Diario del proyecto Humber Arboretum Atlas

There were so many great observations this month submitted to the Humber Arboretum Atlas project. Here are some of the highlights.

A Common Shiner was spotted this month by Bella Wu, along with some other animals. Both a Great Blue Heron and another Wild Turkey was spotted this month by Mike Naumoff.

© Bella Wu, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC), Common Shiner - Observation 91149828

Insects seemed to be a theme in August, with the Common Tree Cricket observed by vishalb. A Monarch Butterfly was spotted by Treshaun Thomas-Wright, as well as a European Fire Bug spotted by Mike Naumoff.

© Mike Naumoff, some rights reserved (BY-CC), European Fire Bug - Observation 90723828

Lots of plants were found this month, including the Staghorn Sumac by Mike Naumoff and the Purple Loosestrife by Simone Pereira. Bella Wu observed the White Vervain.

© Bella Wu, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC), White Vervain - Observation 91152876

Thank you to everyone who submitted their findings this month. September will bring the start of a new season which means new changes in nature that we hope to see documented!

• Nicole Carbone, Humber Arboretum Student Content Creator

Welcome back to the Humber Arboretum Atlas Project monthly highlights! There were so many interesting observations that were made in July.

A lot of animals were spotted this month. Treshaun Thomas Wright spotted an Eastern Cottontail and a White-tailed Deer. One of our nature interpreters, Mike Naumoff, spotted a Wild Turkey.

© Mike Naumoff, some rights reserved (BY-CC), Wild Turkey - Observation 88017055

Plants and animals that have habitats in or by the water was a big theme in July. A Great Blue Heron was spotted by robertopennino and the Sacred Lotus was spotted by navpreetsekhon. Other observations included the Fatmucket and the Bluntnsed Minnow.

© navpreetsekhon, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC), Sacred Lotus - Observation 85857512

Some fruits were also spotted, such as the Mock Strawberry found by Max Haber. Lynn Short found the Autumn Olive and navpreetsekhon found the European Raspberry.

© Lynn Short, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC), Autumn Olive - Observation 87150314

© navpreetsekhon, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC), European Raspberry - Observation 87909625

The Humber Arboretum thanks everyone for submitting their findings this month. Every time a new picture gets posted, the beauty of the Arboretum gets captured and put on display for people to see. Looking forward to all the things that get observed in August!

• Nicole Carbone, Humber Arboretum Student Content Creator

Did you know that July 17 to July 25 is National Moth Week?

This week started in 2012 by members of a non-profit in New Jersey, and is now recognized all over the world. National Moth Week was created to shine some light on “the beauty, life cycles, and habitats of moths”.

Moths are part of a group of insects called Lepidoptera, which means 'scaly-winged'. There are around 160,000 species of moths in the world! Since they are so plentiful, there have been many moth sightings in the Humber Arboretum. Below are all 21 of the different moth species that have been spotted throughout the Arboretum over the years. By clicking on each species name, there will be all of the sightings from the Humber Arboretum Atlas Project.

Isabella Tiger Moth

LD Moth

Hickory Tussock Moth

Banded Tussock Moth

American Dagger Moth

Box Tree Moth

Pandorus Sphinx Moth

Polyphemus Moth

Ailanthus Webworm Moth

Orange Mint Moth

Ruby Tiger Moth

Geometer Moth

Clover Looper Moth

Virginian Tiger Moth

Imperial Moth

Forest Tent Caterpillar Moth

Virginia Ctenucha Moth

Plusiine Looper Moth

Fall Webworm Moth

Morning-glory Plume Moth

Eastern Tent Caterpillar Moth

• Nicole Carbone, Humber Arboretum Student Content Creator

June holds the longest day of the year, or the summer solstice, which officially marks the start of summer. With every new season comes new changes in nature. Let’s take a look at the observations that were made at The Humber Arboretum for the Humber Arboretum Atlas Project!

Insects and critters seemed to be super abundant this month at the Arboretum. An Eastern Eyed Click Beetle was spotted by adventuresofnicola.

© adventuresofnicola, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC), Eastern Eyed Click Beetle - Observation 81971337

Mike Naumoff, a nature interpreter here at the Arb, found a Sphinx Moth. Max Haber, one of our other nature interpreters, found the American White Admiral and a Box Tree Moth.

© Max Haber, some rights reserved (BY-CC), American White Admiral - Observation 83500587

There are many invasive species that can be found in the Arboretum, and many were spotted this past month. Garlic Mustard was observed by Shoma Chalmers (shona), and Dame’s Rocket was observed by Avita Ragnauth (avita_inherhabitat).

Flowers are quite easy to spot in summer, so there were quite a few that were observed. Both the Meadow Anemone and the Meadow Buttercup were found by Mike Naumoff.

© Micheal Naumoff, some rights reserved (BY-CC), Meadow Anemone - Observation 81193448

A big thank you to the contributors this month. Keep exploring, we can’t wait to see what you find in July!

• Nicole Carbone, Humber Arboretum Student Content Creator

May is a busy month in the nature world. Birds are chirping, flowers are blooming and spring is springing! So many people contributed to The Humber Arboretum Atlas Project this past month. Here are the highlights of the cool observations that were made.

Over 15 different flowers were observed in May. S. Weber (ghosthntr) observed many of them, with some being Rhododendrons, Azaleas, Common Lilacs and Common Peonies. Mike Naumoff, a nature interpreter here at the Humber Arboretum, found the Carolina Spring-Beauty, and the Large White Trillium, which is Ontario’s national flower!

© Michael Naumoff, some rights reserved (BY-CC), Large White Trillium - Observation 78274612

Tons of plants can be found throughout the Arboretum. Max Haber, another of our nature interpreters, spotted Cut-leaved Toothwort, Bloodroot, and Solomon’s Plume, just to name a few.

© Max Haber, some rights reserved (BY-CC), Blood Root - Observation 78269767

Multiple birds were also spotted. Cedar Waxwings, the Common Grackle, the White-crowned Sparrow, and the Rusty Blackbird were all observations from coleencraig.

© Colleen Craig, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC), Cedar Waxwing - Observation 78126918

Avita Ragnauth captured the Northern Cardinal, and other birds, such as the Tree Swallow and the Red-winged Blackbird, were spotted by S. Weber (ghosthntr).

© S. Weber, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC), Tree Swallow - Observation 80362685

Along with birds, many other critters inhabit the Arboretum, like the Eastern Chipmunk found by Avita Ragnauth and the American Toad found by Mike Naumoff.

© Michael Naumoff, some rights reserved (BY-CC), American Toad - Observation 79424024

The Humber Arboretum wants to thank everyone who submitted their findings in May. We are looking forward to seeing what everyone spots in June!

• Nicole Carbone, Humber Arboretum Student Content Creator

Students of Humber College and the University of Guelph-Humber who are studying anywhere in the world are invited to take part in the Humber Arboretum's iNaturalist Student Challenge. You can add an experience to your Co-Curricular Record by getting outside and exploring your own neighbourhood with iNaturalist.

To get started, you'll read and watch a video about citizen science (and being an ethical nature photographer), fill out a registration survey, then get exploring!

Staff from the Arboretum will follow you on iNaturalist and do their best to help you identify what you've seen. You have until the end of classes in April to make 30 new, high quality observations to complete the challenge.

Visit the Humber Arboretum's iNaturalist Student Challenge page on the Humber Arboretum website to learn more and get started.

Happy exploring!

~ The Humber Arboretum team

Hello and welcome to the Humber Arboretum Atlas Project!

This project has been created by staff at the Centre for Urban Ecology to collect all of the observations made within the Humber Arboretum.

The Humber Arboretum consists of nearly 100 hectares of public gardens and naturalized areas connected to Humber College North Campus in Etobicoke. It surrounds a portion of the West Humber River and offers a variety of habitats including woodlands, wetlands, and a transitioning shrubland meadow. With multiple public trails covering the grounds and various activities hosted by the Centre for Urban Ecology, there are many opportunities for individuals to get up close and observe the natural world.

Purpose of the Project

This project has several goals:

• To help us learn about the diversity of life at the Humber Arboretum
• To provide a place where anyone can explore the Arboretum's biodiversity from anywhere with an internet connection
• To encourage more people from Humber College and the local community to both contribute to citizen science and discover what iNaturalist offers as a learning tool
• To support the activities of Humber College and UofGH students taking part in the Arboretum's Learning by Leading^TM activities

How to Get Involved

This is what iNaturalist calls a "collection project" and it has been set up so observations made within the bounds of the Humber Arboretum will automatically appear on the project page. Just head out to the Arboretum and start observing to contribute.

However we also invite anyone who's interested to join the project to keep up with new observations and with journal entries, which will feature news, tips, stories, and challenges. If you're knowledgeable about any aspect of Southern Ontario flora and fauna, we'd love to have your contributions as an identifier! Head back to the main project page and click the "Join" button at the top of the page.

Thanks for reading, Citizen Scientist :)

~ The Humber Arboretum Team

Common red soldier beetle, observed by a Nature Camper in the Jr. Naturalist program, 2018