With Earth Day fast approaching, now’s the perfect time to talk about how our ecopassages are helping protect Ontario’s wildlife!
You may have heard of wilderness corridors built for wildlife to cross over or under the TransCanada Highway. Ecopassages are mini versions of these, like a critter-sized subway tunnel passing under the road.
Continue reading Ecopassages help wildlife cross roads safely
Today, we want to share an important message about how we can keep our foxes (and other wild creatures) safe.
Foxes are extremely intelligent, able to multitask and quickly clue in to patterns. They remember where they found food, and will return to that spot to search for more.
But sometimes, foxes are too clever for their own good.
In today’s post, Brad Steinberg, our Natural Heritage Education & Learning Coordinator, shares the story of how he (kinda) proposed to a Blanding’s turtle.
It was September 30, the last day of trout season in Algonquin Provincial Park. I was trudging out a portage with a canoe over my head when I saw it: a big, beautiful Blanding’s turtle, perched right on the edge of the old roadway.
Continue reading The turtle who swam off with my wedding ring
Today’s post comes from Pilar Manorome, a natural heritage education specialist from Rondeau Provincial Park.
While you’re cuddled up on the couch with your favourite book and a big cup of hot chocolate, have you ever wondered where our eight-legged friends spend the cold winter months? Well, I’ve got the answers to your winter-time ponderings.
You’ve likely passed this plant while exploring a park or even while driving on the highway. But did you recognize this invasive species?
The naturalists at Rondeau Provincial Park have been busy this summer. In case you missed it, check out the park’s ongoing “Nature Nuggets” video series.
Check out these videos on turtles, mallards and invasive species!
Continue reading Rondeau’s Nature Nuggets
Rondeau Provincial Park hosts “Reptile Day.” A day to learn about our sensational scaly critters!
We encourage everyone (even if you are not too keen on the legless variety) to join us in a day dedicated to the appreciation of ALL of our unique reptile species, from snakes to skinks.
Continue reading Reptile Day at Rondeau Provincial Park
Can’t identify a bird or a butterfly you saw on your latest trip to one of Ontario’s provincial parks? Want to know more about a particular wild flower you spotted? Or whether the mushrooms you came across are edible?
Ontario Parks’ team of naturalists has the answer!
Continue reading Ask an Ontario Parks naturalist
Planning to visit a provincial park this summer? Looking for something different the whole family can do together? Why not take a walk on the ‘wild’ side? Discover how to track animals. Catch insects. Learn birdcalls – or communicate with wolves in the wild at night. Create nature-inspired art in the medium of your choice. Or find out how different species mate by attending a ‘Glee’-style musical!
Have we got the cure for that!
Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods: Saving our children from Nature Deficit Disorder, rocked the parenting world with his notion that outdoor play is becoming extinct and we as parents are to blame.
His theory is that children nowadays are so overprotected and sedentary they have developed what he calls Nature Deficit Disorder, a condition that renders children devoid of outdoor play, disconnected from nature and completely unaware that their very future – and ours as a species – is at risk.
Continue reading Do your kids suffer from Nature Deficit Disorder?
