Author: Connor Warne

46/150: Earthworms – Westward Ho!

Posted on by Connor Warne
animalia: Annelida: Clitellata: Haplotaxida: Lumbricidae: Dendrobaena: Dendrobaena octaedra (Savigny, 1826)

Happy Earth Day! Let’s talk about earthworms! Although they are found in many gardens and forests in Canada today, earthworms such as Dendrobaena octaedra are not actually native to this country. In fact, their movement and establishment to North America can be traced to early settlers from Europe, who may have either brought worms for agricultural benefits or accidentally in ship ballasts. Continue reading “46/150: Earthworms – Westward Ho!” →

17/150: Whooping cranes – till death do them part!

Posted on by Connor Warne
Animalia: Chordata: Aves: Gruiformes: Gruidae: Grus: Grus americana (Linnaeus, 1758)

Whooping cranes (Grus americana) come by their name honestly; they were given the moniker thanks to their loud trumpet-like calls which can be heard from several kilometers away! They use these calls for a variety of reasons and one of the most important is to attract the opposite sex in courtship displays. Continue reading “17/150: Whooping cranes – till death do them part!” →

11/150: Damned by the dam-The Cobblestone Tiger Beetle

Posted on by Connor Warne
animalia: Arthropoda: Insecta: Coleoptera: Carabidae: Cicindelinae: Cicindela: Cicindela marginipennis (DeJean, 1831)

Cobblestone tiger beetles (Cicindela marginipennis) live in small, divided communities in North America, and are endangered in Canada, with an estimated 5,000 individuals remaining. These beetles live in only two areas along the Saint John River in New Brunswick, as they need specialized river habitats with large tree covered islands and sprawling cobblestone beaches to thrive. Continue reading “11/150: Damned by the dam-The Cobblestone Tiger Beetle” →

Mr. Warne Goes to Washington

Posted on by Connor Warne

For two weeks in October, Jeremy DeWaard (BIO Collections Director), PhD student Jacopo D’Ercole and myself escaped the confines of BIO and Canada, and traveled to Washington D.C. We packed ourselves into a white Subaru around 6:45am and began the plodding 10 hour journey by car to the District of Columbia, a trip that only seems to become real when you hit the border at Buffalo. Continue reading “Mr. Warne Goes to Washington” →