Ontario Nature Blog

Caring for our nature reserves involves a wide range of actions, from preventing invasive species establishment to restoring habitats and conducting species surveys. However, despite our efforts, invasive species are persistent and can find way to establish themselves. One of the most effective ways to engage people in conservation is hosting invasive species removal events. ...

Read More

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 ...

Read More

Although we are uncertain as to the origin of COVID-19, it is conceivable that transmission of a virus from a single bat may have resulted in a series of events that has brought human activity on Earth to a grinding halt. As the world is gripped with the COVID-19 pandemic, attention is drawn to the ...

Read More

While strolling through the deciduous forest in September 2018, I looked down when a strange plant caught my eye. What was that? It looked much like Lopseed? Opposite leaves and a long stalk with spikey seeds, but the leaves were too broad and rounded. Was there another species of phryma in eastern North America besides ...

Read More

Wild boar sightings in Ontario have risen in recent years despite the animals’ tendency to travel at dawn, dusk and night. Some of these sightings have been made near Ottawa and Kingston. Diane Saxe, Ontario’s Environmental Commissioner, has said that feral boars are heading north from the United States into eastern Ontario. There have also ...

Read More