Pinecone Investigations

Creative Corner

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November 23, 2023

31

Pinecone Investigations

Time:60+ min

Difficulty:Easy

We’ve got quite the cone-undrum for you! Can you be a master investigator and crack the case?

About the game:

Objective: Investigate what happens when pinecones are submerged in water.
Players: 1 or more players

Here’s what you need:

3 or more pinecones
3 glasses, bowls or mason jars
Water
A notebook or paper to take notes
Something to write with like a pencil, pen, or marker

Here’s how you play it:

Step 1:

If you don’t have any already, head out to your favourite outdoor space to gather some pinecones. You’ll need at least three for this experiment.

TIP:
Make sure you don’t disturb any animal habitats while you gather your materials!

Step 2:

Grab three glasses, bowls, or mason jars. These need to be big enough to fit your pinecones into.

Fill one glass with cold water, and leave the last one empty.

Step 3:

Put a pinecone in each, and watch what happens. Don’t forget to write down notes about what you discover!

TIP:

See what happens if you leave the pinecones for an hour or two. Did anything happen while you were away?

What did you discover in your pinecone investigations?
Let us know in the comments!

Earth Rangers, You Squashed the Gross Out Challenge!

Earth Rangers

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November 20, 2023

17

Earth Rangers, You Squashed the Gross Out Challenge!

Congratulations, Earth Rangers! You’ve successfully out-slimed and out-grimed the Gross Out Challenge! Together, you’ve logged over 120,000 climate-friendly habits, and to celebrate, we’re going to introduce you to someone who knows a LOT about slimy creatures: earthworm researcher Stephen Paterson!

*Meet researcher Stephen Paterson, sampling for earthworms in northern Saskatchewan.* *Photo Credit:* Aaron Bell

The Mysterious Earthworm

It might surprise you to find out that we don’t know a whole lot about many species of earthworm. We know they come in different colors. Some live in trees, some live in lakes, and one type of Australian earthworm can grow to be up to three meters long! We know that the roles earthworms play in their ecosystems are complex. (They’re sometimes called ‘ecosystem engineers.’) That’s why it’s important to understand HOW earthworms are distributed and what effect they’re having on the ecosystems they’re in.

*This is Stephen Paterson recording habitat data at a sampling site in the Yukon. He records lots of information about the habitat and soil properties to understand where earthworms like to live.* Photo credit: Samantha Bennett

Invasion of the Earthworms

First, let’s talk about how earthworms came to Canada. There were almost NO earthworms in Canada after the last ice age. People brought them here from Asia and Europe because earthworms are often great for gardens and agriculture – they aerate the soil and they make nutrients more available to plants. But it’s not all good news. When non-native species are brought to a new place, there can be consequences.

Meet field assistant Samantha Bennett, in a northern Saskatchewan forest, sampling for earthworms. Photo credit: Stephen Paterson

Into the Woods

Earthworms can become a problem when they end up in our forests. They decompose leaf litter, a thick layer of decaying leaves that native plants and animals rely on. Earthworms do it much faster than native decomposers. This can cause biodiversity loss and the release of greenhouse gases – two things we definitely DON’T want.

This is Dendrobaena octaedra, a common non-native earthworm species in the Canadian boreal forest. Photo credit: Stephen Paterson

But HOW do earthworms end up where they’re not supposed to be? Blame it on people. Earthworms are often spread when people use them as fishing bait, put them into their gardens, or move soil or plants around.

*Earthworms collected as samples.* *Did you know that scientists have found over 7000 different species of earthworm…and they think there are probably about 20,000 more species to be discovered!* Photo credit: Stephen Paterson

We can appreciate the good work worms do in our gardens, but make every effort to keep them out of the forests where they can do harm. Avoid moving soil or wood into forests because worms can hide in even the smallest amounts of both. And, if you’re going fishing, definitely do not leave your bait behind.

A New Friend!

Everyone who logged a habit during the Gross Out Challenge will unlock a special Worm Buddy for your avatar in the Earth Rangers App! Visit the Community Rewards section of the Challenge to learn more. We’re proud to support the work Stephen Paterson is doing, so in honor of our Gross-Out Challenge, we’re making a donation to contribute to his important research.

Pawsitively Hilarious Jokes #16

Earth Rangers

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November 20, 2023

94

What do you call a lion that changes color?

A chamelion

Tap here for more cool stuff like this!

Pixel Puzzler #36: Part 1

Earth Rangers

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November 17, 2023

60

Let’s put your identification skills to the test! Can you figure out what is hidden in this picture? Make your guess in the comments.

Check back next week for the answer!

Tap here for more cool stuff like this!

Sheriff Pickles and the city villains!

Earth Rangers

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November 16, 2023

16

Who goes there?!

Oh, it’s you, Earth Rangers! I’m surprised to see you here. You might be wondering what I, Sheriff Pickles, am doing out here in the city. Trying to stop that pesky Single-Use Plastic Gang, of course!

I was called here from the forest by my good friend, Deputy Dipper, who’s charge of protecting city animals from these baddies. There are some new villains on the roster who especially love to invade our city streets. We could really use your help!

Who are these troublesome plastics?

These four baddies can be found anywhere in cities:

• Foul Filter is a plastic found in cigarette filters, which a lot of people throw right on the ground (grrr!).
• The Wrapper is plastic wrap that covers snack foods and other items.
• Glum Gum is a sweet treat that you may know as… chewing gum! That’s right, most chewing gum’s gum base is a mix of plastic and other chemicals.
• Styrofoot is a plastic better known as Styrofoam, found in many products from containers and packaging to building insulation.

These plastics are not our friends. All four of these villains can be easily found littered on sidewalks, under benches or in grass. They might wash away into waterways and travel all the way into the ocean. Animals can also mistake them for food, gobbling them up where it gets stuck in their tummies or makes them sick.

We must stop them!

Don’t let Glum Gum and Foul Filter trick you! They are just as bad for your health as they are for animals. Just don’t have them. If you find any of these baddies wandering the streets, pick them up using gloves or a garbage picker and throw them out! You can also fight The Wrapper and Styrofoot at home by using reusable containers instead of single-use plastics to carry food and making sure to properly discard any you find outside.

Canada is fighting to ban the usage of plastics like Styrofoot, but we’ve got a long way to go! This is where Deputy Dipper and I need you. Yes, you Earth Rangers can help too to stop these villains! All you need to do to defeat them is stop using them, replace them with reusable products, or make sure they’re disposed of properly.

These are small changes you can do that will make a big difference to us and our animal friends.
Why not start cutting the SUP today?

Check out Sheriff Pickle’s other adventure hunting the Single-Use Plastic Gang here:
Sheriff Pickles and the Plastics

Help Sheriff Pickles stop the entire Single-use Plastic Gang with the More Plastic More Problems Mission! Look for it in the Mission section in the Earth Rangers App!

Tricksters in Hiding

Earth Rangers

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November 16, 2023

677

Tricksters in Hiding

Time:5 min

Difficulty:Easy

The tricksters are out! Some animals who don’t belong have slipped into the crowd. Can you spot the fake in each picture?

Post your results in the comments below to let us know how you did!
Who’s your favourite trickster?

Peculiar Animal Contest Winners

Earth Rangers

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November 15, 2023

11

Congratulations to the winners of the Homeroom What a Peculiar Animal Contest!

Ms. Mason’s Grade 2 Class

Buena Vista School, Saskatoon, SK

Meet Metztli who lives in the Coral Reef

It has a snapping turtle mouth. It can break the spines. It has a dolphin tail so it can swim fast.

The Earth Rangers Homeroom community is brimming with creativity! All of the submissions included very imaginative adaptations and show just how many ways there are for animals to adapt to their environments.

For example, here are two different animals living on the Twin Islands:

Quackodilefin

Louise Roberts’ Grade 3 class
École New Era School, Brandon, Manitoba

Its webbed feet allow it to swim and float on water and walk on sand. Its sharp teeth break coconuts and crabs. Its whale tail allows it to swim fast.

Frawshter

Ms. Andrade’s Grade 6 Class
St Helen School à Toronto, ON

The Frawshter has adapted to the Twin Islands by utilizing some of its structural and behavioural adaptations to help it survive. It can camouflage into its surroundings. Also, the shark tail helps it to swim very fast in the water. Furthermore, his lizard legs enable him to grip things easily. Having the speed of a lion enables it to escape its predator – the crocodile.

And two different animals living in the Downpour Rainforest:

Crocomonkiless

Teddy Fiolka, Grade 3, Homeschool
Calgary, AB

It can fish with its basilisk legs. Its monkey tail is prehensile and can help it eat bird eggs. Its crocodile mouth eats the fish so it doesn’t slip away from its sharp teeth. It has adapted to live on land or water. Its other tail stores fat for later in case of food shortage.

Swafbat

Ms Page’s Grade 5 Class
Ellen Fairclough Primary School Markham, ON

Our peculiar animal can adapt to the Downpour rainforest because the rainforest has a lot of water and our animal has a whale tail and alligator legs which makes it easier to swim. Our animal is an omnivore. Since our animal lives in a forest there is lots of grass and other animals like fish. Our animal’s scaly legs keep him nice and warm. Next, our animals sense of smell is very good. Our animal can smell threats, food and other things. Swafbat is amazing at camouflaging using his turtle back. It also helps our animal swim faster. Swafbat’s eyes are perfect for night vision. It can see everything. Fun fact: The front legs of an alligator’s legs has 5 toes and the back has 4.

Once again, thank you to everyone who participated! There were so many wonderful submissions.

Keep your eyes peeled for our next Homeroom Contest. Sign up for the Homeroom Newsletter to avoid missing out.

Would your class like to put their imagination to the test?

Check out the What a Peculiar Animal activity!

Save the grizzly bear, American badger, and bighorn sheep!

Earth Rangers

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November 14, 2023

26

Save the grizzly bear, American badger, and bighorn sheep! Hi, I’m Julia Poetschke and I’m a Land Stewardship Manager with the Nature Conservancy of Canada (or NCC for short!). I’m working with a team of super- smart, super dedicated scientists and conservationists in the Rocky Mountain Trench, in British Columbia. The trench is a wildlife corridor that’s home to all kinds of
animals, including grizzly bears, American badgers, and bighorn sheep! Grizzly bears can be brown to nearly black, with silvery-white longer hairs throughout their fur, giving them a “grizzled” (gray-streaked) look. They live near rivers and streams and make their homes in dens on steep slopes, where they hibernate through the winter. Grizzly bears eat whatever food is available to them, including berries, grasses, and fish.

Before they hibernate, they eat A LOT to build up fat and store up energy. During the months they’re hibernating, grizzly bears don’t even go to the bathroom — now that’s a deep sleep! American badgers live in forests and grasslands, and they’re related to both otters and weasels. But don’t let their cuddly appearance fool you: these ferret- family furballs are feisty foragers! Known as fossorial carnivores, American badgers are built to hunt underground prey. Their long snouts help them sniff out small rodents like voles and ground squirrels. The badgers’ front claws can grow up to 2 inches long! Their claws help them tear through the soil to reach their buried buffet. Bighorn sheep are iconic mountain mammals.

They’re named for the male species’ distinctive spiral horns, which can weigh up to 30 pounds! Did you know that they can balance on cliff sides as narrow as only 2 inches and can jump up to 20 feet between mountain ledges?! Scaling mountains isn’t easy, but bighorn sheep are well adapted for this treacherous task. Their front hooves are bigger than their back hooves, and they have a hard outer rim and soft middle, providing traction that makes mountain climbing a breeze! Can you believe that these three animals, who are so different, all live in the same place? The Rocky Mountain Trench is an amazing geological formation – a long, deep valley that extends from Montana in the U.S. all the way to the top of British Columbia! It has a flat bottom and is surrounded by towering mountain ranges on both sides. The trench itself contains gorgeous forests, grasslands, and even wetlands, and is home to at least 29 endangered species.

It’s truly a sight to behold! Unfortunately, like many of Earth’s beautiful places, human activities and development are putting a strain
on the ecosystem. So, I’m working with a team at NCC to protect and restore it, focused on a treed grassland area by the Kootenay River. And this might sound crazy, but we’re doing it with: fire! Long ago, these treed grasslands regularly had natural, low-intensity wildfires that prevented them from filling in with dense trees. But when people moved into the area, they started to put out the fires as soon as they started. This caused the treed grasslands to transform into dense forest, which wasn’t so great for native species like badgers, elk, deer, and many others who relied on the grasslands for habitat and grazing. So, using safe and controlled fire, the team and I are restoring the treed grasslands to their former glory. But we need help! Check out the Adoptions section in the Earth Rangers App or visit the Earth Rangers Shop to get your Grizzly Bear, American Badger, or Bighorn Sheep Adoption Kits. Make a difference today!