.
Prairie crocus grows in northern latitudes all around the world. In Canada, it occurs in the Yukon and Northwest Territories, and from B.C. east to Manitoba. Its prairie population has declined greatly since pioneer days because it grows in native prairie sod, most of which has been ploughed or cultivated.
This plant first emerges from the ground as a hairy flower bud; the furry leaves are hard to see at this point. When the purple sepals open, they reveal bright yellow stamens inside. The flowers open in sunshine and close again in the evening and in cloudy weather.
Just in case being hairy is not a strong enough defense, the plant has poisonous properties. It contains a poisonous alkaloid, an irritant that can cause inflammation and blistering. This irritant can be a problem to domestic sheep when they eat the flowers, but it seems to be ignored by deer, elk and ground squirrels which eat the prairie crocus in the early spring. Learn more at
http://plantwatch.naturealberta.ca/choose-your-plants/prairie-crocus/
Share river valley event, job posting, or news
If you have a river valley event, job posting, or news that you would like to see published in this newsletter, please send the info to nsrivervalley@gmail.com
Sincerely yours,
Harvey Voogd
North Saskatchewan River Valley Conservation Society
780.691.1712
nsrivervalley@gmail.com
https://www.facebook.com/NSRVCS/
http://www.edmontonrivervalley.org/