Queen's University Biological Station (QUBS)

This week's #SurvivingWinterWeather features the Bumble Bee! Bumble Bee colonies will not survive the entire winter. Instead, the last brood of the summer colony will contain a number of queen bees. Each queen will mate and find a safe nesting place to hibernate for the winter, which is usually a small 10cm hole in well-drained soil. While the queen bees hibernate for winter, the rest of the colony dies. During hibernation, the bumble bee queens have a depressed metabolism, a...nd are neither working or eating. When spring comes, the queen bees will emerge and lay their eggs to start a new colony of bumble bees! Adding leaves and leaving the plant stalks in your garden over the winter can provide important insulation and habitat for the overwintering bees. In the spring, once you start seeing bees flying around, then you're able to clean up leaves and trim dead plant stalks. These leaves can also provide great nutrients for your soil! #wildlifewednesday Photo: sydcannings via NCC

This week's #SurvivingWinterWeather features the Wolf Spider (Lycosidae)! Unlike web-dwelling spiders, this species is known for burrowing below ground level for shelter against the cold. Did you know that they are nocturnal and hunt during the winter months? These spiders will emerge from their burrows and often travel long distances in search of food. In addition, adult Wolf spiders lay egg sacs in the fall prior to succumbing to the colder temperatures. Surprisingly, the eggs hatch during the winter but the offspring are protected inside the insulating sac until spring arrives! #wildlifewednesday Photo: Basile Morin

Were you able to go out birding over the winter break? Here are some photos of what we encountered. We'd love to see what you found. Feel free to share in the comments what you saw or share a photo. #CBC4Kids Birds Canada - Education @BirdsCanada_Ed @CBC4Kids Stephen Lougheed

This week's #survivingwinterweather features the American Black Bear (Ursus americanus)! Did you know that they are not a true hibernator during the winter? While the Black Bear does not eat or eliminate waste during this time, bears wake up for short periods of time during the winter. Their bodies will break down the urea in their waste and reuse the proteins. During hibernation, their genes reduce sensitivity to insulin, meaning their blood sugar is maintained and only used by the brain to maintain long periods of sleep. Even though they spend 7-8 months in their den, they lose no muscle mass. Females will even give birth and nurse in their den! #wildlifewednesday Photo: Allison Haskell via NCC

This week's #survivingwinterweather features the Wood frog (Lithobates sylvaticus)! They hibernate under the insulation of the leaf litter. They are not protected from subfreezing temperatures though. How do they survive then? By freezing! They can freeze for up to 8 months annually. At the start of winter, ice crystals form between layers of their skin and muscle. Simultaneously, the frog's liver makes large amounts of glucose which prevents cells from freezing solid. Thus, a hibernating frog does not move, breathe or have a heartbeat for the entire winter. It resembles an icy stone in the shape of a frog! In the spring, wood frogs will thaw and regain activity starting with the heart, brain and finally the legs. #wildlifewednesday Photo: J.M. Storey (The Orianne Society)

We hope you are able to get out this holiday season and look for birds! When you're ready to submit your findings, put your observations into the iNaturalist app (inaturalist.org) or visit the CBC4Kids website to submit. https://www.birdscanada.org//christmas-bird-count-for-kids/ #CBC4Kids #inaturalist iNaturalist.org Birds Canada - Education : Philina English

We are celebrating 75 years of excellence in research, experiential learning and outreach at the Queen’s University Biological Station! To recognize and celebrate this milestone with us, we invite you to watch our promotional video. Thank you to the thousands of students and researchers who have generated knowledge, created new insights on the natural world, and contributed to the dynamic and collaborative community at QUBS. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yjJi_CwWME

Check out this clip from the Striking Balance Episode 8 on the Frontenac Arch Biosphere Reserve! Matt Macpherson, featured here, completed his Master’s thesis working with gray ratsnakes at QUBS. We look forward to watching the full episode November 22nd at 8pm on TVO! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3QbygChEqY https://www.tvo.org/programs/striking-balance

Hear more from those working in the Frontenac Arch Biosphere Reserve, including Queen's University Biological Station (QUBS) researchers and our partners at the Nature Conservancy of Canada / Conservation de la nature Canada, in Season 2 of Striking Balance. Tune in on November 22 for Episode 8 featuring the Frontenac Arch Biosphere! Watch at https://www.tvo.org/programs/striking-balance or on their YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/playlist

Our third #FallFungi is the Crown Coral (Artomyces pyxidatus)! They are defined by their soft tan or white coloured crown tips. There is no other coral fungi in North America with this unique crown pattern, making them easy to identify! Crown corals are wood decomposers, they can be found inhabiting fallen hardwood logs. They also have essential amino acids and antioxidant/antibacterial properties. Sometimes, Crown corals are referred to as Candelabra mushrooms because they can be grouped with other visually similar species as part of the clavarioid fungi group! Photo: Philina English

We have made available a recording of the November 12th webinar 'What Does the Earth Ask of Us?' presented by Dr. Robin Wall Kimmerer on our YouTube Channel. We are permitted to share the recording until November 30th. We also invite you to send us your feedback, to help us with our future programming: https://queensu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_2r9pUGI6YlKYJk9 Webinar Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybYrCC2YPrc&t=74s Miigwech, Nia:wen, thank you, for your interest and engaging questions which followed the talk.

Our sixth #FallFlora is the Redosier Dogwood! This deciduous shrub has red to purple coloured bark from autumn to early spring and bright green bark and leaves from spring through summer. The plant has small white flowers and white berries. Dogwoods are valuable to both humans and animals, as they provide erosion prevention on shores, shelter for animals, and nectar for pollinating insects. The Redosier dogwood has many uses by Indigenous Peoples in the Boreal region. For example, the stems of the Redosier dogwood shrub have been used as ribs for spruce bark canoes and for making dreamcatchers, arrows, stakes and other tools. The bark has also been used to trim birch bark baskets and as brown dye for hides. Image: R.A. Howard @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database

We are excited about the interest in Dr. Kimmerer’s talk this Thursday, Nov 12. We have increased our capacity for this free webinar! Please register and join us! https://events.eply.com/WhatDoestheEarthAskofUs