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As we enter June, Manitobans spend time outside gardening at home or swimming at the cottage, except for herpetologists (reptile and amphibian scientists) when June is time to look for toads! This is a good month to be listening for Great Plains toads (Anaxyrus cognatus) and plains spadefoot toads (Spea bombifrons) as males gather in wet spots to call and attract mates. These two species are almost unknown to most...
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Maxillary denture; porcelain, plastic; M 20th C. Catalogue Number: H9-15-188. © Manitoba Museum Post by Cortney Pachet, Collections Registration Associate (Human History) Our human history collection is full of special objects, highlighting significant points in Manitoba’s past –like Cuthbert Grant’s medicine chest or the replica of the Nonsuch. Yet we also make a point of collecting objects that represent everyday life in Manitoba – cans of soup, well-loved toys and...
Posted in Collections & Conservation Comments closed
Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta) attracts a wide variety of midsummer pollinators. © Manitoba Museum By Dr. Diana Bizecki Robson, Curator of Botany The loss of biodiversity, including wild pollinators, is an ongoing environmental problem. In Manitoba, our main pollinators are bees, flies, butterflies, wasps, moths, beetles, and hummingbirds (see www.prairiepollination.ca for help identifying them). Fortunately, there are things you can do to make life easier for these important creatures, including...
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Male sea horses and male giant water bugs are both the primary caregivers for their young. © Manitoba Museum For the month leading up to Earth Day, the Manitoba Museum is celebrating water and aquatic life. In the Learning and Engagement department, Erin Buelow has worked with curators and collections specialists to bring seldom-seen specimens to the public. These preserved animals from the museum’s natural history collection come from...
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Fungi grow just about everywhere and yet we are usually ignorant of their presence until they produce mushrooms in our lawns or mold on the food in our fridge. Although they are common components of ecosystems (and, disconcertingly, our fridges!), and essential for nutrient recycling, we actually know very little about them. What are fungi? A long time ago, fungi were considered plants because they don’t move like animals do....
Posted in Botany Comments closed
During this cold March, the new Prairies Gallery is a comfortable place to explore the diversity, adaptations, and life histories of some of Manitoba’s wildlife. For many visitors, especially the young, the exhibits often provide the first close look at the details of insect wings and wolf teeth, the first chance to explore life underground, or to experience the wonder of just how many other animal species are fellow Manitobans....
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A young girl checks out a cheeky beaver, one of Canada’s most famous aquatic animals. ©Manitoba Museum/Ian McCausland Mika Pineda, Learning and Engagement Producer for Youth Climate Action at the Manitoba Museum, shares her thoughts on one of Earth’s most precious resources – water. Learn more about the importance of water with month-long water-based programming at the Manitoba Musuem kicking off this World Water Day, March 22. I always find...
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Written by Aro van Dyck, Collections Technician, Natural History My first day at the Manitoba Museum began with a guided behind-the-scenes tour through the research labs, workshops, and collections storage rooms that are not accessible to the public. On a tight schedule, I got to see a little bit of everything, but when the tour was over I knew I needed to see so much more. Through the next week...
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To celebrate Black History Month, Curator of History Roland Sawatzky joins forces with Naomi Dennie, a teacher in Seven Oaks School Division and creator of Amplify Us, a podcast series to amplify Black experiences in the Canadian educational system. They share the story you might not know about Winnipeg’s “Elks”. Menelik Lodge No. 528 was founded by Winnipeg railway porters in 1917 to support the Black community with...
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It’s almost Valentines Day and the flower that most people associate with that holiday is bright red. Long-stemmed red roses have long been the flower of choice for people wooing their sweethearts. But if you’ve ever gone hiking in a wild Manitoba grassland or forest, you might have noticed that the roses we have here are pink, rarely white, but not red. In fact, there are no bright red wildflowers...
Posted in Botany Comments closed
