It’s nearing the end of Environment Week here in Canada and I’ve been lucky enough to have been able to spend most of it working outdoors. Unfortunately in Alberta, this week was just one rolling thunderstorm after another, but I did get to see some neat cloud formations!
While working outside this week, I thought a lot about my respect for nature and the environment and where it stems from. I realized that the more I learn about the world around me, the more I learn to respect and cherish it. Learning about the plants and land around me is the basis of my job. As a reclamation consultant, I need to know all the puzzle pieces in the world around me so that I can make sure they are put back properly.
Getting to know nature has helped me fall in love with it more and more every day. I want to share some of that so that you too can come to love and respect nature more as well!
Let’s start with some trees! They’re big and beautiful and there are fewer species to learn about than other aspects of nature.
Trembling Aspen is a deciduous tree meaning it has soft fluffy seeds and loses its leaves every fall. It gets it name from the way its leaves “tremble” in the wind.
Lodgepole pine is a coniferous tree with hard seeds located in cones. Its long soft needles are flat and grow in pairs of two.
Cottonwood is another deciduous tree that is most commonly found along river banks where it can get plenty of moisture. The cotton fluff can usually be seen floating through the air in the spring.
White spruce is a pretty common coniferous tree in this area. Its short sharp needs have an almost white tinge to them. In comparison to the pine needles, white spruce needles are square and roll between your fingers.
So next time you’re at the park, take a closer look at the trees around you and try and learn what species it is. Hopefully you’ll also come to feel a closer connection to the world around you!
Leaf In The Chinook 