Hornby Island Natural History Centre
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Nature Activities for Kids
A young naturalist is someone who loves exploring and learning about nature. Sound like you? Then read on!
Read MoreThe Steward’s Winter 2022 Update
This past year has been filled with a flurry of activity beginning with reimagining our space as a place where visitors can learn about the complexity of relationships in the natural world through an exploration of exhibits filled with objects and information loosely organized around rocks and fossils, the sea, the air, and the land.
Read MoreReleasing Caterpillars of Taylor’s Checkerspot Butterflies
On March 9, members of the Hornby Island Natural History Centre, Conservancy Hornby Island, Hornby Island Provincial Parks Committee, Comox First Nation and local volunteers joined personnel from BC Parks, BC Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change Science Section, BC Conservation Foundation, Garry Oak Ecosystem Recovery Team and several biologists to release caterpillars of Taylor’s Checkerspot butterflies. This is part of a multi-year project to restore habitat including providing essential host and nectar plants through propagation and planting out twice per year.
Read MoreStudents Aid in Taylor’s Checkerspot Butterfly Recovery Project
On October 27, Hornby Island students planted native plants along Helliwell Provincial Park’s bluffs to support the island’s rare Garry Oak ecosystem.
Read MoreTaylor’s Checkerspot Butterfly Reintroduction at Helliwell Park
This March, Hornby Island Natural History Centre volunteers assisted wildlife recovery specialists with the release of 400 Taylor’s checkerspot butterfly caterpillars into Helliwell Park.
Read MoreStudents and adults work together to help Helliwell
In late October, Hornby Island students removed nearly 500 Hairy Cat’s Ear weeds from three sites at Helliwell Park. They also planted 518 seedlings of three types of native grass, Woolly Sunflower and Yarrow that were grown by members of the Natural History Centre.
Read MoreBIOCRACY: Hornby Island and Climate Change
By Anthony Gregson The Islands Grapevine, June 7, 2018 Where climate change is concerned, it’s not news that we’re all in for it. Yet, somewhat shamefacedly, I came away from Dr. Richard Hebda’s lecture on Hornby Island and climate change,…
Read MorePlant Propagation Work Party
The Natural History Centre volunteers have been assisting with a native plant plant propagation project at Helliwell Park. In spring 2017, several volunteers each grew a variety of native plant species at their homes for the project. In the fall,…
Read MorePlant Propagation at Helliwell
The Natural History Centre has been assisting with a plant propagation project at Helliwell Park. Last spring, the stewards each grew a variety of native plant species at their homes for the project. Finally, the time came to plant them…
Read MoreSpeaker Series – “Indigenous Food Systems”
August 11th: “Indigenous Food Systems” Sharon Niscak will share traditional ecological wisdom with a focus on the traditional plants and foods that are part of our regional environment. Indigenous food systems provided a variety by understanding the seasonal cycles and by utilizing…
Read MoreEthnobotanical Garden in Bloom
Our Ethnobotanical Native Plant Demonstration Garden is in bloom! The garden is located just outside our entrance at the Community School. Photos by Barb Biagi.
Read MoreUpcoming Events
Natural History’s Summer 2016 Events Calendar is now available! Join us for nature walks that explore Hornby’s diverse ecology ~ and illuminating talks on bats, whales, raptors, and native plants that inhabit our island and region! Our Thursday Expert Speakers Series is held in the Community School…
Read MoreHornby Pollinators Workshop
On March 5th the HINHC hosted a Pollination Workshop for the public with forty people in attendance at the New Horizons facility. We were fortunate enough to have six biologists who shared their knowledge of Hornby pollinators, and their ever…
Read MoreNodding Onion in Bloom
The natural history treasure of the month is the nodding onion (allium cernuum). You can see its long grass-like leaves topped by nodding umbels of pink flowers currently in bloom in our ethnobotanical garden. The herb is used for both medicinal and culinary purposes. When cooking, the…
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