Canada Reference Libraries

The Yellow Rail is a small water bird and is part of the family Rallidae. Yellow rails are only slightly larger than sparrows; they grow to about 7.5 inches. They weigh 1.8 ounces, with a wingspan of about 11 inches. The males and females look similar. The mature adults have brown upperparts streaked with black, a yellowish-brown breast, a light belly and barred flanks. It has a short thick...

The grey seal (Halichoerus grypus), known as the gray seal in the United States is a species that can be found on shores on both sides of the North Atlantic Ocean. Its other common names include the Atlantic grey seal and the horsehead seal, because of its elongated nose. It has a large range on the shores of Ireland and Great Britain, with larger populations residing in areas including the...

Franklin’s ground squirrel (Poliocitellus franklinii) is native to the northern area of the United States and Canada, inhabiting tall grasses on the American prairie. Joseph Sabine who named it after Sir John Franklin, a British Arctic explorer, first described this squirrel in 1822. Previously, it was classified in the Spermophilus genus, within its own subgenus. However, genetic testing...

The above cloud is known as a towering cumulus cloud or TCU for short. TCU clouds are a form of cumulus clouds. They are the second stage of the cumulus family. The thing that makes these clouds unique is the vertical extent of them. They can extend very high into the atmosphere and sometimes they form in multiple rows. Towering Cumulus clouds can bring waterspouts when they are over the open...

As a meteorologist you are taught quickly the term Air Mass. This term means an area of relatively flat and uniform terrain with the same temp and moisture content. There are places in the world that are conducive for being air mass zones such as Siberia and also the flat plains of Canada. However, the key is to remember that air masses move. The area in Canada is known as the Canadian High...

Symbol: TECA3 Group: Dicot Family: Lamiaceae Duration: Perennial Growth Habit: Forb/herb Native Status: L48    N CAN    N Distribution: County distributions for the following U.S. states are available at PLANTS:AL, AR, AZ, CO, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, NC, ND, NE, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OK, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, VT,...

Symbol: TECAH Group: Dicot Family: Lamiaceae Duration: Perennial Growth Habit: Forb/herb Native Status: L48    N Synonyms:   TECAN Teucrium canadense L. var. nashii (Kearney) Shinners   TENA Teucrium nashii Kearney Distribution: TeucriumcanadenseL. var.hypoleucumGriseb. distribution:USA(AL, FL, GA, MS, NC, SC) Classification:       Kingdom...

Symbol: TECAC Group: Dicot Family: Lamiaceae Duration: Perennial Growth Habit: Forb/herb Native Status: L48    N CAN    N Synonyms:   TECAA Teucrium canadense L. var. angustatum A. Gray   TECAL Teucrium canadense L. var. littorale (E.P. Bicknell) Fernald   TECAV Teucrium canadense L. var. virginicum (L.) Eaton   TELI5 Teucrium...

Symbol: TACA7 Group: Gymnosperm Family: Taxaceae Duration: Perennial Growth Habit: Shrub Native Status: L48    N CAN    N SPM    N Synonyms:   TACAA Taxus canadensis Marshall var. adpressa (Carrière) Spjut   Canada yew   TACAM Taxus canadensis Marshall var. minor (Michx.) Spjut   Canada yew Distribution: County...

Symbol: SOCA6 Group: Dicot Family: Asteraceae Duration: Perennial Growth Habit: Forb/herb Native Status: L48    N AK    N CAN    N Distribution: County distributions for the following U.S. states are available at PLANTS:AK, AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, MA, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, MT, ND, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OH, OR, PA, RI, SD, TN, TX, UT,...