Cat-faced spider helps balance bug populations, especially mosquitoes
Some think the biggest, scariest looking spider in Edmonton is the Jewel or cat-faced spider. These spiders are orb weavers that appear in late summer and spin large, circular webs seemingly overnight. While many people believe most spiders spin webs, the opposite is true. Webs are very visible, so orb weavers get all the press.
You may find them near porch lights and windows on buildings. These higher traffic areas tend to have more flying insects and often have safe places for egg sacs. This spider is harmless to humans, biting only if their life is threatened, but their bite is very mild. They are not passive to mosquitoes however, and on high skeeter years their webs spring up everywhere. Celebrate every web you see, because Jewel spiders can eat their own weight in bloodsuckers every day.
Cat-faced spiders do have many natural predators. The weirdest predator might be the black and yellow mud dauber wasp. These wasps will sting cat-faced spiders and then use them as part of their construction materials while building their mud nests. Learn more at https://salisburygreenhouse.com/cat-faced-spider/
Edmonton ward Sspomitapi honours the Buffalo Old Man meteorite
Sspomitapi means star person in Blackfoot. This ward name is given in honour of the Buffalo Old Man meteorite that was located within Blackfoot territory. They permitted all tribes to share and perform ceremonies before the meteorite was taken away in 1866.
Methodist missionary George McDougall felt the stone hampered his ability to convert Indigenous people to Christianity. So, he stole it and moved it to his churchyard near Smoky Lake. It sat there for nearly 10 years before he donated it to his alma mater Victoria Methodist College. For almost a century, it remained in Victoria College, which became part of the University of Toronto.
Studies determined the 145-kilogram rock was more than four billion years old. It returned to Alberta in 1972 when the UofT loaned it to the Royal Alberta Museum, and it was renamed the Manitou Stone. In 2002, the UofT transferred stewardship of the stone to the museum.
In Blackfoot cosmology, the sun is the father, and the moon is the mother. There are many stories acknowledging the sky beings which include the stars. Sspomitapi was sent to earth by the creator for the Blackfoot and the bison to have a reciprocal relationship. It is also brought sacred teaching which are still used today. Watch video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmUhuqbGIJY
Learn more about YEG wildlife in less than 2 minutes
A coyote eats around 1,800 mice a year. Additionally, they eat various types of different dead animals that they come across. They provide a cleaning service as they remove these dead animals form the city.
Canada geese can nest in all sorts of different areas. Under the Migratory Birds Convention Act these are federally protected birds, and it is illegal to touch a nest or move their eggs. Watch video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dz8QGgKb-TI
Renaming is not a new practice in Edmonton
Renaming in Edmonton is far from new. Instances that may be well known to Edmontonians are Mayfair Park being renamed Hawrelak Park, or city roads being renamed in recognition of Edmonton Oilers hockey players, part of St. Albert Trail is now called Mark Messier Trail and Capilano Road now bears the name Wayne Gretzky Drive.
While Indigenous place names have long been a part of Edmonton history, the word Saskatchewan derives from the Cree word Kisiskatchewanisipi which means swift-flowing river, renaming has occurred in recent decades, such as replacing the city’s numerical ward designations with Indigenous names, to reflect a renewed appreciation and recognition of local Indigenous communities and history.
This part of history was long sidelined by the settler society that held control of naming places at the official level. Much of the place-naming in Edmonton’s early urban history was the product of its British associations, which certainly reflected the sentiments of the city’s political leadership at the time.
Renaming has occurred for a variety of reasons and with differing motivations. People refer to Edmonton as The River City, The Festival City, and in a cheekier spirit, as Deadmonton. The nickname City of Champions still lingers, despite its formal removal in 2015. Read more at
https://citymuseumedmonton.ca/2021/08/24/place-renaming-in-edmonton-a-constant-in-the-citys-history/
Manitoba Maple tolerates both flooding and drought
Patty writes “Though Manitoba maples are wind pollinated, their pollen is still collected by honeybees and possibly other bees, though I haven’t personally observed them, early in the season. It is an important source of nutrition because they bloom earlier than other flowers. They are usually full of bees around Mother’s Day! Here is a video link of a Manitoba Maple buzzing with bees https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=781607836048419&ref=sharing “
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Sincerely yours,
Harvey Voogd
North Saskatchewan River Valley Conservation Society
780.691.1712