Morrell Sanctuary

10/22/2026

What a beautiful autumn we're having.

10/17/2026

You can’t beat this glorious autumn weather and the trails at Morrell beckon. Leash up your best canine friend and experience nature at its best. 🐾

10/15/2026

A few black bears tried to join our volunteer teams earlier this month! We kept a respectful distance and they eventually climbed down and moved on. Black bears are excellent climbers!

10/12/2026

We had a baby banana slug, Ariolimax columbianus, visit the office today, right up on the railing! You can see the magic slug slime trail.

Banana slug slime is neither liquid nor solid. It's made of "liquid crystal". The molecules are fluid but structured. It allows slugs to stick and slide at the same time! It's also a paralytic toxin. Slug slime can make mammal mouths go numb.

10/08/2026

These grey fall days make for the best photos. This one was taken by our volunteer and Board Member, Brenda. Thanks Brenda!

10/05/2026

Our learning circles are getting a make-over for the Fall field trip season! If you're a teacher and you'd like to bring your class for a nature program, please see what Morrell can offer here: https://www.morrellnaturesanctuary.ca/schoolprograms.html

10/01/2026

Great article from our board member Tanya Berry in The Revelator! Some of the photos were misattributed, so thanks to the original photographers, including Bob Harvey, Jean Lemieux, and Dan Haslam. Sorry if we missed anyone!

Most Thursday mornings, hardy volunteers at the Morrell Nature Sanctuary pull, cut, or hack down (depending on the species) the nonnative plants that threaten this incredible ecosystem.

09/27/2026

Happy Rivers Day! There are a lot of wonderful events happening all over Nanaimo today. This on at Robins Park looks fun! https://pullingtogather.space/

09/24/2026

Our Annual General Meeting is this Saturday, September 26th at 10:30am. If you're a current member, please join us in the Woods Room at Morrell - 787 Nanaimo Lakes Rd. See you there!

09/20/2026

This little European Garden Spider, Araneous diadematus, tried to hitch a ride into Morrell from the bottom of the Sanctuary Trail. We didn't recognize him at first because males have a smaller body than female orb-weavers. Hope he finds a nice garden nearby.