Ontario Nature Blog

On August 19th, I joined a group that was setting off on a tree-planting mission at Ontario Nature’s Willoughby Nature Reserve, near Caledon. Armed with shovels and enthusiasm, we were determined to plant 220 trees in just five hours. The forest was beautiful, cool and quiet as we got to work under the guidance of ...

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“Look!” Someone says, pointing to the sky. Standing in an open field, camera in hand, I peer up wondering what has been spotted. Suddenly, a large brown bird swoops down, disappears into the trees, and reappears with a fish in its talons.

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Wild edibles are important culturally, nutritionally and economically in Ontario. Aboriginal peoples have a long history of living off the land through the harvest of wild foods, providing communities with inexpensive and nutritious food year-round. Likewise, many other cultures have traditions of harvesting edible wild plants. With the recent resurgence of interest in local foods, ...

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Last Saturday, twenty-nine people, ranging from long-time field naturalists to an eight-year-old amphibian enthusiast, gathered at Reilly Bird Nature Reserve near Deep River, Ontario in the hopes of spotting eastern red-backed or spotted salamanders.

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I was very disturbed to learn about a proposed provincial law, Bill 205, which has support from all parties. If passed, the bill will allow the indiscriminate hunting and trapping of double-crested cormorants, lifting their current protection under the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act of 1997. Here are three myths about cormorants that need busting ...

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