Ontario Nature Blog

With National Volunteer Week now underway, it’s an ideal time to reflect on the role people play in protecting Ontario’s biodiversity. Community science is one meaningful way to get involved. And as spring returns to Ontario, pollinators begin to reappear in fields, forests, wetlands, and gardens making them a natural group of species to observe ...

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Rabbits and hares are often overlooked, even though they are a crucial part of our ecosystems serving as a key food source for many species and even an indicator of climate change. “Poor rabbits. It’s the exact reason I started rehabbing them, because I felt sorry for them,” says Tallulah, founder of My Wildlife Rescue, ...

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At a friend’s cottage I recently uncovered a copy of The Reptiles of Ontario published in 1939 by the Royal Ontario Museum of Zoology. It’s an artifact that thrills with the mention of the extraordinary nature once found near human settlement. It says that, in 1877, a timber rattlesnake, a species now extirpated from Ontario, ...

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Incorporating nature into local development can have a significant impact on human health. Examples include improved sleep and academic performance in children, metabolic risk reduction in adults, and longevity in seniors. Though there is evidence for human benefit, it is particularly important for other species who may call these spaces home. This is highlighted by ...

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“How about doing a moth survey at Sydenham?” “A moss survey?” Asked Roberta Buchanan, local property steward for Sydenham River Nature Reserve, who didn’t quite hear me while we were walking outside. “No, moths. Like a nocturnal equivalent to the butterfly survey. Who knows what we’ll find?” It was 2023. I knew how unique the ...

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