The following short article appeared in the October 3, 2025 newsletter of the Edmonton River Valley Conservation Coalition (ERVCC) ( http://eepurl.com/joInYE) : Blackfoot knowledge-keeper Ryan First Diver has posted many videos on YouTube as part of his phenology course in Lethbridge. This past summer one of the videos he posted deals with " combative stewardship ."  This is the term he has given to land conservation that labels plant or animal species “invasive” or “noxious

By Patsy Cotterill Our profiled shrub for this issue is twining honeysuckle ( Lonicera dioica ), chosen because it is the subject of some excellent photos by Patrick Kyle and Manna Parseyan, the colours of which will serve to brighten up our winter days.  It is a member of the honeysuckle family, Caprifoliaceae, which is characterized by having everything in pairs: paired opposite leaves, flowers and fruits. In Alberta the family is represented by two genera of shrubs: Lonice

By Patsy Cotterill Persicaria  (smartweeds) and Polygonum (knotweeds) are the other two genera in the buckwheat or dock family whose representatives we commonly encounter in the Parkland, apart from Rumex,  the docks. ( See Part 1 ) Persicaria – the smartweeds Originally species of Persicaria  and Polygonum  were included in the single genus Polygonum , and the key characters used to separate the two are not distinctly different. However, the smartweeds tend to bear their flo

By Liz Deleeuw My inner-city upbringing in 1960s Edmonton was punctuated with trips to a hobby farm where my friends and I played in ditches complete with shrubs and wildflowers. This was a time before the systematic selective spraying of ditches to wipe out all broadleaf plants. Back then I did not know what a native plant was, and for many, many years I still would not know.  A simple explanation of what a native plant is could have saved years of learning it the hard way.

By Patsy Cotterill Find the words in the puzzle. (The names are joined in the puzzle, and all letters are lowercase.) Words can go in any direction. Words can share letters as they cross over each other. common juniper Douglas-fir jackpine lodgepole pine subalpine fir western redcedar Photos from left: western redcedar; characteristic cone of Rocky Mountain Douglas-fir; whitebark pine (photo: D. Vujnovic); common juniper with “berries.” Other photos: P. Cotterill

Every year we collect more seeds (especially from species having a good harvest that year) than we have the capacity to grow or sell.  We...

By Patsy Cotterill Judith Golub (June 14, 1949–October 28, 2022), a life-long Edmontonian, was an active and deeply committed member of...

By Patsy Cotterill My guess is that the buckwheat family (I prefer to call it the dock family) doesn’t score high in popularity stakes....

Lawn to Wildflower Meadow: Gardener Adam Bailey Sees the Light and Undergoes a Conversion By Adam Bailey Lawns are like an ugly heirloom...

by Kate Wilson Wild bergamot, Monarda fistulosa , in flower in a garden situation. 2025-07-08. Photo: K. Wilson. You’re considering what...

By Patsy Cotterill Among the several species that have flowered prolifically this year has been alpine hedysarum ( Hedysarum americanum...

By Aaron Vansevenandt With a professional background in data analysis, business operations, and customer experience, I’ve worked in both...

By Patsy Cotterill Ghost pipe or Indian pipe ( Monotropa uniflora ) has been reported from several local situations recently. Ghost pipe...

By Patsy Cotterill Our Green Heart: The Soul and Science of Forests , by Diana Beresford-Kroeger, 2024. Canada, Random House. Diana...

By Patsy Cotterill When the Earth Was Green: Plants, Animals and Evolution's Greatest Romance , by Riley Black, 2025. New York, N.Y., St....

Find the underlined words in the Wordsearch puzzle below (ignoring the spaces between words). Words can go in any direction and can...

Originally published in the November/December 2023 issue of the WildFlower News by Liz Deleeuw Low milkweed can be a challenge to grow...

Originally published in the November/December 2023 issue of the WildFlower News Text and photos by Kristina Haagsma Before the...

Originally published in the November 2023 issue of the WildFlower News ENPS does not normally write about provincial conservation issues,...

Find the plant names in the Wordsearch puzzle. Words can go in any direction. Words can share letters as they cross over each other.