Tag: biodiversity
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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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What's a bioblitz?
When you first hear the word “bioblitz,” you might be a little confused. What does this strange word mean? When you break the word down into smaller pieces, it becomes much easier to understand: “bio” means “life” and “blitz” means a “sudden, energetic, and concerted effort, typically on a specific task.”
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Enhancing biodiversity in Killarney's tree plantations
This article was written by Connor Oke, a marketing intern at Ontario Parks, using information provided by Ed Morris, Ontario Parks’ northeast zone ecologist. When Killarney Provincial Park was established in 1964, park managers faced a problem: what to do with old fields belonging to former homesteads within the park’s boundaries. To prevent the spread…
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Don't bring plants from home!
Our parks protect some of the most biodiverse places in Ontario, and this biodiversity includes an enormous number of native plant species. From giant Tulip Trees in the south to small ancient White Cedars on the Niagara Escarpment, north to carnivorous wildflowers (and the infamous Poison Ivy almost everywhere) — plants are the basis of our forest…
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Why is biodiversity important?
Biodiversity is a big word for the variety of life on Earth. Biodiversity is you — and every other living thing on the planet. We see biodiversity every day, but it’s more than bugs and animals and trees. It’s about how everything is connected. If we lose one piece of biodiversity, the rest is affected.
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The beaver: architect of biodiversity
Today, we join Discovery and Marketing Specialist Dave Sproule for a chat about the ecological and cultural significance of the beaver, which became Canada’s official symbol in 1975. We all know beavers are industrious. They build dams, canals and sturdy homes called lodges, which are warm in winter. They repair all those dams and collect enough food…