© Lora Denis
As I walked through the forest on a warm spring afternoon, I saw a dark creature flutter by. It was a mourning cloak butterfly! As I looked around, I saw more butterflies. A skittish eastern comma was feeding on sap from a sugar maple, while another sunned itself on the ground below the leafless canopy. ...
Great spangled fritillary butterfly © Noah Cole
Ontario Nature’s 24 nature reserves are teeming with life. Along with the many common species, about one-fifth of Ontario’s more than 200 species at risk are found on the reserves. This past spring and summer, I visited a few of the reserves and saw songbirds, butterflies, wildflowers, dragonflies, and many other plants and animals. Here ...
Monarch butterfly and asters © Marie C Fields, Shutterstock
Every once in a while when I am walking through Thickson’s Woods in Whitby, I catch a glimpse of gold dancing over the meadow. Tragically, these magical encounters are becoming uncommon. The dramatic population decline of monarchs is of concern to scientists and naturalists, and of interest to the media.
Crocuses are finally poking up through their winter hiding places. Ontarians can rejoice: spring is here and summer is right around the corner. Soon the air will fill with the humming and fluttering of pollinators including bees, butterflies and birds.