A six-part series of illustrated talks on nature within the City of London.

 

We urbanites are part of the natural world. From a high-flying falcon to a butterfly egg on a milkweed leaf, a multitude of species (including ours) combines to form the London community. This series provides an opportunity to meet a sampling of our fellow residents.

 

7:30 – 8:30 pm

Tuesdays

January 19, 26

February 2, 9, 16, 23

 

Central Library

251 Dundas St

Wolf Performance Hall

 

Families (with children 10 and up) are welcome!

Free admission!

 

2 hours free validated parking in Citi Plaza during Library hours.

 

Steve Bucciarelli of Predator Bird Services introduces local raptors and explains their importance in the food chain. Accompanied by a live bird, he will share his experiences using raptors to scare off nuisance species, including geese, pigeons, starlings and gulls.  

 

Secretive and rarely glimpsed, many kinds of wild animals live within the city. In passing, they leave behind subtle clues of their presence. Alistair MacKenzie of Pinery Provincial Park teaches us how to read the telltale signs and discern the authors. 

 

Flashy in orange and black, Monarch butterflies turn heads. What truly captures the imagination, however, is their extraordinary annual journey from local roadsides and meadows to the remote highlands of Mexico. UWO biologist Jeremy McNeil traces their amazing life story.  

 

Life in abundance thrives in watery places – marshes, swamps, ponds and more. Robust yet delicately beautiful, wetland wildflowers surmount challenging conditions, thanks to air bladders, floating leaves and other tricks. UWO botanist Jane Bowles reveals their strategies and their world. 

 

Boulevard, backyard and parkland trees team up to create London’s urban forest. In 2009 ReForest London organized a contest to discover the city’s most distinctive trees – from the spectacular to the spooky. The City in partnership with the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority and the United States Department of Agriculture also conducted a statistical analysis of our trees.  Ivan Listar, London’s Urban Forester, presents the fascinating results of the Quest and interesting facts about our urban forest.

 

The quiet oxbow ponds and wetlands of The Coves Environmentally Significant Area are remnants of an ancient meander of the Thames. Jaclyn Goodwillie, of Friends of the Coves Subwatershed, invites us inside for a peek into this oasis of wildlife in south London.