Did you know that we have shrimp in the our lakes in the Okanagan? Sadly these are not the tasty shrimp you can order at a restaurant. In fact they are not even true shrimp. These are Mysis shrimp, an introduced species that has caused problems to many of our aquatic species, especially Kokanee salmon. It was first brought to the lakes as a mean to help feed the salmon, but things did not go according to plan and instead the shrimp started competing with the salmon for zoopla

Otters are such cute creatures but don't let that fool you, they can be ferocious when they wan to be. Here in the Okanagan and Similkameen, we are lucky to share the land and waters with our very own River otters. These guys are know for their playful and fun behaviour. They can be seen sliding or burrowing in the mud or snow, chasing each others tails, or generally playing in the water. Their slender flexible bodies allow them to preform rolls, tumbles and dives like a gymn

Turtles are an amazing species that are beloved by so many, so let's celebrate them today. Here in the Okanagan and Similkameen, we only have one native species to celebrate, our Western Painted turtle! In BC there are 2 populations of this turtle: the Pacific Coast Population that is found in the lower mainland and Vancouver Island, and the Intermountain-Rocky Mountain population which is found here in the Interior of BC. Sadly both populations are at risk, with the Coastal

Happy World Bee Day! Many people love bees and want to help bees. More recently this help has come in the form of bee hotels/houses. These are meant to provide habitat for many solitary native bees. And it's great that people want to help these little guys out, but just Bee careful using bee houses. It can take more work than one might think to keep the bees happy and healthy. If not cleaned properly, fungus and bacteria can accumulate and make these places a vector for disea

Out of all the species in the Okanagan, one of the most endangered ones is the American Badger. These guys are so special though and have so many cool features. Everything about the American badger is built for the dirt and digging. Here are some features that make them digging experts: Eyes - Like some mammal, like cats and dogs, badgers have a thin "third" eyelid called a nictitating membrane that helps prevent dirt from irritating their eyes. This membrane is translucent s

Shout out to all the mothers out there, both human and wildlife! This includes our local Western skink mothers. These females are highly protective of their nests and eggs until they hatch. The females will periodically leave their nest to bask in the sun so they can go back and heat up their eggs. They have also been seen fixing their nests and rotating their eggs for optimal development. They usually lay between 2-6 eggs, and it takes about one month for them to hatch. That

Welcome home to all our migratory birds who left us for the winter, and are returning to us for another amazing summer. One such bird that is returning to us is the Eastern Kingbird. Eastern Kingbirds are a long-distance migrant, flying to BC all the way from countries in South America like Brazil, Peru, and Ecuador. That's a long ways, more than 7300km! But they don't take this journey alone. Usually a flock between 10-60 birds is formed for this migratory journey and someti

Did you know that many mosses don't have any common names? When talking mosses, it is more normal to use their Latin names instead of a common name, especially compared to other groups of organisms. There are close to 12000 species of mosses that are usually just lumped into the category of "moss" without specifying the type of moss. Common names can be easier to remember for a lot of people, the problem is that language is always changing. One word may mean something one day

Did you know that porcupines will try to run away from danger before using their quills? Like most animals, it takes less energy to run than using other protective measure like venom or fighting. Porcupines will try to seek a safe haven under rocks or up a tree as their first instinct to danger. Porcupines spend a considerable amount of time in trees, eating and staying safe from certain predators. If this running strategy doesn't work though, then it's time for the quills. P