These spells are for you, the youth and children of Nova Scotia, to encourage you to get outside and explore nature, to discover and name plants, insects, animals, in your backyards and communities. This ‘Spell-kit’ has been concocted by Nova Scotia writers and artists, to conjure some of the common nature words of Nova Scotia, in order to help with their identification. Artists and writers have used their own creative ways to help others imagine these plants, animals and insects. Biology students and instructors from StFX University have also contributed, explaining more about each organism, linking birds to their calls to help you find them by their songs, suggesting where they may be found, what they look like, what they eat, and even examples of how they have informed biomimicry, the study of learning from, or mimicking nature.
Spellbound by Nature
“Art has the power to inspire, the power to heal, the power to transform, to rehabilitate, to bear witness, and to make us believe that there are better days ahead.”
Michaelle Jean, former Governor General of Canada
