Nature Wonders

     Glaciers melting, sea levels rising, the current rate of warming skyrocketing faster than at any point in recorded history, ticks moving farther north... In my last post we learned an overview of what climate change is, and climate change is not cool. However, it's not all doom and gloom! This post is a call for action, and instructions for how to do so.     There are two main ways our society needs to fight climate change: mitigation and adaptation. Mitigation is efforts to fight climate change and lessen its impacts, such as using renewable energy to lower greenhouse gas emissions. Adaptation, on the other hand, is actions designed to help us live through the known effects of climate change. For example, people are designing buildings to withstand severe weather events that are predicted to worsen. Both mitigation and adaptation actions are necessary for our survival, and it's not just the polar bears we're fighting for.     Now, are you ready t...

    In this day and age, climate change is all the rage. We hear about wildfires, heat waves, polar bears losing their sea ice, coral bleaching, approaching doom... Once upon a time it was easy to just look away and go about our daily lives, but the media is making that harder as the effects of climate change worsen. Is global warming the same thing as climate change? Is it already too late to make any difference? What even  is  climate change? These are all excellent questions that I hope to touch on in this post.     Let's start by clarifying some terms. Weather  is day-to-day changes in factors such as temperature and precipitation. Climate  is the long-term weather patterns of an area. Climate change  refers to any long-term changes in Earth's climate. Global warming  is specifically talking about the heating of our planet. Although the terms global warming and climate change are often used interchangeably, global warming is only par...

      Many people look to medication and therapy to lower stress, however, nature is one of the best therapies available. Levels of stress decrease after mere minutes of being in nature: lowering your heart rate and blood pressure, decreasing muscle tension, and lowering the production of stress hormones. Doctors across Canada have been  prescribing nature walks  since 2020 to patients with anxiety or depression.     Being in nature not only decreases negative emotions such as anger and stress, but also increases positive ones such as joy and calmness. The air quality outside is often higher, helping to prevent illness. People who spend a lot of time in nature often lead a more active lifestyle. The benefits of nature go beyond the time you spend outdoors--it will also increase your focus and concentration when you return to your previous task. You may think you don't have time to go outside, but with such valuable benefits, why not give it a try?...

During the Middle Ages, people believed that spiders assisted witches in casting spells. Spiders are also thought to be mythical creatures who are storytellers and oracles due to their web-making abilities. If you see a spider on Halloween, legend has it that it's the spirit of a dead loved one watching over you. What are spiders? Spiders are arachnids that are as diverse as they are fascinating. Have you ever heard of spiders that live in groups? What about vegetarian spiders? All spiders produce silk, have eight legs, and have two main body parts. Are spiders dangerous? Most spiders are shy, nocturnal, have poor vision, and live in dark moist places. Although many people (such as my friend Charlotte) are afraid of spiders, spiders are more afraid of us than we are of them. The only type of spider in Canada that could potentially harm a person is the widow — they are rare around here and their bites are rarely fatal. Spiders just want to be left alone, and they don't deserve t...

     In early summer, a green sea turtle, only two inches long, was in her egg. The egg shell was pressing against her in all directions. She wiggled around, using a small point on the tip of her beak called an egg tooth to bang against her enclosure, desperately trying to stretch her flippers. So little space… nothing seemed to be working. She was on the verge of giving up when she felt the shell begin to give way. With renewed effort, she bashed the shell in its weakening point. She could finally squeeze through.      Upon exiting her shell she blinked her eyes, and was met with an incredible, amazing, extraordinary...nothing. She was in total darkness. She could sense rather than see the presence of other sea turtles -- her sisters. Some instinct told her and all the other hatchlings to crawl upwards. They crawled up and slipped down, taking soil with them, slowly starting to dig away from the nest. As time went on, some late hatchers joined them. ...

      Deemed the “ tree of life ” by the Kwakw a k a ’wakw, (a group of Indigenous people located in British Columbia), cedar trees have many uses. Every part of the tree can be used to make things such as totem poles, canoes, cribs, baskets, and mats.  Earthy, slightly sweet, and perfect with a bit of sugar. Cedar tea is sure to deepen your relationship with the natural world around you. For centuries it’s been used by Indigenous peoples as a traditional medicine. High in vitamin C, it saved Canada’s early settlers from scurvy. It is also commonly used as an anti-inflammatory. To discover how to make your own cedar tea, continue reading. 1. Gather the cedar              Before you start grabbing random branches, please note that not all types of cedar are safe to consume. Eastern White Cedar is safe to use, however, you should avoid consuming it in large quantities, drinking it when you are pregnant, or giving it to you...