Happy #WorldWetlandsDay! Wetlands are critical to the well-being of the planet. I've been lucky to have had many opportunities to share the stories of wetlands through interpretive signage and thought it might be fun to look back on a few. #sciart#scicomm 1/
I often find myself answering the question 'What good are wetlands?' Once considered wasteland by farmers and developers, we're finally understanding the important ecological services they provide. #WorldWetlandsDay#sciart#scicomm 2/
Wetlands are critical habitat for hundreds of bird species who nest and find food and cover among the waterlogged vegetation. #WorldWetlandsDay#sciart#scicomm 3/
People often thing of ducks when they think of wetlands, but there's are so many more species that rely on them. #WorldWetlandsDay#sciart#scicomm 4/
While wetlands provide us many many ecological services, they depend on us to keep them healthy. Here are some of the ways you can do that. #WorldWetlandsDay#sciart#scicomm 5/5
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With so many people in North America experiencing cold they're not used to, I thought it might be a good time to look at how wildlife handles snow and cold in places like here in Manitoba where these temperatures are the norm. 1/
Although many insects die in the winter, leaving their eggs behind to hatch in the spring, some do hibernate. These overwintering insects break down glycogen that they accumulated from their diet into glycerol that acts as an antifreeze in their blood and tissues.
Some frogs take it a step further and actually freeze for the winter. Grey tree frogs and wood frogs secrete ice-nucleating proteins into their blood and tissues. This causes ice to form where they want it to. Glycerol is there to keep the ice crystals from being sharp. 3/
About a month ago, I watched a little red-backed vole dash into this hole in an old downed aspen tree in my backyard. It was clear that it was living there, so I set up my trail camera to catch a glimpse of the wildlife using this log. #cameratrap 1/ 🧵
I caught the little vole coming and going from the hole several times over the first night. 2/ #CameraTrap
The vole wasn't the only one hanging out in the area. A deer mouse also came and went near the log, scurrying along the tangled forest floor looking for food. #CameraTrap 3/ #TheOldLog
Happy #SuperbOwl Sunday! I spent a decade studying #owls for my masters and Ph.D. In that time, I've accumulated a lot of interesting facts about our favourite feathered friends. I thought I might take this opportunity to share some. 🧵1/ *all images mine unless otherwise noted.
There are 243 species in the order Strigiformes (owls and barn-owls) divided into 2 families. Here in Manitoba, we have ten species (all in family Strigidae), though burrowing owls are starting to get a foothold again (which is mess up my poster 😉) 2/ #SuperbOwl
The great gray owl (Strix nebulosa) is the largest owl in North America by size. They have a wingspan of about five feet, but they're not the heaviest (they only weigh about 1 kg - 2.2 lbs). Snowy owls can weigh up to 4 lbs. In most species females are larger. #SuperbOwl 3/
I get a lot of questions about how our wildlife can survive the cold. It can be -35C and you'll still hear and see signs of animals everywhere. How do they do it? I thought it might be fun to take a look at some of our wildlife's amazing adaptations for winter. #scicomm 1/
Losing heat, especially from the core, is their biggest problem. We just put on more clothes and in some ways, animals do too. Chickadees have 50% more feathers in the winter. Mammals grow thicker fur, with longer guard hairs that trap warm air near the body. 2/
Many animals have counter current heat exchangers in their limbs (bird legs, mammal noses and legs, ears, tails). Arteries and veins form a network so warm blood going out transfers heat to the blood coming back. The extremities are kept near freezing, but the core stays warm. 3/
I was asked if I could outline the steps I go through to create a panel like this. It's a long process and I'm lucky to have the skills and training to do all of the pieces: content writing/research, illustration & layout, so I thought I'd walk you through it. 1/ #scicomm#sciart
It starts with a concept sketch. The client and I discussed the story they wanted to tell and the looks we liked and I scribbled it into my sketchbook. Species were chosen from the garden plants this panel was for and I researched their associated pollinators. 2/ #sciart#scicomm
Once I have an general idea of what images I need, I start drawing. I have a huge reference photo library, but will sometimes ask for permission from other photographers to use their images as references. 3/ #scicomm#sciart