FEATURES ⊕ Embracing diversity ⊕ Working with the living ⊕ Insects in the limelight
DON’T MISS ⊕ Native pollinators of Québec ⊕ The different forms of ice in the solar system ⊕ Weather as a marker of identity in Québec ⊕ Indigenous gastronomy ⊕ Architecture inspired by nature ⊕ Learning to appreciate insects
WRITERS
GRAPHIC DESIGN
Gabrielle Anctil André-Philippe Drapeau Picard Marjolaine Giroux André Grandchamps Marc Jobin Bianca Joubert Annie Labrecque Sophie Lachance Valérie Levée Marion Spée
orangetango PROOFREADING
Séverine Defouni TRANSLATION
Ronald Clément GRAPHIC ARTIST
Stéphanie Rivet (Pulsation graphique)
RESEARCH AND VALIDATION
Espace pour la vie BY JULIE JODOIN
© ESPACE POUR LA VIE 2022
IN THIS EDITION LEAFY CULTURE → 4 REVERSING THE BIODIVERSITY CRISIS THROUGH CONSERVATION → 6 BROADENING SCIENTIFIC THINKING THROUGH DIVERSITY → 8 THE BIODÔME, A STIMULATING ENVIRONMENT FOR ITS RESIDENTS! → 9 BEHIND THE SCENES OF THE MAIN GREENHOUSE → 10 MANAGING COLLECTIONS AND LIVING ECOSYSTEMS: SOPHISTICATED TACTICS BEHIND THE SCENES → 12 TAKE MACRO PHOTOS LIKE A PRO! → 15 NATIVE POLLINATORS OF QUEBEC → 16 CURIOSITY – DIVING INTO THE UNKNOWN → 18 A THOUSAND AND ONE ICE WONDERS → 20 A LEGACY OF COLD → 22 DECOLONIZING OUR TASTE BUDS → 24 CHASING METEORITES WITH THE DOMe PROJECT → 25 WHEN ARCHITECTURE IS INSPIRED BY NATURE → 26 FROM AVERSION TO ADMIRATION → 28 ESPACE POUR LA VIE DAY CAMPS: A SPRINGBOARD FOR YOUTH → 30
ACTING DIRECTOR, ESPACE POUR LA VIE
Consider for a moment, openly, with humility and benevolence, the sheer vastness of the nature that surrounds us. Realize how precious our connection is to our environment and to each other. After two years of pandemic and confinement, of physical distancing and covered smiles, how can we not elect to take care of ourselves, of others and of what keeps us alive—of our planet in all its beauty and diversity? Espace pour la vie's programming is driven more than ever by sincere and inclusive discussions, generous collaborations, mutual learning and enhanced accessibility. By truly listening and by encouraging the sharing of viewpoints, we aim to amplify our collective impact. We want to help accelerate the necessary socio-ecological transition and make the Earth a better place to live and grow—together, globally, and individually. We are working especially hard to strengthen our cooperation with indigenous communities, whose traditional knowledge, which they are willing to share wholeheartedly, allows us to acquire new perspectives to better understand our world. This is evidenced, in particular, by the rich programming of the First Nations Garden in the Jardin botanique, which is the most visible manifestation of our complicity with First Peoples, and which is supported, like so many of our other programs, by the Montréal Space for Life Foundation and its donors. Our citizen engagement and participatory science programs such as Mission Monarch, DOMe, My Garden, Youth Gardens and the Biodiversity Challenge, as well as everything we do with our strategic partners, such as Quebec’s Western Chorus Frog Restoration Team, are also nurtured by this conviction: it is by uniting our forces that things will change. In closing, I strongly invite you to discover the Metamorphosis of the Insectarium. This intimate experience of the world of insects symbolizes the role that each component of life plays in the balance of our ecosystems, however small it may be or however frightening it may seem should we not try to understand it better. We will have many opportunities to meet this year, in our five museums, but also in public spaces in Montreal and across the province. Welcome to Espace pour la vie!
Legal Deposit - Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec, 2022 ISBN 978-2-924977-06-4
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FEATURE - EMBRACING DIVERSITY
LEAFY CULTURE • BY GABRIELLE ANCTIL
What does the forest look like in the mind of Quebecers? Just close your eyes and imagine the boreal expanse where a few iconic species stand out: a pine over here, some cedars over there. These softwoods mix in with white-trunked birches to add a touch of yellow in the fall. These images are part of the identity of many Quebecers. What about other cultures? How do they imagine the forest?
IN THE LAND OF THE RISING SUN The Japanese are fond of taking hikes in the forest, to which some add hobbies such as mushroom and wild plant picking. "Going to the forest is almost synonymous with going to the mountains," explains Sonia Dandaneau, cultural officer at the Japanese Garden and Pavilion. It's no wonder: mountains occupy nearly three quarters of the Japanese territory! "In the Shinto religion, the gods can be found in remarkable natural environments, such as a particularly dense forest," adds the cultural officer. This place will be referred to with the term 森 mori, which evokes a dense, lush, almost inaccessible forest, as distinguished from the ordinary forest, referred to as 林hayashi. Even today, certain trees and plant motifs have a particular symbolic meaning. A pine tree, an emblem of longevity, is sometimes seen on a tray used to bestow a monetary gift at a wedding.
More than 60% of the Chinese population lives in the city. As a result, "people experience the forest less," says Fei Gao, cultural officer at the Chinese Garden. The relationship with nature has become more a matter of imagination—or vacation. "The cities are surrounded by mountains, and people go hiking there. It's a very popular pastime for young people." Just as in Japan, forests figure prominently in Chinese religion. Tao Yuan-Ming, one of the greatest poets inspired by Taoism, is known for his famous work "Account of the Peach Blossom Spring", in which a fisherman accidentally discovers a village surrounded by trees with fragrant flowers, delicate and lovely to the eye, where people take refuge from the political life of the time.
PHOTO Shutterstock/Efired
THE MIDDLE KINGDOM
The work started a trend among intellectuals to move to the countryside to seek inspiration and get away from the political constraints of the city, a choice admired by their peers.
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FEATURE - EMBRACING DIVERSITY
FIRST PEOPLES GARDENS OF LIGHT
Even in Quebec, different people have different views of the forest. "Quebecers say they go to the woods, as if it were a place outside of them. Several indigenous peoples consider instead that they are part of the forest," explains Myriam Landry, cultural agent at the First Nations Garden. She cites the Atikamekw language where the word notcimik means "in the woods" but also "where I come from".
JARDIN BOTANIQUE SEPTEMBER 2 TO OCTOBER 31
In her work, Innu poet Joséphine Bacon notes that certain terms are being lost today, as her people visit the interior of the territory much less—the nutshimit, a term for "in the woods". She describes this place eloquently in her collection Message Sticks:
PHOTO Espace pour la vie/Claude Lafond
My sisters the four winds caress an earth of lichen and moss of rivers and lakes, where the white spruce spoke to my father.* The forest is not a separate place," explains Myriam Landry. It represents everything we need in order to live. It is the supermarket, the pharmacy. In fact, the health of this ecosystem is closely linked to the health of the people who live in it. "If the forest is sick, we too are sick.” Conversely, nature is also a place of healing. For these and many other cultures, the presence of the forest, even if remote, is an important marker of identity. Whether it is sacred or dedicated to leisure, the forest is a place we wish to preserve and enhance. You will hear the words of Joséphine Bacon when you visit the First Nations Garden during the Gardens of Light event in the fall of 2022. An immersive journey will take you to the heart of the
spiritual principles shared by most First Peoples. With Gardens of Light, you will also get to admire the illuminated lanterns of the Chinese Garden and to cross the Japanese Garden under night lighting. ⊗ *This is a free translation
THE FOREST LOVER "The sea and forest are lovers," wrote Japanese oyster farmer Shigeatsu Hatakeyama in his 1990 book. He started a movement to preserve Kesennuma Bay in the north of his country. After studying the local environment, he understood that the presence of trees
along the water's edge favored the supply of iron to the marine inhabitants, including oysters. His work inspired an environmental movement throughout the country, even earning him a number of international awards, including the UN Forest Hero Award.
FEATURE - EMBRACING DIVERSITY
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REVERSING THE BIODIVERSITY CRISIS THROUGH CONSERVATION • BY MARION SPÉE
PHOTO Shutterstock/K Hanley CHDPhoto
Living beings are being threatened like never before. Of the 1.2 million known plant and animal species that inhabit the planet, one in eight faces extinction and several are dying every day.If the climate crisis, which is attracting more media coverage, is frightening and is leaving its mark (floods, heat waves, etc.), the loss of biodiversity is just as alarming. Moreover, the two issues are linked and have one thing in common: human activity.
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FEATURE - EMBRACING DIVERSITY
"Alerting an increasingly urbanized world population to this issue is not simple," says Evelyne Daigle, educator and scientific designer at the Biosphère. When we are no longer in contact with nature, we sometimes forget all the services it provides us, starting with what we eat, what we drink and the air we breathe! The "One Health" approach strives to recognize the interconnection between the health of people, animals, plants and the environment we share. Some people may wonder what difference it makes if a species of frog or bat goes extinct. It may be very abstract, but the maintenance of biodiversity is absolutely crucial. When one link in the chain is broken, the entire balance is jeopardized. This has effects on the environment, but also sometimes on the economy of a region.
A FINE BALANCE For example, on the Pacific coast of North America, sea otters have long been hunted for their fur, to the point of extinction in some areas. The result? Sea urchins, their prey, have proliferated. They have largely reduced the forests of seaweed that serve as shelter for the larvae of fish or crabs. The latter could not reach their adult size, and fishermen could no longer catch them. This domino effect shows that by attacking one element, the cascade of events that follows is such that the entire chain is affected," says Évelyne Daigle. All living species play an important role; they are connected in unsuspected ways.
PHOTO Shutterstock/Awana JF
Another example? You might think that if a species of bat disappeared, it wouldn't keep you up at night. And yet… Some bats are insectivores: a colony of 300 bats can eat up to 20 million insects in a single summer. Some of these insects areharmful to corn crops. In other words, preserving bats could help reduce the use of pesticides in corn fields.
THE CAUSES OF A WEAKENED BIODIVERSITY But what is causing the loss of biodiversity? According to scientists there are five culprits, with the common denominator being human activity: habitat modification (fragmentation, destruction), pollution, overexploitation of biological resources (such as overfishing), invasive alien species, and of course climate change. In Panama, for example, golden frogs are decimated by a fungus called chytrid," says Évelyne Daigle. So much so that the last time an individual was spotted in the wild was in 2007. According to scientists, this pathogen of European origin, introduced to America by humans, has seen its effects rise drastically due to the degradation of the golden frogs' natural habitat, pollution of waterways and droughts.
CONSERVATION AS A SAFEGUARD Fortunately, the species has not disappeared from the face of the earth thanks to specific conservation programs. Along with about fifty other zoological institutions, the Biodôme helps to maintain a healthy population of golden frogs in captivity. It’s a kind of reserve. The goal? To reintroduce these creatures in their natural environment. More locally, the wood turtle has been identified as vulnerable. Since 2014, the species has been part of a recovery plan overseen by Espace pour la vie and the Ministère des Forêts, de la Faune et des Parcs (MFFP). The goal is to increase its low survival rate during its first year. The principle is simple: the MFFP teams collect and hatch the eggs. The babies are then transferred to the Biodôme for one or two years, where they are fed and monitored by an animal care team and reach a weight deemed sufficient. The turtles are then released back into the wild, near their nesting site. The time has come to question our choices and to change those that are within our reach to help preserve biodiversity. For example, we can opt for bulk products or avoid single-use plastic to limit pollution in the oceans that injure or suffocate many marine animals. We can also choose spreads without palm oil, and thus make life easier for orangutans who see their forests in Indonesia go up in smoke because of palm oil plantations. "We all have a role to play in protecting biodiversity," says Évelyne Daigle. ⊗
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FEATURE - EMBRACING DIVERSITY
BROADENING SCIENTIFIC THINKING THROUGH DIVERSITY •B Y VALÉRIE LEVÉE
Today, science is becoming more egalitarian, opening doors for more women, and more generally for people from diverse backgrounds. But the biases of white male dominance persist, says astrophysicist Chanda Prescod-Weinstein, who was born to a black mother and a Jewish father and who describes herself as gender neutral. An assistant professor of physics and astronomy at the University of New Hampshire, she is also a senior faculty member in women's and gender studies there. With this dual role, she observes the place of women and minorities in science and advocates for more inclusion, as she wrote in her book The Disordered Cosmos. She notes that even today, discriminatory behaviors are rampant in all scientific disciplines, and that the dominant presence of white men continues to guide scientific thinking and knowledge development. Physics is no exception. Taking the example of the concept of dark matter, Chanda Prescod-Weinstein wonders if a scientist of colour would have qualified this matter as "black", which is neither strictly speaking black nor dark, but rather non-luminous since it does not emit light. In the same way, the binary gender of physicists could prevent us from seeing nuances in the wave-corpuscle duality or misinterpret the changing identities of neutrinos. Thus, it is not only for the sake of equality that science must be more inclusive, but also to broaden thinking. More generally, Prescod-Weinstein argues that the social, historical and political context influences the development of knowledge. Consequently, to deny cultural diversity is to deny a diversity of perspectives and ideas to advance knowledge.
The scientific research community must therefore be inclusive and embrace plurality. This means democratizing access to science. The Planétarium Rio Tinto Alcan is committed to this goal through activities aimed at young girls. Through the Aldebaran project, the Cod'Elles program, and its involvement with the Montreal movement Les filles et le code, girls can discover programming without feeling intimidated by the presence of boys. Other activities feature women in science who become inspiring role models for girls by giving them the desire to pursue scientific studies and enrich science with their thoughts. In a spirit of full inclusion, the Planétarium Rio Tinto Alcan wants to open the sky to the population in all its diversity with free activities, on site and online, and invite citizens to get involved in a participatory science program. After all, science is for everyone. ⊗
PHOTO Shutterstock/Monkey Business Images
The history of physics and astronomy remembers the names of Newton, Einstein, Hubble, Hawkins and many others, but they overlook the contribution of women. In the shadows of men, women astrophysicists, physicists and mathematicians have nevertheless advanced knowledge in their disciplines.
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FEATURE - WORKING WITH THE LIVING
THE BIODÔME, A STIMULATING ENVIRONMENT FOR ITS RESIDENTS! • BY ANNIE LABRECQUE
Visitors wandering through the Biodôme's ecosystems may not notice it at first glance, but various enrichment activities for the animals are unfolding throughout the facility. "We offer these activities to improve the animal's quality of life based on the natural history of the species," explains Sabrina Ridel, animal welfare coordinator.
An enrichment activity doesn't have to be complex. For example, to stimulate reptiles, you can move the heat lamp from one place to the other during the day to mimic the sun’s movement. "The snake, which likes to keep warm, has to make it a point to move around in its habitat in order to reap the benefits of the heat lamp," says Sabrina Ridel.
These different forms of enrichment (sensory, food, cognitive, physical, social) encourage the animals to make choices and reproduce behaviors that they would normally exhibit in their natural environment, thus ensuring their well-being. In short, enrichment is all about creating opportunities for the animal to thrive.
The enrichment of the Biodôme's living spaces is a winning strategy when it comes to the animals' well-being. The Biodôme's animal care teams use a great deal of creativity to improve the living environment of small and large animals alike! ⊗
Most of the objects used for enrichment are made from recycled materials. For example, pieces of PVC pipe turn into the pieces of a puzzle with food inside, while fabric salvaged from old safety harnesses can be transformed into hammocks for the Biodôme’s residents. All animals are entitled to enrichment activities—tailored to the species by the animal care technicians. Lassine Traore says the key is to understand the biology of the animal.
PHOTO Espace pour la vie/Claude Lafond
The wide range of activities proposed are essential for the physical and cognitive health of the animals. For example, we will trigger the hunting instinct of the lynx by placing a box on top of a tree. This activity will stimulate the animals’ physical, olfactory and manipulative capabilities. This new object, which gives off the scent of their small prey, attracts their attention. "The lynxes see the box right away. They jump on and climb up the tree to get to the box, open it with their claws and collect the mouse inside," says Lassine Traore, animal care technician at the Biodôme. In the case of beavers, they "have to chew through the trunk of the tree before reaching and eating the vegetables that we pinned to the branches," says Sabrina Ridel.
FEATURE - WORKING WITH THE LIVING
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BEHIND THE SCENES OF THE MAIN GREENHOUSE • BY VALÉRIE LEVÉE
PHOTO Shutterstock/Marcel Derweduwen
At the end of February, the Jardin botanique's Main Greenhouse opened its doors for the spring event Garden of Oddness. In a true plant symphony where flamboyant, enigmatic, succulent, giant and other extravagant plants coexist, the public can admire the beautiful orange puffy flowers of Stifftia chrysantha, the strange flowers of Dorstenia bahiensis, the phylloclades of Muehlenbeckia platyclada and many other botanical curiosities. To put on this show, the Jardin botanique's horticultural team worked for many weeks, even months, running into a series of hurdles along the way.
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FEATURE - WORKING WITH THE LIVING
"There are as many challenges as there are plants to grow," says horticultural specialist Josée Massé. Each plant has its own rhythm of growth. A first challenge is to get them to bloom at the right time for the opening of the exhibition. For commercial plants, production times are known and the team can set a schedule with the sowing, dividing, cutting and repotting dates for each plant. Nevertheless, all these plants grow in different climates: they have specific requirements in terms of temperature, humidity and light for their growth as well as for their flowering. In the greenhouses, the team reproduces a variety of environ mental conditions by playing with temperature, humidity and watering. Plants that require a dormant period are kept in the cellar; bulbs are even kept in the refrigerator. Growing conditions get even more complicated at flowering time, which for some plants depends on the length of daylight. We can add artificial lighting to one or, on the contrary, we can put up opaque cloths to mimic longer nights. That's when the conditions for growing the plants are clearly known! “Things get more challenging when you start experimenting with rarer plants," says Josée Massé. You have to test different types of lighting, temperature and watering conditions, as well as monitor the reaction of the plants in the hope of creating the ideal conditions.
D-day is finally approaching and all the plants are ready for the exhibition. But now another challenge arises: how to move the plants to the exhibition greenhouse. While most of the plants are not stressed, "a few sometimes get motion sickness and look downright gloomy by the time they reach the greenhouse," says Josée Massé. Others don’t respond well to the change in environmental conditions between the preparation greenhouse and the exhibition greenhouse. "The difficulty lies in bringing together all these plants with different cultural requirements in one place," explains Viviane Fortier, specialized horticulturist for the thematic greenhouse. In their new home, the conditions are not strictly homogeneous, which means the experienced team can install the plants in the places that suit them best. This way, most of the plants will overcome the stress of transportation and adapt to their new conditions before opening day. It's D-day. Everything is ready, the plants are at their best, and the exhibition can finally greet the public. However, the horticulture team must continue to take care of each plant on a daily basis to keep them healthy until the end of the exhibition. Dried leaves and withered flowers are cut to trigger a second bloom as spare plants replace those that have shed their flowers. Maintaining the bloom and foliage colour of all these plants with varying requirements throughout the show is the final challenge. "This is why the event only lasts a few weeks and why you should seize the opportunity and come to see it," says Viviane Fortier. ⊗
UNEXPECTED FLOWER FRAGRANCES • BY VALÉRIE LEVÉE
Mmm... smell the sweet scent of lilac or lavender! Flowers are often synonymous with sweet fragrances, but a visit to the Jardin botanique's orchid greenhouse holds many surprises. Bring your nose close to the flowers of Meiracyllium trigem and waves of cinnamon will titillate your nostrils, while the Gongora unicolor 'JBM' will remind you of chocolate! Many other flowers offer you equally unusual but much more unpleasant scents. The delicate, tiny pink flowers of Ancistrochilus rothschildianus, which smell of fish, may make your nose wrinkle. The strange Bulbophyllum
arfakianum flower might be alluring, but beware of the cheesy smell that will make you recoil. And what about Bulbophyllum echinolabium, which smells like feces, or the Bulbophyllum hamelinii 'JBM', which smells like a cadaver! These strange scents are the result of co-evolution between the plants and the insects that pollinate them. It may come as no surprise to learn that orchids of the Bulbophyllum genus, with their foul smell, are generally pollinated by flies!
FEATURE - WORKING WITH THE LIVING
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MANAGING COLLECTIONS AND LIVING ECOSYSTEMS: SOPHISTICATED TACTICS BEHIND THE SCENES • BY MARION SPÉE
PHOTO Espace pour la vie/Claude Lafond
Presenting animal, insect and arthropod populations to the public means managing countless details behind the scenes. It means juggling a variety of elements: laws, import and export permits, affinities between species or individuals, births, exchanges, donations and renewals. It's a lot more complicated than transferring a hockey player from one team to another, even if though it doesn't get as much press.
FEATURE - WORKING WITH THE LIVING
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AT THE BIODÔME: THE CHALLENGE OF COHABITATION AND GENETICS Most of the habitats in the facility are ecosystems that contain a host of different species. Cohabitation is absolutely essential and the choice of species is no mean feat! While it is relatively easy to avoid putting prey and predators together, avoiding other combinations is not so plainly obvious. "For example, some parasites in birds require the presence of mollusks to complete their life cycle. We must therefore avoid putting them in the presence of each other," explains Gheylen Daghfous, curator of the Living Collections at the Biodôme.
Managing living collections means maintaining genetically healthy populations. Why? Mostly to prevent hereditary diseases, to guarantee a genetic diversity that encourages individuals to adapt to their environment, and to ensure a reserve population for the conservation of the species. This is another advantage of being a member of the AZA. "It allows for management at the population level," says Daghfous. The choice of partners is not limited to the Biodôme's residents, but to all those of the AZA's many member institutions. And here’s the icing on the cake: for certain species, such as the golden lion tamarin or the king penguin, the Biodôme participates in specific sustainability programs supervised by the accreditation body. Biologists specializing in this field specifically look for the best possible matches for these species to preserve genetic diversity. It's a tailor-made approach!
AT THE INSECTARIUM: THE CHALLENGE OF RENEWAL "For the reopening, I was asked to renew the living collection as much as possible," says Stéphane Le Tirant, curator of the scientific collection of the Insectarium. Quite a challenge! For exclusivities, you need to find insects that have never been bred in Montreal, and to contact suppliers who can think outside the box. Fortunately, the team can count on the international network of contacts the entomologist has developed during his 30-year career. To find rare gems, the team established a series of selection criteria: the little creatures must be able to be imported into the country and exported elsewhere, have a long lifespan, interesting educational potential and, above all, be spectacular! The goal is to amaze visitors.
PHOTO Espace pour la vie/Claude Lafond
The Biodôme can count on the experience of partners who are also members of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). The AZA is an accreditation organization that guarantees standards of integrity, health and well-being for captive wildlife species; it is also a valuable network.
The Great Vivarium will be open all year round and will be able to accommodate specimens from all over the world. And that's not all! In addition to butterflies, the space will host ants, beetles and many other specimens. "We are the first institution in Canada to have the right to display several types of insects in such a greenhouse," says the entomologist. A team of pioneers. The team has been preparing to greet new species for years now. But six months before the global COVID-19 pandemic hit, things were already starting to get complicated. Some of the usual transporters announced that they would stop transporting arthropods. Scorpions had escaped during a flight, putting the pilots in a quite understandable state of stress. Then, the pandemic brought the level of complexity up a notch by shutting down many flights. So a plan B had to be set in motion, relying on the entomologist's high-level contacts and on the expertise of the whole team. “For example, I brought insects from Indonesia,
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FEATURE - WORKING WITH THE LIVING
transiting them through Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore," explains Stéphane Le Tirant. “An entomologist friend of mine collected them in Berlin, kept them in captivity, and had them lay eggs until we could finally bring them here.” Quite a large detour!
PHOTO Espace pour la vie/Thierry Boislard
Given the efforts made to find rare gems from all over the world, the team is more than proud to finally present them to the public! ⊗
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A MEETING OF TWO OTTERS • BY MARION SPÉE
How do you get two otters from different environments to get acquainted and live together? "It takes a gentle introduction, careful observation, and all the time they need," says Cylia Civelek, an animal care technician and diver at the Biodôme. The female had already been here for several months when its young roommate arrived from the Calgary Zoo. Introductions began with olfactory exchanges. "Each individual received feces and straw impregnated with the scent and pheromones of the other," says the specialist. This established a communication by smell, which is crucial for otters. Then they were occasionally put in adjacent cages with opaque walls, so they could continue to hear and smell each other while keeping out of sight. The next step? Feeding side by side, separated only by a wire mesh. Finally, the two mammals shared their living quarters in the Laurentian Maple Forest ecosystem. Since then, they have been socializing, sleeping and swimming together.
Stilpnochlora couloniana, a species of grasshopper that will be presented in the new Insectarium
LOVERS REUNITED AMONG THE PHYLLIIDAE • BY MARION SPÉE
A century-old mystery persisted in a rare species of leaf insects from Papua New Guinea, the Phyllium asekiense: only female specimens were known. It must be noted that in the Phylliidae, sexual dimorphism is marked: males and females don’t look alike at all. Also, their sophisticated camouflage makes them difficult to observe and even more to capture—a headache for entomologists. Stroke of luck! One of the many Facebook contacts of Stéphane Le Tirant, curator of the scientific collection at the Insectarium, sent him some Phyllium asekiense eggs. After several months of meticulous care, the Insectarium's team of entomology technicians saw the larvae grow into adults. And then, surprise! The male that was previously associated with a species of Nanophyllium was actually the female of the species they were working with! This find was confirmed through DNA testing. The long lost lovers were finally brought together again... under the same name Nanophyllium asekiense
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FEATURE - INSECTS IN THE LIMELIGHT
TAKE MACRO PHOTOS LIKE A PRO! PHOTO Shutterstock/Icemanphotos
• BY ANNIE LABRECQUE
You’d like to take great photos of insects with your cell phone? Here are four useful tips from photographer André Sarrazin, who has worked with the Espace pour la vie team for more than ten years.
#1 – KNOW YOUR CELL PHONE’S FEATURES IN AND OUT Know the limitations of your cell phone's camera because the features and performance vary greatly from one phone to the next. Since the zoom-in feature rarely does the job, get as close to your subject as possible. Try to focus on the insect's eyes to get a better picture. Bug won’t stay still? Maximize your chances of catching it in flight with the burst mode.
#2 – PICK THE RIGHT MOMENT According to André Sarrazin, you’ll get the best images early in the morning or late in the day. It may be a good idea to photograph dragonflies and butterflies before 9 am, when they first take flight.
Avoid taking photos between noon and 2 pm, when the sun is at its peak, so as not to overexpose your photos. Remember to use a hat for shade.
#3 – BE PATIENT Insects may fly away or hide when you get close. Be patient and stay put! Dragonflies, for example, return to their original location after a while. Want to capture butterflies on the fly? Pay special attention to their wings. In the field, you don't always notice that they can be damaged. The solution: take several pictures of different specimens.
#4 – AN INSECT SEEN FROM MULTIPLE ANGLES Avoid shooting the insect at a 45° angle. Whenever possible, stand at the same level as your subject and take a picture from at least three different angles: left, right and top. Don't hesitate to share your photos on our social networks, and don’t forget to tag us! @espacepourlavie ⊗
NATIVE POLLINATORS OF QUEBEC • BY SOPHIE LACHANCE
An event of vital importance is unfolding in your neighborhood park or on the few flowers that dot your balcony: pollination. Bees, butterflies, hoverflies and certain beetles fly from one flower to another, carrying the pollen necessary for the reproduction of thousands of plant species.
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Dunning's miner bee Andrena dunningi
This is how they ensure plant diversity... and the diversity of our food resources! One out of every three bites of food on our plate is due to the tremendous work of these tireless little creatures, which are particularly vulnerable to the loss of their habitats. Without them, we wouldn't be able to enjoy strawberry spreads or eat apples picked in the orchard in the fall. The next time you notice the bright yellow and black stripes of a bee or hoverfly, think of the flavours pollinators bring!
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American Copper Lycaena phlaeas
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You can check out some of our local pollinators here.
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Rose chafer Macrodactylus subspinosus
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Maculated scarab beetle Gnorimella maculosa
Virescent green metallic bee Agapostemon virescens
MAKE SPACE FOR POLLINATING INSECTS With the collaboration of André-Philippe Drapeau Picard and Marjolaine Giroux, entomological information officers of the Insectarium Would you like to invite pollinating insects into your garden? All it takes is a few simple adjustments! To ensure their survival, offer them nectar and pollen as well as favorable living conditions. Here are some key principles: • Plant a variety of nectar-producing plants that bloom between spring and fall. You will get to watch pollinators at work throughout the seasons. • Make room for native plants. They generally meet the seasonal food needs of pollinators much better and are well adapted to them.
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European wool carder bee Anthidium sp.
• Attract solitary bees. These harmless insects build their nests in sandy soil, hollow stems, dead wood, crevices and gaps of all kinds. Dedicate a small corner of your garden to them, or learn to live with the layouts they create on their own. • Avoid pesticides. By making your garden pollinator friendly, the entire entomological fauna will be better off. With a bit of creativity, the low stone walls, ground cover plants and small flowering corner at the back of your garden will quickly become a safe haven for insects, birds and a host of other living creatures.
PHOTO Espace pour la vie/André Sarrazin
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• Create microclimates. Hedges and flowering walls provide protection from the wind while offering ideal shelter.
SCIENTIFIC CURIOSITY
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CURIOSITY – DIVING INTO THE UNKNOWN •B Y BIANCA JOUBERT
PHOTO Shutterstock/Maria Sbytova
Why is the sky blue? Why do snails like rain? Do trees get thirsty? Our questions are driven by curiosity. Curiosity is at the core of the human experience and brings us back to our childhood. The thirst for knowledge of scientists is not so different from that of children, people taking nature walks or visiting a museum...
19
SCIENTIFIC CURIOSITY
The intellectual curiosity that triggers scientific discoveries is often driven by our sense of wonder. A way of questioning the world, a call of the unknown that guides researchers who are eager for answers or astonishment in their patient experiments.
THE JOY OF LEARNING For many, science is a source of joy in and of itself. Simple, seemingly naive questions lead to the joy of learning—a topic so dear to Fernand Séguin—and to the limits of what is possible. Without curiosity, there is no research!
But how to pique interest in the silent and motionless world of plants? "You don't force curiosity, you awaken it," said author Daniel Pennac. The Jardin botanique is at the c rossroads of research, science, culture and education and works to reconstruct—and deepen—our link with the plant world. In this spirit, the Jardin botanique team is preparing a new event for the summer of 2022, and it is sure to arouse your curiosity and awaken your sense of wonder! bit.ly/yourquestionsEPLV ⊗
It was curiosity that prompted Simon Joly, a researcher at the Jardin botanique, to analyze more than 2,500 species of flowering plants with his colleague Daniel Schoen of McGill University, in order to successfully test Darwin's 150-year-old hypothesis about "invisible flowers.” The idea that these flowers would ensure the reproductive capabilities of certain species had not yet been tested, despite attempts by many generations of botanists. This is one of the 10 foremost discoveries of 2021, according to Quebec Science.
CULTIVATING A SENSE OF WONDER AND THE SPIRIT OF INQUIRY Plants are far from inert and never cease to surprise us. Their strangeness, their incredible diversity, their ingenious strategies to find food and conquer new territories, to react to their environment, to defend themselves or even to communicate, are worthy of our curiosity. The word curiosity comes from the Latin cura—or care. Someone who is curious is therefore in essence a person who takes care. And to take care, you need to pay attention. "If museums attach great importance to the transmission of knowledge, stimulating curiosity is also crucial—by drawing people’s attention, by making them curious about nature, about themselves and others, by cultivating a spirit of investigation that is a wonderful source of emotions and sensations," explains Annabelle Mimouni, educational project officer at the Jardin botanique.
CHANGING HOW WE SEE PLANTS Plants appeared on Earth about 470 million years ago. They have quietly colonized the entire planet and allowed the animal world to also flourish. Plants are sometimes underestimated and have yet to reveal all their secrets... Recent research has shown, for example, that trees use a form of communication between themselves and with other species.
THE EARTH IS BLUE LIKE AN ORANGE* • BY BIANCA JOUBERT
Are you curious about nature? Ever wonder why plants are green and not blue? How water lilies float and fireflies light up? Why the ocean is salty? What starfish eat? How many prickly spines a hedgehog has or why elephants sleep standing up?
A CALL TO INQUIRING MINDS The Espace pour la vie team is eager to hear from the community. Go ahead and ask any and all questions about nature that pop in your mind. Let loose your curiosity! No question is too small. The questions children ask are often quite poetic; now it's your turn. Ask away! Go online and ask all the questions that come to mind— from the most basic to the most zany. The designers at Espace pour la vie will use them as a suggestions box to stimulate their creativity! *According to Paul Éluard, L’amour la poésie, 1929
20
ICE IN SPACE
A THOUSAND AND ONE ICE WONDERS •B Y ANNIE LABRECQUE, WITH THE CONTRIBUTION OF MARC JOBIN, ASTRONOMER AND ASTRONOMICAL INFORMATION OFFICER AT PLANÉTARIUM THE RIO TINTO ALCAN
There is ice almost everywhere on our planet. It can cool your glass of water, form on the surface of lakes during the winter or dominate the landscape of the Arctic and Antarctic. On Earth, we refer to ice as water in a solid state. Elsewhere in the Solar System, pressure and temperature are different—they can be extreme! —and they affect the state of the molecules (solid, liquid, gas). On some moons or planets, gases such as ammonia or carbon dioxide are present in the form of ice because of the ambient conditions. Ice is thus a general term encompassing a vast array of substances, which can come in surprising forms. Let's take a look at these icescapes!
WORLDS OF ICE PLANÉTARIUM RIO TINTO ALCAN
PHOTO NASA/JPL/University of Arizona
STARTING DECEMBER 12
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ICE IN SPACE
PROBING THE ICE IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM Planetologists have long studied the ice caps of Mars. These ice caps are composed mainly of water ice, but also of carbon dioxide in solid form, better known as "dry ice". It is mostly found at the poles, where temperatures below -78°C enable carbon dioxide to change directly into a solid state.
PHOTO NASA/JPL-Caltech
Another celestial object that arouses a lot of curiosity is Enceladus, a small icy moon barely 500 km in diameter orbiting Saturn. Enceladus has a unique landscape with its four "tiger stripes", geological structures located near the South Pole. These stripes, first spotted by the Cassini spacecraft in 2005, are associated with parallel cracks 130 km long. Water and organic molecules escape from these fissures, indicating the presence of a liquid ocean under the icy crust of the moon. A rare phenomenon also occurs on Enceladus and other icy satellites: eruptions of cryovolcanoes, or "ice volcanoes," that emit plumes of pressurized water into the tenuous atmosphere of these moons, where temperatures can reach -130°C. Exploration of the dwarf planet Pluto by the New Horizons probe revealed a large, heart-shaped impact basin. Part of this depression, called Sputnik Planitia, is filled with nitrogen ice. In the images taken by the probe, you can see that the surface of this region has multiple polygonal shapes next to each other. The formation of this icy quilt intrigued scientists. Using numerical simulations, they believe that this landscape appeared under the action of the sublimation of nitrogen, which transforms directly from solid to gas without passing by the liquid state. Pluto is much farther from the Sun than the Earth and it is extremely cold, with an average temperature of -223 °C. However, in some areas, the environment of the dwarf planet is strangely reminiscent of Earth, with high snow-capped peaks. But these mountains appear to be made of water ice, as hard as stone. And the "snow" they are covered with would be more a methane frost. Comets do not go unnoticed and offer one of the most beautiful celestial spectacles. When they approach the Sun, their nucleus of water ice, ammonia and carbon dioxide, mixed in with small rocky particles, heats up and releases the gases and dust. This is what produces their tails that sometimes stretch for millions of kilometers.
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A liquid ocean is probably hiding under the icy crust of Enceladus, a moon of Saturn.
ELSEWHERE IN THE MILKY WAY Located 33 light-years away from our Solar System, the exoplanet Gliese 436 b is also worth mentioning. Comparable in size to Neptune, the temperature on Gliese 436 b is estimated at 439 °C! Given its size and density, scientists speculate that it is largely composed of "X ice," a rare form of water ice. Despite the high temperature, it remains solid because of the incredible pressure generated by the planet's intense gravity. As we delve into the cosmos, we keep discovering worlds with extreme and varied conditions, where ice takes on unusual shapes—to the amazement of scientists! ⊗
WEATHER AND CLIMATE
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A LEGACY OF COLD • BY GABRIELLE ANCTIL
"The snowy winters of your childhood will never come back," was the headline on Radio-Canada in 2019, in an article in which reporter Naël Shiab analyzed data from weather stations across the country to determine the impact of the climate crisis on snow cover. "[Montreal] has lost nearly two weeks of snow on the ground over the decades," the reporter noted—a similar situation observed across the province.
PHOTO Alexandre Provost
The impacts of climate change are now part of our daily lives. They can be seen in the floods, record heat waves and forest fires that make headlines almost every day. They also affect an important aspect of Quebec culture: the weather.
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WEATHER AND CLIMATE
CLIMATE CULTURE It’s easy to confuse weather and climate, but the difference is important. This distinction is addressed in several of the Biosphère's activities and exhibitions. Weather is measured over a rather short period of time, such as a day; climate is the aggregate analysis of the longer-term behaviour of the atmosphere. A hot day is not a marker of global warming, but a summer where the average temperature was unusually high during a decade that was also very hot, is. Regardless of the causes of changes in weather, they still allow Quebecers to engage in one of their favorite activities: talking about the weather. "Around here, people talk about the weather all the time," says Diane Pacom, a sociology professor at the University of Ottawa. Pacom, who came to Canada more than 40 years ago, is still amazed at the place weather holds in the culture of her adopted country. "In sociology, we refer to this as a heavy variable. That is, the weather has a significant effect on politics, the economy, and society in general." This should come as no surprise: the extreme temperature variations between summer and winter, and sometimes even from one day to the next, make for an infinite number of topics of conversation. They also give us a privileged glance into the changes taking place on a global scale. "We’re distraught when it doesn’t snow before Christmas," says Marie-Hélène Roch, a researcher in urban northern studies.
SAVING WINTER Will our love of the weather inspire us to act to preserve its nuances? Hard to say with certainty. On the one hand, it is true that we have an emotional attachment to our snowy winters and sunny summers. "Quebecers introduce winter to newcomers as if it were a loved one, a friend," says Diane Pacom. It’s not surprising that we would want to preserve such an important part of our identity at all costs. On the other hand, it is essential to note that we still often behave as if these variations did not exist. "When the Europeans arrived, they tried to bring their ways of doing things without adapting them to local conditions," recalls Marie-Hélène Roch. These bad habits continue today, as infrastructures are still being built without taking into account the rigours of winter. "Why are there so many signs that say ‘Caution – Falling ice’? Why haven't we figured out a way to avoid this sort of danger?" the researcher asks.
But there’s a glimmer of hope: “By having to constantly adjust to the climate, we have developed a great ability to adapt to new situations," says Marie-Hélène Roch. A newcomer must acquire skills that may seem second nature to anyone who has been dealing with these variations all their lives. One example is dressing in layers, a teaching passed down directly from Indigenous peoples to the early settlers. We know that Quebec will have to face significant upheavals. It is estimated that in the coming decades the temperature will rise by nearly 4°C in the south of the province. Intense heat waves and floods are looming. If we hope to avoid these disturbances and reduce our GHG emissions, we will need to tap into our well of ingenuity. Our future winters depend on it. ⊗
TAMING THE FLAMES The summer of 2021 was one of devastation in British Columbia. The province's largest fire decimated an estimated 90,000 hectares of land, directly impacting the Skeetchestn First Nation near Kamloops. The community called upon its millennial knowledge to defend itself against fire: controlled fires. The process involves lighting a fire in a specific area in the spring or fall, outside fire season, to keep the elements that can feed a fire in the warmer months to a minimum. The Skeetchestn adapted the practice in 2021 to divert the oncoming blaze. Canada put an end to the practice of controlled burning nearly a century ago, erasing a knowledge that had allowed indigenous nations to grow new plants and improve soil quality for centuries. This ban is believed to be partly responsible for the devastating fires we see today. The good news is that the practice is back on the agenda, supported by indigenous and non-indigenous experts from across the country.
24
INDIGENOUS GASTRONOMY
DECOLONIZING OUR TASTE BUDS ↓ The Roundhouse café in Montreal offers its interpretation of the Indigenous Taco.
PHOTO Justine Latour
"I suggest we go back to our roots—back to our larder, our immediate environment, which is brimming with so many good things we don't even realize are there," writes Innu chef Manuel Kak'wa Kurtness in the introduction to his cookbook Pachamama, published by Boréal. He is not the only one who wants to re-establish the prestige of indigenous gastronomy. Let's consider a few examples.
↓ A deer loin, concocted by the restaurant-hotel La Traite, in Wendake.
The small grey stone building stands in the center of Cabot Square, west of downtown Montreal. This former urinal house is home to the Roundhouse Café, the only Indigenous café in Montreal. "The cuisine is inspired by powwows," explains Charles-Éric Lavery, director of development at L'Itinéraire and the café's manager. His target clientele includes the many homeless Indigenous people who gravitate to the square: "We want to serve them food that resonates with their culture," he says, such as Indigenous bannock and tacos. But everyone is welcome in this space that strives to build bridges between communities.
PHOTO Restaurant La Traite
• BY GABRIELLE ANCTIL
sedentary people in Quebec," he says. Their diet was influenced by this way of life. The restaurant's menu thus gives pride of place to the three sisters—corn, beans and squash—traditionally grown together and smoked to facilitate their preservation. The dishes served nowadays are inspired by these age-old traditions.
Building bridges is also what motivates Pierre-Luc Xavie who directs the restaurant of La Traite of the Hôtel-Musée Premières Nations, in Wendake. The focus of the restaurant, which honours the Huron-Wendat culinary tradition, is to familiarize the public with the nation’s long history. The Huron-Wendat were the first
These culinary spaces not only provide a cultural experience, but they also create jobs for Indigenous people. Better still, some see food as a way to arouse the public’s interest in the rich bounties of nature. Traditionally, Indigenous nations consumed products readily available in their immediate environment. Learning from history can lead to a better understanding of the issues related to the preservation of biodiversity. If we fall in love with something we eat in a restaurant, we may be more willing to help promote it. Learning while eating is great. As Manuel Kak'wa Kurtness writes, "We enjoy traditional cuisines from around the world, but we have only a vague idea of the food of the original inhabitants of our own continent. Each new restaurant becomes a way of showcasing the richness of indigenous nations. The positive impacts of these initiatives can be felt outside the plate as well!
TASTE YOUR GARDEN JARDIN BOTANIQUE AUGUST 1 TO 27
PHOTO Shutterstock/Nickola_Che
⊗
This summer, the cultural gardens of the Jardin botanique invite you to embark on a tasty exploration of the plant world and human cultures as part of Taste Your Garden, an event where discovery and taste buds collide. Let this culinary journey take you by surprise!
25
RESEARCH
CHASING METEORITES WITH THE DOMe PROJECT • BY ANDRÉ GRANDCHAMPS, CURATOR OF THE METEORITE COLLECTION AT THE PLANÉTARIUM RIO TINTO ALCAN
Finding a meteorite on the ground is harder than finding a needle in a haystack. Fortunately, the cameras of the DOMe (Detection and Observation of Meteors) project will help us in the search for meteorites on the ground.
WHY ARE WE INTERESTED IN METEORITES?
A TREASURE FOR THE FUTURE With the DOMe project, we want to enrich the Planétarium's meteorite collection with rare and unaltered samples. It is the most important collection of meteorites in Quebec. The conservation of this celestial heritage is essential for scientific research and future generations. ⊗
Meteorites are rocky bodies from space that have survived their passage through the Earth's atmosphere before hitting the ground.
Interested in participating in meteorite searches and joining a team out in the field? Training sessions will be offered soon. Visit the Espace pour la vie website for registration details.
Their study enables us to better understand the formation of our solar system’s planets, including Earth. It also allows us to deepen our knowledge of the processes that led to the appearance and development of life on our planet.
A NETWORK OF SURVEILLANCE CAMERAS
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A camera from the DOMe project, installed at the Mont-Mégantic Observatory
Triangulation is the key: when at least three cameras spot the same meteor, a computer calculates the trajectory and determines the potential crash area. Search teams are then deployed on the ground to retrieve the fragments. To optimize the network, the cameras are installed at a distance of about 100 km from each other. For the moment, they have been installed in the St. Lawrence plain and in the south of Quebec, regions that are largely rural, which will make searches easier.
PHOTO Espace pour la vie/André Grandchamps
Unfortunately, meteorites are not only hard to find, they are quite rare. The last meteorite fall observed in Quebec occurred more than 25 years ago in Saint-Robert, near Sorel. The DOMe project, a network of surveillance cameras that scan the sky for bolides (exceptionally bright meteors), was developed to facilitate the detection of future meteorite falls on Quebec soil.
ARCHITECTURE AND NATURE
26
WHEN ARCHITECTURE IS INSPIRED BY NATURE • BY MARION SPÉE
For millennia, humans lived in close interaction with their natural environment. This relationship has largely faded with the increased urbanization, a recent phenomenon in human history. But humans still have a natural affinity for the living. Both are interconnected. In an effort to promote a more intimate connection between the occupants of buildings and the natural world, people who work in architecture and design are drawing more and more inspiration from natural elements. Their goal is to design structures that mimic the conditions of a natural environment—for example by letting in daylight, maximizing views of the outdoors, and exploiting patterns that evoke the forms present in the environment. The Dome of the new Insectarium houses its naturalized collection.
PHOTO Kuehn Malvezzi
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27
ARCHITECTURE AND NATURE
Examples abound all around the world: in Germany, the architecture of the Buga Wood Pavilion is inspired by the skeleton of a sea urchin; in Singapore, the Artscience Museum mimics the shape of a lotus flower; and the design of the Gardens by the Bay, an urban outdoor recreational space, takes its cue from trees. In the Espace pour la vie museums, architecture and design are freely inspired by life and the environment, concepts that are built into their mission: to connect humans and nature by bringing them as close as possible.
AT THE BIOSPHÈRE – THE VISION OF A PIONEER Built on an island that has become an oasis of nature, the United States pavilion at Expo 67, renamed the Biosphère, is the work of American architect, engineer and inventor Richard Buckminster Fuller. A true precursor of contemporary environmental thinking, he already feared for the survival of humanity if the natural resources of our "unique spaceship" that is the Earth continued to be squandered.
AT THE INSECTARIUM – A MUSEUM AT THE SCALE OF ARTHROPODS For the architects of the new Insectarium, the visitor experience had to be informed by the museum's environment. The architects used insects as their muse and decided to adopt their point of view, put themselves at their level, to design a most immersive visit. The scenography and architectural design drew inspiration from the various habitats of insects: nests, chambers and galleries, vegetation, water and earth. Materials were also chosen to reflect their natural habitat, notably concrete, whose granular, porous texture with uneven crevices beautifully reproduces the tunnels of ants. Inside the alcoves, underground galleries give visitors a chance to see the world as if they were insects themselves, before discovering the Great Vivarium, a palace of glass, where the little creatures roam freely all year round.
The design of the building is largely inspired by Buckminster Fuller’s innovative vision: creating a form reminiscent of the Earth and use few materials to evoke the fragility of the planet.
PHOTO Shutterstock/Richard Cavalleri
The architect had a geometric view of nature. He is the father of the geodesic dome, the famous spherical lattice structure whose bars follow the great circles of the sphere. Incidentally, researchers discovered in the 90s a carbon molecule with shapes similar to those of geodesic domes. They named the molecule Buckminster fullerene in honor of this visionary.
And to maximize the connection with the outdoors, the glass architecture carries over into the Pollinator Garden and blends into the landscape, as if the building merged with the natural environment.
AT THE BIODÔME – A JOURNEY THROUGH THE ECOSYSTEMS The Biodôme design encourages visitors to explore: an immersive path invites them to wander around as they please, as spontaneously as taking a walk in nature. The people behind the design imagined an exquisitely refined reception area where you can put your senses on hold: a transition of sorts—an antechamber—before you slip into the tropical rainforest of the Americas, the maple grove of the Laurentians, the Gulf of St. Lawrence or the subpolar regions— colourful multisensory ecosystems. The goal is to maximize the connection with the fauna and flora. In each ecosystem, the public is invited to make first contact in a smooth and gentle way. They can hear sounds, smell scents, feel the warmth and the freshness of each place, before emerging in these vast open spaces where they can finally take in the scenes of life unfolding all around. For example, the huge frosty tunnel that leads to a towering wall of ice immerses you in the atmosphere of the penguins' habitat, in which you’re about to set foot. Science has shown that contact with nature, and all that nature has to offer, is beneficial for humans, regardless of their age or background. ⊗
28
ENTOMOPHILIA
FROM AVERSION TO ADMIRATION • BY VALÉRIE LEVÉE
GRAND OPENING INSECTARIUM VISIT THE NEW MUSEUM
PHOTO Espace pour la vie/Thierry Boislard
Warning: observing an insect could pique your curiosity to the point of developing a case of entomophilia. Don't worry, it's not a disease! Just a healthy passion for insects that has perks for both you and nature.
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ENTOMOPHILIA
Our urban life has kept us away from nature and we only see the tip of the iceberg when it comes to insects and arthropods. Colourful butterflies dazzle us with their flight, but we’re not as fond of mosquitoes, flies, earwigs and millipedes. "The insects that seem to be the most difficult to live with are the ones we talk about most. But they represent only a tiny fraction of all arthropods," says Sonya Charest, Division Manager of Public and Educational Programs at the Insectarium. Based on the few species that make their way into our human environment, we sometimes develop an uneasy relationship with arthropods, which can even evolve into fear or disgust. Mimicking our parents’ behaviour, or simply not knowing insects at all, can explain these types of reactions. "We are programmed to be cautious and to keep our distance from what is unknown to us," she observes. Fortunately, this attitude can be reversed and turned into sheer wonder. "That's our goal at the Insectarium: for people to develop a sense of entomophilia. We want them to discover the incredible diversity of insects and arthropods, to demystify their roles, and to learn to feel at ease in their presence—and why not also develop a fondness for these surprising and vital little creatures," says Sonya Charest. The Insectarium's experts act as ambassadors: their passion is instrumental in helping people who feel apprehensive about arthropods to appreciate their presence. "We listen to people to nudge them a little further along in their relationship with insects. For artistic minds, it might be through colour. Others will respond to anecdotes or be interested in the topic of biomimicry," says Sonya Charest. "All roads lead to insects and there are insects for every taste." Go look for insects in your surroundings! While the main objective of Mission Monarch is to document the breeding habitat of the monarch butterfly, this participatory science program also provides an opportunity for chance encounters with all kinds of arthropods that can give citizens a totally new perspective. By examining the milkweed, the butterfly's host plant, we discover beetles, bugs, and caterpillars with the most vivid colours. Quite a spectacle! Getting up close and personal with insects increases our awareness of their complex behaviours and their amazing shapes and colours. "By taking the time to observe them, to experience pleasant moments in their company, to notice the countless services that insects provide, we learn to live in harmony with them. The world of insects is vast and infinitely beautiful! There is always something new to learn and they are an endless source of wonder. ⊗
In the context of the new Insectarium, its architecture and museology inspired by biophilia, we give this term a new meaning to express the idea of entomophilia in the sense of love, respect and appreciation of insects.
FEAR THE LITTLE CREATURES NO MORE! • BY VALÉRIE LEVÉE
Afraid of spiders? Squeamish about insects? Well, you're not alone. This hasn't kept some people from developing a fascination for these little creatures to the point of wanting to work in their company. For Sophie Malouin, project designer at the Insectarium, insects used to inspire fear and disgust. Her outlook changed when she heard her colleagues speak about them with passion, and when she had to approach insects during a film shoot. Instead of pushing her away, the experience revealed a beauty she never knew existed. "When you get a close-up look at insects, you notice all sorts of extraordinary details, metallic textures, padded legs. You notice they spend a lot of time grooming themselves, just like cats. The strangeness slowly fades and a sense of familiarity sets in," says Sophie. She said she was conditioned to hate insects, but now she instinctively gets up close to observe them instead of backing away. Carolina Torres had an almost visceral fear of spiders. "I felt very bad as soon as I knew that there were spiders around me," she recalls. It was during a series of conferences on these arachnids at the zoo where she worked that she went from fear to curiosity, to wonder. She discovered the spiders’ shapes, colours and behaviours. "I was fascinated, and I suddenly realized what I’d been missing," says Carolina. Because of her keen interest in spiders, the lecturer suggested they work together. She came to give lectures herself and hold all kinds of spiders in her hand, including tarantulas. Today, she trains Insectarium guides to introduce insects, spiders and other arthropods to the public.
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ESPACE POUR LA VIE DAY CAMP
ESPACE POUR LA VIE DAY CAMPS: A SPRINGBOARD FOR YOUTH •B Y SOPHIE LACHANCE
Fascinated by animals, the 9-year-old loves to read, especially books about animals. His favorite animal? Picking just one is impossible! He loves them all! It's no surprise that he has set his sights on The Animologues, one of the Biodôme's camps that allows him to discover the museum's species, get involved in their care, and learn more about what to do to protect them.
A GIFT THAT MAKES ALL THE DIFFERENCE For years, the Space for Life Foundation has contributed financially to the scientific, educational, cultural, social and artistic missions of Espace pour la vie and its five institutions. Its involvement in Espace pour la vie's day camp projects enables underprivileged youth to awaken their curiosity about the biodiversity that surrounds them. Would you like to contribute to the Jérôme-Brisson-Curadeau Bursary and to the educational activities offered to less fortunate children? Make an online donation to the Space for Life Foundation or add a donation when you purchase your tickets on the Espace pour la vie website. Every dollar donated will help kids get closer to nature. fondationespacepourlavie.ca/en/
There’s absolutely no doubt in his mother’s mind that J.’s sense of wonder never wanes, while his passion for animals has increased tenfold. "Doing all these challenging activities over the summer has really been good for him," she says. What would he like to do later in life? Become a veterinarian? An animal care technician? It’s too early to tell, he says. One thing is for sure, an opportunity like this helps kids to learn while having fun, and to explore a whole world of possibilities. ⊗ *The child's name is withheld to ensure anonymity.
PHOTO Espace pour la vie/André Sarrazin
"Mom, I can't wait for tomorrow morning!" As soon as she returned home last summer, J.* said how eager she was to go back to the Espace pour la vie day camp. This experience was made possible thanks to the Jérôme-Brisson-Curadeau Bursary, offered by the Space for Life Foundation, which allows underprivileged youth to benefit from free outings to one of the camps.
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PROGRAMMING
BIODÔME
AN OCEAN TO PROTECT
HUA JIN. SOMETIMES WE LOOK, SOMETIMES WE SEE
AT THE JARDIN BOTANIQUE
STARTING MAY 30
BIOSPHÈRE
NOVEMBER
SCIENCE EXPOSED
STARTING IN JUNE
RESEARCHERS’ NIGHT
WORLDS BEYOND US
BIODÔME
INSECTARIUM
PLANÉTARIUM RIO TINTO ALCAN
STARTING JUNE 1
VISIT THWE NEW MUSEUM
STARTING JUNE 18
DISCOVERING MARINE ENVIRONMENTS
STARTING APRIL 13
BÉBÉ SYMPHONIQUE
TASTE YOUR GARDEN
PLANÉTARIUM RIO TINTO ALCAN
BIODÔME
JARDIN BOTANIQUE
ADDITIONAL SHOWS THIS FALL
JUNE 24 TO SEPTEMBER 5
AUGUST 1 TO 27
JUAN ORTIZ-APUY. TROPICANA
GARDENS OF LIGHT
PLANÉTARIUM RIO TINTO ALCAN
BIOSPHÈRE
JARDIN BOTANIQUE
STARTING DECEMBER 12
STARTING JULY 23
SEPTEMBER 2 TO OCTOBER 31
IMAGINE A FUTURE BIOSPHÈRE!
FRISSONS D’HALLOWEEN
BIOSPHÈRE
JARDIN BOTANIQUE
STARTING IN JUNE
SEPTEMBER 30 TO OCTOBER 31
WORLDS OF ICE
