Happy Canada Day!
Readers in Canada, Detroit and Buffalo know all about it but most Americans forget that Canada’s national holiday is July 1.
Today Canada commemorates the anniversary of the British North American Act of 1867 that merged three colonies into a single country named Canada. Like a wedding reception that celebrates a married couple’s new status, Canada celebrates the British Parliament’s declaration of their new status as a dominion. To carry the analogy further… in the U.S. we celebrate our elopement on July 4, the day we publicly broke with Britain and signed the Declaration of Independence.
Beyond this difference in national origin, Canada and the U.S. share a continent and a lot of plants and animals.
Here are four things found outdoors this month in Pennsylvania that have “Canada” as their first name.
Canada lilies bloom in Pennsylvania’s woods. They’re hard to find because deer eat the blooms so I felt lucky to see one last weekend near Seven Springs, PA.
Canada warblers breed in the Laurel Highlands. Try the Quebec Run Wild Area if you want to see one.
Canada geese are everywhere now. Look for them on our rivers and lakes or at your favorite golf course.
Canada thistle is everywhere, too, but it was misnamed. It’s from Europe, not Canada. Wonder how that happened.
Can you think of other “Canada” plants and animals?
(photo credits: Canada lily by Dianne Machesney, Canada warbler by Cris Hamilton, Canada goose by Chuck Tague, Canada thistle from Wikimedia Commons)
A Canada warbler got into our building in Lawrenceville through a loading dock. Luckily, I had my binoculars at work and was able to identify it. I was worried about him up in the rafters flying back and forth. But he found his way out. We were one block from the river on 26th street. We also had a redtail hawk that kept the rat population down. One day he was sitting on a telephone pole with a rat and was being harassed by a kestrel! Who knew Lawrenecville was a hotbed for birders?
Love that Canada Lily. I took a few photos of them few years ago up at Pennsy Swamp. That was a good day as we had a Virginia Rail and Common Moorhen in the marsh/water nice and visible plus a few Marsh wrens calling and one “sort of” popped up on the left.”
Jill and Kate, do you remember (or did you know, Jill) there were White-winged Crossbills a few winters ago in that great cemetery in Lawrenceville few years ago (plus few very nice hawks–I seem to recall either Broadwinged or the light Rough-legged. That was a good winter : )
That was an excellent winter. We could do with some cool (winter) air right now.