Don Scallen

In March nature pushes against the shackles of winter, and then bursts free with birdsong and butterflies.

Deer are lovely but too many can hurt the environment.

Starlings have three strikes against them.

Ravens are clever and adaptable, they eat just about anything we do.

Fungi are mysterious, stunningly diverse, and impactful.

Only two of Ontario’s eight native turtle species are likely to be found here: midland painted turtles and common snapping turtles.

All you need is a smartphone and a love of nature to make valuable contributions to conservation science.

Fish are fast, slippery, and camouflaged, designed by evolution to avoid being eaten.

I’ve walked through meadows teeming with wasps, innumerable times, without being stung.

July is prime butterfly season in Headwaters.

Grab a flashlight and head out on a hike after sundown and get to know the creatures of the night – including moths, salamanders and frogs.

Most of our minnows, like our songbirds, breed in spring and many male minnows, like male songbirds, advertise their reproductive fitness with brilliant colours.

Calvin is a rare piebald version of a spotted salamander.

There is much to quicken the pulse at this time of year. So much to see, hear and appreciate.

Red foxes are making themselves at home in Inglewood, Grand Valley and Palgrave, hunting in our yards and denning under our sheds and garages.

For sheer visual pleasure it’s hard to beat the splendour of ducks on a sunny winter’s day.

I was invited to search for mudpuppies in a Wellington County stream last December.

This is a special winter for bird watching in the hills.