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.

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

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

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/

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/

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