Great Blue Heron Nature Reserve Society
5200 Sumas Prairie Rd V2R 4N7 Chilliwack, BC, Canada

It's back to the amphibians for this week’s feature organism! Long-toed salamanders (Ambystoma macrodactylum) are handsome little salamanders that are much more common than most people might think. This is because they spend much of their lives under logs or rocks; this individual was found underneath a large piece of Styrofoam. They are most commonly encountered in the spring when they migrate from forested habitats towards wetlands to breed. In fact, they are often the firs...t amphibian to begin their spring breeding in our region and will occasionally be encountered when there is still snow on the ground. They lay their eggs in shallow pools and ponds, preferably with lots of vegetation. The larvae emerge from the eggs and remain fully aquatic until they metamorphose into gill-less adults in late summer. They eat small invertebrates and are preyed upon by many larger carnivores, such as garter snakes and herons. Remember to resist picking them up if you find one, the oils on our skin is harmful to amphibians. See more

This week we wanted to feature another creepy crawly that relies on wetland habitats. The water scorpion (Ranatra fusca) is a large species of aquatic insect that lives in the ponds in the heron reserve. Their tail is actually a breathing tube that they stick above the water, not unlike a snorkel. They closely resemble a thin twig or bit of grass, which allows them to sneak up on their prey as well as to help avoid predators such as birds and large fish. They prey upon smal...ler aquatic invertebrates, which they capture using their raptorial forelimbs (a biologist’s way of describing limbs that catch things; similar to that of a mantid) and killing it using their piercing mouthparts. While this individual was found during an aquatic invertebrate survey, the winged adults are occasionally drawn to lights at night. If you find one be mindful that their bites are quite painful, as their piercing mouthparts inject digestive acid. See more

You Can Still Book a Safe and Private Shopping Session in Our Gift Shop. Email [email protected] to Set an Appointment.You Can Still Book a Safe and Private Shopping Session in Our Gift Shop. Email [email protected] to Set an Appointment.

With the popularity of the fishing spider photo we posted last week, we thought it would be fun to try and highlight an organism found in the Heron Reserve weekly! This weeks feature organism is the rough-skinned newt (Taricha granulosa). This particular newt was found in it's favorite habitat; leaf litter near a pond. The rough-skinned newt is the most toxic amphibian in North America, secreting tetrodotoxin (the same toxin found in puffer fish) from it's skin. When threaten...ed the newt will roll over and expose it's bright orange belly to let any would be predator know that eating it would be a mistake. Their only predator is the common garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis) which has developed a resistance to the toxin. Interestingly, the newts found on Vancouver Island do not produce tetrodotoxin and the garter snakes have not developed the resistance. While we don't recommend handling any amphibian, if you do touch a rough-skinned newt be sure to thoroughly wash your hands afterward. See more

This pesky little bear has been hanging out at the reserve for the past week or two. As you can see, it has had no difficulty in snacking on our bird seed! As a result all bird feeders have been taken down and some garbage cans will be removed until the bear passes through. Anyone visiting the reserve should be bear aware and not leave any food out.

The Interpretive Centre is Closed Due to High Covid Numbers, But Trails are Open, So Please Continue to Enjoy the Reserve!The Interpretive Centre is Closed Due to High Covid Numbers, But Trails are Open, So Please Continue to Enjoy the Reserve!

Although the weather might be a bit soggy, we still plan on holding our Thankful for Nature guided walk tomorrow. Due to small numbers, we will only be holding one walk from 10 to 11 and cancelling the one from 11:15 to 12:15 (nobody has registered for that one). There are still spaces left for the 10am one if you are interested. You can register here for this free event: http://chilliwackblueheron.com//thankful-for-nature-guide/

These chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) are nearing the end of their life cycle. Chum salmon are fairly coastal fish, with most of their populations spawning within 200 km of the ocean. Once the adults enter fresh water and begin their migration to their spawning grounds, they undergo a spectacular colour change with males developing green and purple bars or mottling down their sides, while the females develop a single dark band that runs from their gills to their tail. It is t...his colour that gives them their name (chum) which is derived from the Chinook word tzum, meaning spotted or marked. The salmon in the photo has a white tail, which is the result of both the infections that salmon develop towards the end of their lives in freshwater and from damaging it's tail digging in the gravel to make it’s redd (fish nest). Eggs are laid in the redd and then buried in the stream’s gravels after fertilization. These eggs will remain buried until they hatch in the spring. Once an adult salmon has completed spawning it will die, distributing nutrients throughout the stream and woodlands where they were born. Chum salmon fry begin migrating to the sea immediately after they leave the gravels, starting the whole cycle over again. See more

Well...it would appear that the autumn rain is here, but don't let that stop you from getting outdoors! Stop by our gift shop (open 10 to 4) and pick up one of our super cute and/or stylish umbrellas and then take a walk in the rain!

We still have a few spots left in our Outdoor Only Homeschool Program that starts this Wednesday. Perfect for families who aren't currently comfortable with indoor learning options. http://chilliwackblueheron.com//outdoors-only-homeschool-/

We have some really gorgeous puzzles in our gift shop which are absolutely perfect for those days when the weather outside is frightful and you just want to hunker down inside and while away the hours. We also have tray puzzles, not pictured. I would also like to remind everyone that we are welcoming people to reserve private shopping times outside of our regular hours. Please email [email protected] if that sounds like it would be of interest to you.

Due to a last minute cancellation, we have one space open in our Friday art/nature combo Homeschool class. This class runs on Fridays (starting this Friday) from 9:30 to 12:30 and is geared toward 5-13 year olds. http://chilliwackblueheron.com//friday-homeschool-fall2020/ The website will say it is full, but we do have one spot. I will update this post when that changes.

With all of the fires happening around us, it's a good time to stay inside and learn about forest renewal and wildfires. Pop into our gift shop and check out our new educational books (and some new, beautiful puzzles, too), including this informational fire book.