News

Chickadee Colour Banding Project will Help Researchers and Bird Watchers

The chickadees at the U of G Arboretum sport black caps like any others. But many of them are also flashing new colours this fall.

Resident members of Poecile atricapillus are being colour banded for potential bird and population studies by campus researchers, says Chris Earley, the arboretum’s interpretive biologist and education co-ordinator.

Vision

Annually, our docent (teaching volunteers) group does what is called "Docent Day." This is a full day docent training session that adds to our regular 2-hour monthly sessions. On Docent Day, each docent picks a topic and teaches the rest of us about it. Recently, Joy Killen chose the topic of "vision" and read us this lovely article that she wrote. We thought we would share it with you.

Arboretum gets Helping Hand from Skyjack

The Arboretum at the University of Guelph was home to a Skyjack boom lift earlier this month, to help with the harvest of tree seeds. Seeds from our ‘living gene banks’ of rare and at-risk species were ready for harvest, but many of the trees are too tall to access using traditional equipment. Skyjack’s generous loan of a lift for a few days this fall was a significant contribution to our seed collecting efforts.

The Arboretum and Lichen Diversity: Study Results

For the last 6 years, Troy McMullin has been surveying our site for lichens. During his first visit, he found 25 species. By the time he had finished his 49th visit, he, along with help from his colleague Jose Maloles, had assembled a list of 104 lichen and allied fungus species, all found within our boundaries. And one of these lichens was new to science! Other discoveries include a species new to Canada and three that are the second or third records for Ontario.

Arboretum Reflection: workstudy student writes about his experiences here.

I really had no idea what to expect as I strolled through the University of Guelph Arboretum into my position as Arboretum Multimedia Assistant in September. I did not think I would be working here for a full eight months, I did not think I would have learned and explored so many fields and topics, and I definitely did not think I would have had such a unique and unforgettable experience.

Arboretum Gives Endangered Trees a Second Chance

Scattered among a few pockets around southern Ontario, blue ash is among the most endangered trees in the province. But a conservation project based partly at the University of Guelph Arboretum might not only rescue this species but also yield specimens resistant to an insect pest that has felled other ashes during the past decade.

Arboretum Tree Ice Damage Report

We’ve had many inquiries over the past few weeks about December’s ice storm and how the Arboretum was affected. Last month, the Guelph Tribune interviewed our manager, Ric Jordan, for an article on the subject – here’s a link for those of you who are interested (click here)! Though our assessment is ongoing, our tree collections and natural woodlands did sustain considerable ice damage that will take years to recover from. Clean-up has so far focused on making sure the grounds are safe and accessible.

Biodiversity Sheets to promote Nature Awareness

We now have 12 different designs of our double-sided, 11 X 17 laminated biodiversity sheets. These sheets have been designed to help everyone see the diversity of the life that can be found just outside their doors. Each sheet has over 50 different organisms to watch for. The sheets are great learning tools and also make pretty funky placemats! The topics include:

Landscape Student Helps Put Runners on the Right Track

Stephanie Wilson doesn’t claim to be a runner. Her longest distance so far? “Probably from my car to the inside of a mall, so let’s say 400 metres.”

But that didn’t stop her from tackling a cross-country course at Guelph. This past spring, Wilson completed her master’s degree in landscape architecture (MLA) in a little-studied topic in Canada and pretty much everywhere else: improved design of cross-country courses.

She picked the right place to do it, on two counts.

Enjoying Mother Nature’s Many Benefits

“In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks.” – John Muir

I had an ideal childhood spending lots of time in nature. During the 1960s I lived in Sarnia, Ontario where forests, fields and Lake Huron were only a stone’s throw away. Summers I spent at the family cottage on Georgian Bay. These wondrous wilderness areas provided me with numerous places to explore and enjoy. And while I didn’t realize it at the time, these nature adventures had many benefits.

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