Ontario Nature Blog

Bill 73, Protecting Ontario from Urban Wildfires Act, was introduced to the Ontario legislature in 2025 and marks an important step to raising the profile of urban wildfire risk awareness and action. People working in conservation, landscaping, and gardening groups need to help our neighbours understand the risks of urban wildfires and take the right ...

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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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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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Polar bears are icons of the north – powerful, resilient and increasingly at risk. Some of Canada’s polar bear population live in Ontario, and how we protect them matters not only provincially, but globally. In response to the federal government’s draft Management Plan for the Polar Bear in Canada, Ontario Nature is raising serious concerns ...

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If you’re fascinated by macro insect photography, you’re in for a treat. Retired nature photographer Herman Giethoorn has captured thousands of vivid images of insects and arachnids found in Ontario and beyond. Through his decades-long career, Herman’s work has been featured in books, magazines, calendars and more. Today, he’s the top contributor to our Flickr ...

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