Natural History
Monthly Archive: December Natu
"Pseudo-Nature" and Photographic Integrity
![A gray treefrog (Hyla versicolor) sits on a tree branch at night. Photo by Sean de Francia A gray treefrog (Hyla versicolor) sits on a tree branch at night. Photo by Sean de Francia](https://www.rom.on.ca/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/blog_post/thumbnail/2015_06_13_sean_de_francia_19-2.jpg?itok=9kggB3PD)
Guest blog written by 2015 Environmental Visual Communication student Sean de Francia
A look into the ever-changing world of wildlife photography - would you stage a photo to get that perfect shot? What are the consequences of manipulating a scene with wild photo subjects?
Our Darling Dermestids - A Visit to the ROM's Bug Room
![Hell or haven? To a Dermestid beetle, the ROM's bug room is an ongoing feast in paradise. Photo by Robert Elliot A photo of the sign posted outside the door of the ROM's dermestid beetle colony quotes Dante's Inferno, "Abandon all hope ye who enter here"](https://www.rom.on.ca/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/blog_post/thumbnail/robertelliotblog1-2.jpg?itok=uLMpNKD3)
Guest blog written by 2015 Environmental Visual Communication student Robert Elliot
How does the Royal Ontario Museum get their Skeletons so clean without compromising their integrity? A well-kept colony of hide beetles cleans every crevice of the various cadavers in the ROM’s bug room with incredible efficiency. A steel walled, dark humid room filled with corpses; a veritable beetle heaven is home to these hard working bugs. Follow EVC student ROM into their domain to get a unique perspective on the ROM.
BioBlitz Bits - Elusive At-Risk Birds
![ROM Scientist Kevin Seymour studies a map of Rouge Park during the 2012 Ontario BioBlitz with the bird team. Photo by Stacey Lee Kerr ROM scientist Kevin Seymour looks at a map with the bird team at the 2012 Ontario BioBlitz in Rouge park, deciding where the team will survey](https://www.rom.on.ca/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/blog_post/thumbnail/2013-09-15_slk_bioblitz2013-5-2.jpg?itok=paSvQoUR)
Blog by ROM Assistant Curator of Vertebrate Palaeontology Kevin Seymour
This is the fourth installment of our "BioBlitz Bits" Series - ROM scientists share their favourite stories from past Ontario BioBlitz events
BioBlitz Bits - A Tale of Two Bugs
![ROM scientist Antonia Guidotti collects insects at night during the 2012 Ontario BioBlitz. Photo by Evan Hall ROM scientist Antonia Guidotti lifts a jar up to a white sheet lit by a blacklight to collect insects attracted to the sheet during the 2012 Ontario Bioblitz](https://www.rom.on.ca/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/blog_post/thumbnail/2012-06-15_ewh_-13-3.jpg?itok=FcvO13V2)
Blog by ROM Entomology Technician Antonia Guidotti
This is the third installment of our "BioBlitz Bits" Series - ROM scientists share their favourite stories from past Ontario BioBlitz events
BioBlitz Bits - Fungi Findings
![ROM scientist Jean-Marc Moncalvo explains the finer points of fungi to a young bioblitzer. Photo by Vincent Luk ROM scientist Jean-Marc Moncalvo gestures to a young boy to explain something about fungi during a guided bioblitz hike through the forest during the 2014 Ontario BioBlitz](https://www.rom.on.ca/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/blog_post/thumbnail/2014-05-24_bioblitz45-2-2.jpg?itok=oKKokbWE)
Blog by ROM Senior Curator of Mycology, Jean-Marc Moncalvo
This is the second installment of our "BioBlitz Bits" Series - ROM scientists share their favourite stories from past Ontario BioBlitz events
BioBlitz Bits - Night of the Newts and Salamanders
![You never know what you'll find in the forest at night during an Ontario BioBlitz event! Photo by Brennan Caverhill A forest scene at night lit only by headlamps from the ontario bioblitz teams as they survey in the dark](https://www.rom.on.ca/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/blog_post/thumbnail/1-2012-06-15_119_.jpg?itok=GMdsVs6G)
Blog by ROM Herpetology Technician Amy Lathrop
This is the first of our "BioBlitz Bits" Series - ROM scientists share their favourite stories from past Ontario BioBlitz events
"Of Angling, and the Art thereof": Fish Tails and Fish Tales
!['Angler's Pride' in R. G. Allerton, Brook Trout Fishing, An Account of a Trip of the Oquossoc Angling Association to Northern Maine in June 1869. New York:: 1869.](https://www.rom.on.ca/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/blog_post/thumbnail/anglers_pride_brook_trout_fishing_1869_small_copy.jpg?itok=7Fhu0uEc)
“Of Angling, and the Art thereof I sing,
What kinde of Tooles it doth behoue to haue;
Finding a Safe Passageway Across the 401
![Eastern milk snakes (Species at Risk - Special Concern) found beside Highway #401 between Gananoque and Brockville, Ontario Two small, striped snakes touch snouts while wound about a person's hand.](https://www.rom.on.ca/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/blog_post/thumbnail/hwy_401_2014_1-resized.jpg?itok=3pkU3ccZ)
Ecologists working together to ensure the safety of wildlife along some of Canada's busiest highway.
ROM Photographer of the Year 2014: Recap
![Nzuri. Nairobi National Park, Kenya. | Photo by Amanda Girgis, Membership Communications Coordinator A group of antelope gather on a grassy plain.](https://www.rom.on.ca/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/blog_post/thumbnail/amandagirgis1_wildlife.jpg?itok=U9mjizMW)
A look back at the top photos from our 2014, in-house photography contest!