Ontario Nature Blog

It was the year 2009, and Ontario Nature decided to launch the Ontario Reptile and Amphibian Atlas (ORAA) in an effort to improve the province’s knowledge of reptile and amphibian distributions. The ORAA was a continuation of the earlier efforts of the Ontario Herpetofaunal Summary and the Eastern Ontario Herpetofaunal Atlas, which included initial written ...

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Who equates the words “fall harvest” with the slaughter of inedible birds? The Government of Ontario, apparently. On July 30th it announced the introduction of a fall hunting season for double-crested cormorants, using these fine words: “Fall Harvest for Double-Crested Cormorants Introduced to Protect Local Ecosystems.” The ugly truth is that from September 15 to ...

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Plant lovers are turning their focus from tending houseplants to giving outdoor gardens new life. In a year when so many of us are working from home, staring over the computer screen into our backyards, a little garden work is just what the doctor ordered.   While the houseplant trend rages on, another horticulture trend has been taking root. From home gardeners to growers to municipalities, people are starting to ...

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The COVID-19 virus outbreak inevitably taught us the importance of nature for our mental and emotional well-being. The lockdown months felt endless and had us yearning to get outside, yet many of us realized nature is present in our lives in many different forms, and it’s sometimes closer to us than we would have thought.  We wanted to celebrate ...

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In the summer of 2020, many millions of spongy moth (Lymantria dispar dispar, LDD) caterpillars emerged across Ontario, causing ecological concern from North Bay and Sault Ste. Marie to Windsor and Ottawa. In the summer of 2021, the species commonly named as gypsy moth was renamed spongy moth. The former common name of the species ...

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