This is reprinted from a series published in our 1994 Nature Manitoba News. Text and art (adapted for digital use from illustrations) by Tom Reaume. Enjoy!

Cocklebur

There are a couple of ways of getting to know this plant.  You may be out looking for it intentionally, as I was on November 22, or you might discover it burs attached to a pant cuff or matte in your dog’s fur after a walk along the river.

It is known as Cocklebur by weekend botanists.  Linnaeus named it Xanthium strumarium, and your dog calls it something else.

by: Jim Reist

In late summer of 2019 a Salmon Shark (Family Lamnidae, Lamna ditropis) was captured in the marine waters of the central Canadian Arctic (a few kilometers north of Kugluktuk). The Salmon Shark is normally a species found in temperate and sub-arctic Pacific Ocean waters, so finding one in Arctic waters is quite unusual. Right now this is being characterized as an extreme extra-limital occurrence. However, this isn't the only example of recent changes occurring in the Canadian Arctic marine ecosystem.

A relatively new disease is putting some of Manitoba’s bat species at risk, and could even drive some species to extinction. White-nose syndrome (WNS) was first detected in Manitoba in the winter of 2017/18, and now that it’s here Manitoba bats are at risk.

Above: hibernating bats (by Mary-Anne Collis)

Want to make a difference with Nature Manitoba?  We are looking for volunteers to work with our communications team.  We have short term and longer term positions available on our Communications Committee.

Short term help for our 100th Anniversary:

The Manitoba Important Bird Area (IBA) Caretaker Program and Manitoba Chimney Swift Initiative (MCSI) are seeking a full-time coordinator to run these programs in Manitoba, with the assistance of two volunteer steering committees.

Melanie Dubois has a 4 year BSc with a focus in zoology, and a Master’s in Natural Resources Management. She is a certified wildlife biologist through The Wildlife Society.

By: Chris Friesen, Manitoba Conservation Data Centre

When we think of plants, we tend to think green. This is because the vast majority of plants produce chlorophyll in their above-ground parts which they use to harvest sunlight to produce their ‘food’, with water and additional nutrients obtained from the soil through the roots. However, some species have evolved ways of obtaining these resources by ‘stealing’ them from other plants!