Category: Nature Knowledge
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Underground, underwater or frozen solid: how do frogs & toads spend the winter?
This post was written by David LeGros, a park naturalist at Ontario Parks. As the crisp fall days get colder and the occasional dusting of snow whitens the landscape, we know that winter is just around the corner. For the countless songbirds of our forests, they avoid our cold winters and lack of food by…
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7 facts about Black Bears
Today’s post comes from Rick Stronks, the (now retired) chief naturalist at Algonquin Provincial Park. As winter weather rolls in, Black Bears are bedding down for hibernation. Here are some interesting facts about these seasonal deep sleepers:
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Health benefits of dark skies
Today’s blog comes from Senior Marketing Specialist Sarah McMichael-Chen. My most memorable camping memory didn’t come from a crackling campfire, a panoramic lookout, or a stunning sandy beach. It happened at 3:00 am at Lake Superior Provincial Park. As I stumbled out of my tent for a late-night bathroom break, I noticed something different about…
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Stars over Killarney 2023 recap: a marriage of culture, beauty, and science
Stars over Killarney is an annual festival celebrated at Killarney Provincial Park. The event’s 2023 theme — Colours in the Cosmos — was inspired by the parallels between the beauty and the colour in provincial parks and the beauty and colour of the skies above. And beautiful colour was found everywhere at this year’s event! The program took…
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Tracking the mysteries of migration
Today’s post comes from Bronte Creek Provincial Park Discovery Ranger Hannah Stockford and Darlington Provincial Park Piping Plover Student Jax Nasimok. Once upon a time, bird migration was a great mystery! Early ideas about migration by philosophers and scientists from hundreds of years ago were quite unusual. They varied from thinking birds hibernated in the mud…
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Dragonflies: the ultimate prehistoric predator
Today’s blog came from Hope Freeman, Discovery leader at Grundy Lake Provincial Park. Gather round. I’ve got a creature of the night that is sure to make the hair on the back of your neck stand up…just in time for spooky season. Picture this: you’re lakeside, with the sun just setting on the horizon. You catch…
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Surviving with sounds: the Luna Moth’s story
Today’s post comes from Senior Park Naturalist Kelsey Fenwick from Blue Lake Provincial Park. For many, the Luna Moth’s beautiful appearance is a special sight that elicits a sense of curiosity and wonder. For the Luna Moth, its appearance is a clever trick to avoid becoming a bat’s snack! The first time I spotted a…
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Rise of the clones
Today’s post comes from Cara Freitag, past park naturalist at Neys Provincial Park. When I first sat down to write this post, I felt doubt about whether or not people would want to read it. “Who cares about plant rhizomes? Why would anyone read that?” I asked myself. Well, I care about plant rhizomes. After…
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Squirrels for sale: the incredible history of squirrels at Rondeau
Today’s post is by Jess Matthews, the chief park naturalist at Rondeau Provincial Park. One hundred years ago, there was a lot we didn’t know about managing parks. The idea of maintaining ecological integrity is relatively new. Ontario’s first parks were primarily established for recreation and tourism. During the first half of the 20th century,…