Land Care Niagara
4890 Victoria Ave North L0R 2E0 Lincoln, ON, Canada

Our wetlands are a valuable freshwater resource that benefits us in many ways. They capture, store, and clean our waters; protect us from floods, drought, & climate change; and provide habitat for a diversity of aquatic and terrestrial wildlife. Less than 10% of our original wetlands remain in Niagara making the need for wetland conservation and restoration critical. Have a wetland on your property? Contact us today! You may be eligible to participate in our wetland restoration project.

It's Trivia Tuesday! Do you know which frog species in Ontario are capable of freezing to survive the harsh winter months? Take a guess below! *Hint* One of those species is pictured above! You might be wondering how they are capable of freezing. Some of Ontario's frogs produce their own antifreeze using a mixture of their own urine, glucose, and blood. This antifreeze prevents the water in the cells around vital organs from freezing. They can survive at body temperatures as low as -6 degrees!

Species Spotlight: The Striped Skunk! You might be wondering what happens to our stinky, striped friends during the Winter. Skunks do not hibernate but they do undergo torpor - a physiological process where they lower their metabolism and body temperature quite dramatically to save energy. Occasionally they wake up in search of food, but on the coldest of days, they'll stay huddled up in their dens. If you smell them, this is because they empty their scent glands at least once during winter - fun!

Winter is a great time for owling! Ontario is home to 11 species of owl, many of which are found in Niagara during the winter. If you want to see owls, head outside early in the morning and again in the evening. Keep your eyes out for owls perched on fence posts, tree lines, telephone poles and wires, and even on the ground. it's important to be respectful and observe owls from a distance -we promise it is just as exciting! Have any good tips for new birders looking for owls? Let us know below!

Sound on! The black-capped chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) is a tiny bird you will see throughout the year in Niagara. Chickadees are non-migratory and brave the Canadian winter in flocks of 4-12 birds and forage for berries, insects, and seeds. They are named after their call which resembles saying "chick-a-dee-dee-dee." Keep an eye out for chickadees at your backyard bird feeders and be sure to listen for them on your next walk in the woods for some winter birding!

Wishing everyone a safe and happy new year! We look forward to working with all of our partners to continue making positive environmental change across Niagara in 2022!

From all of us at Land Care Niagara, we wish everyone a safe and happy holiday season!

Happy #Sundayfunday! Are you looking for a fun family activity to do this holiday season? Why not spend an afternoon making these fun cinnamon dough ornaments! Once you're done, don't forget to tag us in a photo of the finished product so we can see your creative crafts!

Did you know Squirrels don't hibernate during Winter? To get through these frigid months, they rely on built-up fat reserves and underground caches of food to sustain them. To find these caches they have a well-developed sense of smell that allows them to find their hidden stockpiles of nutrient-rich nuts and seeds. They can smell food buried beneath a foot of snow!

Give the gift of nature this holiday season by helping us continue enhancing Niagara naturally! All donations will help support the continued operation of our environmental programs in Niagara such as tree planting, wetland restoration, Species-at-risk recovery initiatives, and more! Visit our store to make a valuable donation to nature today! www.landcareniagara.bigcartel.com

As winter approaches and the weather gets colder, wildlife will start moving to their winter habitats! Although many of the wildlife in our area migrate or go into hibernation, there are still many animals that remain active all winter long - such as the white-tailed deer pictured below! Which animal are you most excited to see this winter? #wildlifewednesday

Happy #TriviaThursday! Which of the following statements in the picture below is FALSE? Take your guess in the comments below!

The Eastern Musk Turtle (Sternotherus odoratus) is a Species at Risk in Ontario. Nicknamed the Stinkpot, this turtle is known for producing a smelly skunk-like odor, when threatened. Distinguishing features include a high domed shell that is dark brown to black with black speckling on it, 2 yellow stripes down the side of the head, and two barbells on the chin. Find them in calm, open water wetlands, ponds, lakes and rivers, containing lots of emergent vegetation. You probabl...y won’t see them out and about right now, as they spend their winters underwater buried within the soft sediment. They are threatened by habitat loss, primarily resulting from wetland drainage, pollution, and urban development along shorelines. Changing climatic conditions also threaten the survivability of eggs which are vulnerable to drought and high water levels. Help them by preserving vegetative shorelines, participating in Stewardship programs on your property if Musk turtles are present, and reporting sightings with photos and coordinates to the Natural Heritage Information Centre.

Happy #sundayfunday! We know many of you have been patiently waiting for snow to arrive so that you could practice your animal tracking skills, so in the meantime why not practice them here! Who can guess which animal these tracks belong to? Hint: It's a small mammal, with a short white puffy tail! #sundayfundaychallenge

Ever wonder why Snowy Owls have yellow eyes? Owls that have yellow eyes are diurnal and do most of their hunting during the daytime, whereas owls with dark eyes are nocturnal and hunt at night! #funfact #SaturdayThoughts

#woodworkingwednesday Do you have wood duck habitat structures on your property in Niagara? If so, let us know! We have an exciting opportunity for you to help us with a wood duck monitoring project! #woodduck #wood #woodworking #habitat #structures #nature #wildlife #niagara #opportunity #project #species #birdsofinstagram #wetland #waterfowl #wednesday #monitoring #

Did you know snow reflects high levels of ultraviolet radiation which can be absorbed by your eyes causing photokeratitis, also known as snow blindness? Make sure to wear sunglasses or goggles to protect your eyes during the winter months!

Did you know that tree rings can tell us about a tree's age? Did you also know that the colour and width of the rings can be used to tell us about past climate conditions? Pretty neat! #trees #nature #coolnature #naturefacts #funfactfriday #didyouknow #dyk #wildlife #plants #science #age #colour #climate #history

Species Spotlight Time! American Chestnut Tree (Castanea dentata). Fun fact about this tree, it’s considered to have one of the strongest, most rot-resistant wood of any tree in North America! Once widespread, tall, strong, and fast growing, American chestnut populations are now endangered as a result of the chestnut blight, a fungus which infects and kills chestnut trees. The blight was first recognized at the Bronx zoo in 1904, from which it quickly spread throughout Ea...stern North American wiping out entire populations. Since the blight only infects above ground parts of the tree such as the twigs, branches, and trunk, occasionally the roots will regenerate as sprouts and small saplings. Very rarely, do these grow into mature, seed producing trees making their recovery unlikely. In Ontario, they are only found within the Carolinian zone where very few mature trees exist today. #tree #trees #SpeciesAtRisk #conservation #endangeredspecies #nature See more

Species-at- risk Sunday! Todays feature is the Fowler’s toad! (Anaxyrus fowleri). The Fowler’s toad is an endangered species in Ontario. Major threats are habitat loss from industrial, commercial, and residential development along the Lake Erie Shoreline. The Fowler’s toad has multiple life stages that each require different habitat features. Development disturbs the natural processes that provide these habitat features, and prevents the toad from moving between habitats to... complete each life stage. Other threats include pollution, recreational use along shorelines, and colonization by phragmites - an invasive species in Ontario. You can help protect populations of Fowler’s toad by reporting sightings to the Natural Heritage Information Centre and obeying signage at beaches that are known to have active populations of Fowler’s toad. #SpeciesAtRisk #species #speciesconservation #fowlerstoad #toad #ontario #lakeerie #conservation #environmentalawareness #shoreline

#WhatsThatWednesday That's a Mountain Pine Beetle, a wood boring insect native to Western Canada that attacks pine trees. They have moved outside of their historic range into Northern British Columbia and the Boreal Forests of North-Central Alberta. The beetle thrives in warm/dry conditions, and their populations have grown rapidly due to rising temperatures associated with climate change. If the beetle moves into the pine forests of Eastern North America, they may have devas...tating ecological consequences. Millions of pine trees in British Columbia have already been affected by the beetle, and suffered from reduced growth and mortality. Pine species that are impacted by the beetle include the most common host Lodgepole pine, Ponderosa, Western white, White bark, Limber pines, and more recently the Jack pine. Infected trees will display dried out foliage, dull green - yellow needles in early infected trees, and reddish brown in late stages of infection. Eventually needles will fall off and the tree will appear grey. The insects transfer a fungal symbiont to the tree that turns the sapwood blue within the first year of attack. Pine trees are able to defend themselves when beetle populations are low, by producing a toxic resin. However, when populations get too high, the number of pine beetles at any given tree increases and the tree’s natural defense mechanisms become overwhelmed. It's important we all learn to be aware of these insects, so if they do move into new areas that they are identified and treated early, before they have a chance to spread!

#throwbackthursday to when we were on a site tour and spotted this incredible tree! This tree was HUGE, which is not uncommon for this species but we don't come across them often! It was so majestic that we struggled to get a picture of it in full. Who knows what species it is?! Hint: We had it featured as a species spotlight post recently! Zoom in on the leaves for a better guess!... #forest #tree #trees

LCN is excited to provide an employment opportunity! Please visit the following link for further details: https://landcareniagara.com/job-posting-2021-wildlife-tech/

This would make a very fun, family-friendly winter activity!