Tiger salamanders make mass appearance in Edmonton Area
CTV News Edmonton photo
Salamanders breed in the spring and lay their eggs in local bodies of water. Once hatched, the legless larvae, similar to a tadpole, feed on invertebrates like mosquito and other insect larvae. In August they emerge transformed into four-legged terrestrial replicas of their parents.
Despite tiger salamanders being one of the province's most common amphibians, and one of the largest salamander species in North America, they're rare to see. It was impossible for Chelsea Brown not to notice them after a large number appeared in mid-August.
"In the lawn, in our rock garden, the neighbour's driveway, across the street, crossing the street, hanging out at the corner, all along the sidewalk going down to the lake here behind me. It was absolutely crazy." The invasion lasted around two days in full force, with numbers dwindling to almost nothing by the end of the week.
It's this time of year when salamanders are most likely to become trapped in window wells, sump pumps and buckets, according to the Edmonton and Area Land Trust. Most salamanders will leave on their own. If one does get trapped in your yard, you can gently scoop it into a bucket of water and release it near a lake or pond.
Philadelphia fleabane supposedly can repel fleas.
Erigeron philadelphicus or Philadelphia fleabane is a native, somewhat weedy, perennial herb. Cows graze this plant for forage and deer use this plant for food. Butterflies, bees and moths pollinate the flowers. The plant will grow in a variety of soils; however, it requires soils that are moist and moderately well drained. It grows best in full sun but will tolerate dappled shade.
The genus name, Erigeron stems from the Greek eri, "early" and geron "old man," probably because of the plant’s hairy appearance. The common name fleabane is from Old English and it refers to the plant’s odor, which supposedly can repel fleas.
Indigenous people used Philadelphia fleabane for a variety of medicinal purposes including epilepsy. A poultice was made from the plant to treat headaches. The roots were either made into tea or chewed to treat colds and coughs. The smoke from incense made from the plant was inhaled to treat head colds. It was mixed with other herbs to also treat headaches and inflammation of the nose and throat.
The tea was used to break fevers. The plant was boiled and mixed with tallow to make a balm that could be spread upon sores on the skin. It was used as an eye medicine to treat dimness of sight, as an astringent, a diuretic, and as an aid for kidneys or the gout. https://plants.usda.gov/DocumentLibrary/plantguide/pdf/cs_erph.pdf
Motorists east of Edmonton told to look out for snakes
Hil Reine photo
Alberta Parks has issued an advisory for Cooking Lake-Blackfoot Provincial Recreation Area and Miquelon Lake Provincial Park, east and southeast of Edmonton, respectively, due to garter snakes on the roadways.
“Please watch for and avoid the garter snakes on our roadways. Due to migrating back to their local hibernacula, snakes will be crossing and stopping on roads more often during the fall season,” the advisory stated.
If you spot one or more slithering around in those areas, there’s no reason to fear them. While they may try and bite you if you pick them up, they are not poisonous and have tiny teeth that probably won’t break your skin.
https://dailyhive.com/edmonton/garter-snakes-edmonton-alberta
Betty Stanhope-Cole park honours outstanding amateur golfer
Ted Harrison photo
Just east of the bridge adjacent to Concordia University of Edmonton, there is a small park overlooking the Highlands Golf Club. It has a view of the river valley and southeast Edmonton. It is named for Betty Stanhope-Cole, a long-time, highly accomplished, former member of Highlands Golf Club. Throughout the fifties, sixties and seventies Betty dominated Alberta’s golf scene and made her mark both nationally and internationally.
Bob Stanhope was supposed to have a golf lesson at the Grierson Hill. He was unable to make the lesson and Betty’s mother suggested that she go in her father’s place. “I got hooked,” Stanhope-Cole said. She ended up working at the driving range for the summer, which gave her the opportunity to hit golf ball after golf ball, the basics for the rest of her career.
Betty was named Edmonton’s Outstanding Athlete in 1957, but her competition for the award that year proves just how impressive Stanhope-Cole was. “I could not believe that I won,” Stanhope-Cole, still with disbelief in her voice years later. “There was Jackie Parker (star Edmonton Eskimo) and there was Matt Baldwin, who had won the Brier.”
Stanhope-Cole had become the first woman from Western Canada to win the Canadian Ladies Amateur Championship earlier that year, which was clearly a significant factor in deciding on the winner. In 1991, Betty was made a member of the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame. Betty Stanhope-Cole died January died January 27, 2017. https://citymuseumedmonton.ca/2015/12/08/betty-stanhope-cole/
Travail in Tandem by Father Douglas, Belvedere LRT Station
https://www.edmontonarts.ca/public-art/travail-in-tandem
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