Category: Nature Knowledge
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Invader alert! Help us stop the Spiny Waterflea!
This blog comes from Algonquin Provinical Park’s team of biologists and ecologists. Algonquin is a stronghold of headwaters. Most of our lakes are fed by cold, clean water that bubbles up from the ground. That water flows out of the park and feeds countless lakes and streams in southern Ontario. One of the goals in…
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It's aster season!
Today’s post comes to us from Discovery Program Specialist Dave Sproule. Around the middle of August, Ontario’s landscape starts to change colour. A bit of gold here, swaths of white there, and even a touch of purple in places. No, it’s not fall yet, although the odd maple tree may think so. It’s actually the “second…
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Where the wild things are: salamanders
Today’s post comes from Jazmin Gall, park naturalist at Samuel de Champlain Provincial Park. As park staff, one of our favorite questions to get from visitors is, “Where do insert various wildlife names live within the park?” We love visitors who are as excited as we are about wildlife and we’re more than happy to…
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Building a safe haven with Samuel de Champlain Provincial Park’s artificial turtle nesting site
Today’s post comes from Rose Brandt, a Discovery student at Samuel de Champlain Provincial Park. If you’ve been to Bagwa Day-Use Beach at Samuel de Champlain, you might’ve wondered what that seemingly random pile of sand beside the beach is all about. That would be our artificial turtle nesting site!
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The curious Conopholis plant
Today’s post comes from Maddie Bray, a naturalist at Awenda Provincial Park. As park naturalists, we get asked all sorts of questions about various organisms that live within the park. Campers will describe the call of a bird they didn’t quite see or the colouring of an insect that was just too quick to photograph.…
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It's August — what are Black Bears up to?
Ontario’s Black Bears are busy looking for food in August! They only have a few a short months before they go into hibernation. In August, Black Bears are focused on finding delicious berries like blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries.
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The flight of the Prothonotary Warbler
Today’s post comes from Jess Matthews, chief park naturalist at Rondeau Provincial Park. Special thanks to Kevin Gevaert for providing Prothonotary Warblers photos! Close your eyes. Try to imagine a spring with no birdsong. A spring without flashes of colour flitting through the bushes. A silent forest void of oranges, yellows, blues, and reds… …it…
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Take a hike!
Today’s blog was written by Discovery Program Project Coordinator Jessica Stillman. We’re not trying to be rude; we really do want you to take a hike! On Wednesday, August 9, 2023, Discovery staff across the province are encouraging everyone to explore our provincial park system by taking a hike.