We need not only nature but the wild and it needs us
We know that nature is a vital part of maintaining our well-being. Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder, says spending time in nature is not just important for our health it can also help us develop empathy for the natural world.
Louv believes cities, including Edmonton with its river valley, can become engines of biodiversity. We should plan the best approaches to re-nature the city and our neighbourhoods. A healthier habitat increases human-nature social capital for everyone’s benefit.
Both domestic and wild animals can have a profound impact on us. They help us every day, even when we are not aware or do not acknowledge that help; they expand our senses, teach us empathy, communicate with us in ways that science is only beginning to understand. Read more at https://www.canadiangeographic.ca/article/we-need-wild-and-it-needs-us
Pasque flower our first beloved harbinger of spring
Pasque flowers pop their furry heads through the snow across the prairies as early as late March or April. The bell-shaped flowers grow up to 30 centimetres tall on small clumped plants which are ideal for rock gardens, sunny beds, and anywhere you want to find your first smile of spring. It never gets out of hand, making it a desirable plant in any gardener’s flower bed.
It carries one flower with purple petals and yellow stamens, on top of each stem. The pasque flower’s abundant pollen attracts bees, which are eager for a food source at this early part of the spring. The flowers are also a place for small insects to warm up, thanks to the arrangement of its sepals, which reflect sunshine, increasing the temperature by several degrees.
Its leaves and stems are typically left alone due to the plants’ toxicity. In the past, humans used pasque flower to treat ailments including those of the eye, respiratory and reproductive systems, and it is similar to the European plant Anemome patens, which is used in homeopathic remedies. Learn more at https://cwf-fcf.org/en/resources/encyclopedias/flora/pasque-flower.html
2020 Edmonton Camino in June
The Third Annual Camino Edmonton will be June 19 to 23. Participate for 5 days of walking from Devon to Fort Saskatchewan through the gorgeous North Saskatchewan River Valley. You are welcome to come for one day or a few or all five. This walk is free and informal; we are not an organized group but simply a group of friends doing this for fun. We provide a route and company; you provide the rest!
Day 1: Bunchberry Meadows to Lion's Campground, Devon (10-15 km)
Day 2: Cameron Heights/West Henday Bridge to Whitemud Creek/Rainbow Valley (15 km)
Day 3: Whitemud Creek to Highlands Golf Course (18 km)
Day 4: Capilano Park to East End Trailhead (Quarry Golf Course 18 km)
Day 5: Riverside Nature Trail (Twp. Rd 540) to Turner Park, Fort Saskatchewan (15 km)
Please contact Sheila Thompson hawkthom@telus.net if you would like to join or need more information.
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/