Category: Canadian National Parks

DNA barcoding and Malaise traps capture the remarkable diversity in Canada’s National Parks

Posted on by Kate Perez

Hi everyone!

As some of you may know, we here at BIO spend a great deal of our field work sampling in Canada’s beautiful National Parks. In fact, from 2012 to 2014, BIO and Parks Canada partnered up to complete a massive national barcoding project that aimed to map out the country’s arthropod biodiversity: the Canadian National Parks (CNP) Malaise Program. I spent a lot of time planning, organizing, and coordinating this project and am thrilled to finally have results! Continue reading “DNA barcoding and Malaise traps capture the remarkable diversity in Canada’s National Parks” →

The Tans Will Fade, but the Barcodes Will Last Forever

Posted on by Jesse Sills

Hello again everyone,

This will be my final blog of the season, as the summer wraps up and all the students head back to school. This past week was my final week working in BIO as a student, but luckily for me I get to come back as a full time employee! My summer at BIO was absolutely amazing, between learning how to work in the lab, and the multiple field work experiences I got to have. Continue reading “The Tans Will Fade, but the Barcodes Will Last Forever” →

Beecoming interested in the Yukon

Posted on by Shannon MacDonald

Hey guys!

With this year’s beautiful summer coming to a close it has once again come time to dust the backpack off and get back into school mode. I had an amazing experience working with the BIObus team these past few months and I’m glad I’ve had the opportunity to share some of that experience with all of you. Since this is the my last blog of the season, I’ve decided to make this blog about one of the coolest parks I’ve come across so far (which is also conveniently the one I’m sorting through at the moment). Continue reading “Beecoming interested in the Yukon” →

Aquatic and Worm Sampling in Bruce Peninsula National Park

Posted on by Adrian Boskovic

After a successful week of sampling at Long Point Provincial Park, the BIObus was off to Bruce Peninsula National Park. The Bruce Peninsula divides Georgian Bay from the main basin of Lake Huron, and has some very unique aquatic ecosystems where interesting species can be found. We sampled a variety of these habitats which included creeks, marshes, ponds and lakes. Continue reading “Aquatic and Worm Sampling in Bruce Peninsula National Park” →

Wild water bugs and warm weather

Posted on by Shannon MacDonald

As part of this summer’s ongoing BIObus adventures Adrian, Connor, Nate and I got the chance to go hunting for arthropods in the beautiful Bruce Peninsula last week. With the weather being more than welcoming, we eagerly strapped on our waders and set out to explore the diverse aquatic habitats of the Grey-Bruce region. One thing I couldn’t help but notice during our daily sampling sessions was the abundance of belostomatids in almost every area we were. Continue reading “Wild water bugs and warm weather” →

Bogging in Bruce

Posted on by Nate Jones

Hello again everyone,

This past week the team of travelling aquatic arthropod samplers visited Bruce Peninsula National Park, or BPNP. Connor, Adrian, Shannon, and I assembled from the roster of BIO Collection employees to make up last week’s BIObus team – you can see us posing for a great photo on the shoreline of Little Cove with beautiful Georgian Bay in the background. Continue reading “Bogging in Bruce” →

Spider Ground Control to Arachnid One

Posted on by Josh Persi

Hi everyone,

I just returned from a week of aquatic sampling at Point Pelee National Park and have much to share. The peninsula that is Point Pelee is the most southern part of Canada and it is revered as one of the best spots in North America to observe the spring migration of songbirds. The park itself exists largely due to the efforts of W.E. Saunders who arrived at Point Pelee in 1882 with the intention of duck hunting. Continue reading “Spider Ground Control to Arachnid One” →

Paddling Point Pelee

Posted on by Jesse Sills

Hello again readers! Last week, the BIObus headed as far south as you can go in mainland Canada, to Point Pelee National Park. We went out there to do some aquatic sampling at a few spots in the area: Point Pelee, Ojibway Natural Prairie Reserve, and Rondeau Provincial Park. Continue reading “Paddling Point Pelee” →

Finding Aquatic Invertebrates In Eastern Ontario

Posted on by Dan Engelking

Hey Folks!

I have just made my triumphant return from the very first BIObus trip of the season! While this trip was a bit shorter than former excursions, we still covered a lot of ground and sampled all kinds of water bodies! Continue reading “Finding Aquatic Invertebrates In Eastern Ontario” →

Keeping Your Balance In A Stratified Ecosystem

Posted on by Graham Ansell

Hello faithful readers!

Last week I was on the BIObus in several lovely Canadian parks where our team focused on aquatic collections. We got to tramp around in various rivers, bogs, fens, swamps and shorelines in our hip waders, scooping up bugs with our D-nets. This trip, along with many others that will take place this summer, will help BIO add a new level of aquatic invertebrates to the reference library. Continue reading “Keeping Your Balance In A Stratified Ecosystem” →