Sam
@smknigh.bsky.social
Conservation biologist and practitioner, #nativeplants gardener, and urban cyclist in Kjipuktuk (Halifax). Climate action NOW. (she/her/elle)
May I have your attention please! 📢 Your weekly bee butt in a flower is here. 🐝 Thank you for your attention to this matter. #nativeplants #gardening #bugsky #beebutt
New media release calls on the Chief Medical Examiner of Nova Scotia to investigate and recommend steps to address the growing danger to pedestrians, cyclists, and other vulnerable road users from pick-up trucks and large SUVs. #VisionZero #RoadSafety
Nova Scotia must take action to prevent deaths from pick-ups and large SUVs
Pickups, largely promoted and used for personal travel, along with SUVs and minivans, accounted for almost 88% of new vehicle sales in Canada in 2025.
visionzerohfx.ghost.io
Sometimes I work from the front porch. I didn’t have to move from where I was sitting to take a video of this monarch laying eggs on the swamp milkweed. #nativeplants #gardening #bugsky #Halisky
Welcome to my small urban veggie garden, where we go big (kabocha squash vines endlessly growing up and down a trellis with many fruits) and small (patio baby eggplant) #gardening
What's growing in my #nativeplants garden? 🌻 Check out my Hortus profile to see the whole picture & follow the 🧵 below as I feature all the plants (50+ plants done and 20+ to go)! Want to learn about native plants in your neighbourhood & join the community? ➡️ www.joinhortus.com/register?ref...
Sam's garden
Already a home for the Monarch Butterfly. 69 native plants in the Halifax, NS area.
joinhortus.com
Sam@smknigh.bsky.social · 2d agoCommon boneset is a native plant with lovely fluffy white flowers. It is quite popular with a variety of insects, like this American lady I captured on it last year. #nativeplants #bugsky
Can’t wait for my cardinal flowers to bloom for the hummingbirds!
Paul Hettenhaus@paul-het.bsky.social · 2d agoThere were at least two ruby-throated hummingbirds competing for the nectar within these native cardinal flowers that are growing at a local wetland area. #birds #hummingbird #birdoftheday #birdphotography #nature #naturephotography #wisconsin
Capitalism is not inevitable, scientific, or natural. This dysfunctional system was built this way by design and has led to to massive inequality. We need to escape from this economic system that fails to serve the common good. Just finished this enlightening book and would highly recommend.
Clara E. Mattei - Escape from Capitalism
Check out Clara Mattei’s: Escape from Capitalism [Published by Simon and Schuster in the US and Penguin Random House in the UK].
claramattei.com
Milkweeds, known for being essential to monarchs, also support other species at risk like the yellow-banded bumble bee, who forages for nectar on this bright orange butterfly milkweed in my garden #nativeplants #gardening #bugsky
We’ve have a few monarch visits to the swamp milkweed to lay eggs this week & today I saw the 1st monarch caterpillar! Monarch cats have 5 instars (stages where it molts its skin in between) & 1st instars (this fella) are very small & hard to spot. Look for evidence of munching! #nativeplants
Sam@smknigh.bsky.social · last wk.A monarch just visited my #nativeplants garden to lay eggs on milkweed. 🥰 To avoid disturbing her I observed her from a distance using my binoculars and took a few photos through them.
A clear majority of Nova Scotians support the government protecting more wilderness 🌳🌲🌳. 📢📢 So, here's what we're calling on the Houston government to do about it:
A monarch just visited my #nativeplants garden to lay eggs on milkweed. 🥰 To avoid disturbing her I observed her from a distance using my binoculars and took a few photos through them.
"One of our strongest findings is that many incidents occurred while people were using infrastructure exactly as intended - crossing at marked crosswalks, walking on sidewalks or cycling in infrastructure that forms part of our AAA bicycle network"
Vision Zero Kjipuktuk-Halifax@visionzerokh.bsky.social · last wk.Before the Crash: The First 100 responses to our Incident Report Form paint a worrying picture. Will our councillors act with more urgency? Read the report and join our call to action here: visionzerohfx.ghost.io/before-the-c... #VisionZero #NearMissesMatter
Me, every time I see Japanese beetles on my plants 🪲 (If ya know ya know)
Evil Mermaid Man's Shocking Reaction
Alt: Evil Mermaid Man's Shocking Reaction
static.klipy.com
Let me tell you about my favourite of the candidate protected areas that you can take 2 mins to submit a comment in support of by EOD today, July 28. It’s the Halifax Backlands! If you haven’t been, you have to check it out. (I got this awesome Pokémon-esquire card from NS Forests Forever) 1/3
Sam@smknigh.bsky.social · last wk.It’s Nova Scotia Protected Areas Week! Support the designation of 13 candidate protected areas (PAs) by learning more about them and submitting your comments on one or more candidate areas by Tuesday, July 28. It’s quick and a meaningful contribution to tell the province you want to see more PAs!
Fresh blooms in the native plant garden this morning 🌻 #bloomscrolling
Common eastern bumblebees carrying little packages of pollen on their legs (acquired inadvertently from milkweed). I, someone who studied monarchs for years and have grown ~1400 milkweeds, just learned (or remembered?) about this unique pollination strategy of milkweeds. Learn more w/ videos 👇
Sam@smknigh.bsky.social · last wk.I just learned that milkweeds spread pollen in little sacs that are tucked away. Insect footsies sometimes slip into these little slits where the pollen sack is stored and it's a tight fit. The insect has to yank its leg to get free, and with it comes a pollen sac that then dangles from their leg.
I have two very different species of milkweed in my #nativeplants garden. Swamp milkweed has pink flowers and likes wet soil, but does fine in the medium moisture of my garden with part shade. A monarch was inspecting it earlier but did not land to lay eggs. Keeping my eye out for monarch action!
Look at all these Halifax gardeners logging the #nativeplants in their garden (I see you across the province, country, and in the US too)! 🌻 We are building an amazing community and pollinator corridors. www.joinhortus.com
It’s Nova Scotia Protected Areas Week! Support the designation of 13 candidate protected areas (PAs) by learning more about them and submitting your comments on one or more candidate areas by Tuesday, July 28. It’s quick and a meaningful contribution to tell the province you want to see more PAs!
Protected Areas Consultation
May 27 to July 28, 2026
storymaps.arcgis.com
Ecology Action Centre@ecologyaction.bsky.social · 2w agoDo you want to see more protected areas in Mi’kma’ki/Nova Scotia? Be a voice for nature! 📣 Vouch for more protected areas! There are currently 13 candidate areas that you can help support, taking only a few minutes. Submit your comments before Tuesday, July 28: storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/c2ac...
Spotted Joe-Pye weed has taken over as the bees’ favourite plant in the garden #nativeplants #bloomscrolling #bugsky
It’s Nova Scotia Protected Areas Week! Did you know that given the provincial government is falling behind in meeting its legislated commitment to protect 20% of NS lands by 2030, communities have stepped up to propose ecologically significant areas for protection? Check out this map to learn more👇
Community-Proposed Protected Areas in Nova Scotia – The government is letting nature down. Communities are stepping up.
nspubliclands.ca
Does anyone’s purple coneflower have petals like tubes? Someone on Reddit says they’ll straighten out? I added this plant to my garden this year and I’ve never noticed the other purple coneflowers in my garden do this. Natural variation? Or a weird cultivar? It’s cool but I’m confused. #nativeplants
I love backyard raspberry season! We’ve harvested 15 of these containers this week. Fresh raspberries have been eaten. Raspberry crisp has been made and consumed. Raspberry white chocolate chip scones are next. We have frozen raspberries for months.
