Ontario Nature Blog

Ontario Nature celebrates the nature volunteers who have their boots in the bogs, eyes on wildlife, fingers on keyboards and much more! Our guest blogger this week, Susan Irving, shares a tale from her time spent volunteering with Sandy Pines Wildlife Centre… I am longtime volunteer at Sandy Pines Wildlife Centre in Napanee. My preferred ...

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This spring, we set out to get the inside scoop on the secret lives of reptiles and amphibians. Despite garter snakes and green frogs being a common sight in many Ontario landscapes, there is still a lot to learn about our native herpetofauna. In Ontario, 75% of reptiles and 28% of amphibians are listed as ...

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Spotted salamanders spend the majority of their time underground and out of sight. However, every spring they emerge to breed and lay eggs in the low lying areas of forests that fill up with water, which are called vernal pools. Spotted salamander eggs are easy to identify because they often have a bright green glow. ...

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This spring a snapping turtle found in Hamilton’s Cootes Paradise was confirmed to have been infected with ranavirus. This potentially devastating virus has killed numerous amphibians, but this is the first time a Canadian reptile has been infected. What causes ranavirus and how is it transmitted? Ranavirus is an infectious DNA virus known to infect ...

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With spring’s arrival, reptiles are beginning to emerge in Ontario. But have you ever wondered what they do during our cold, snowy winters? Reptiles don’t migrate, so what do they do instead?

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