Tag: discovery

The long road to Lake Superior Provincial Park’s Dark Sky Preserve

Today’s post comes from Charlotte Westcott, a Discovery Program staff member at Lake Superior Provincial Park.

As the sun sets, the stars begin to appear. Like old friends, their familiar glow brings us home no matter how far away our house may be. Our friendly acquaintances, the constellations, trace their way across the sky. The white glow of the Milky Way emerges slowly to drown out its fainter neighbours.

Far away from the light pollution of major cities, Lake Superior Provincial Park’s night sky is one of the darkest in North America.

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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 a glimpse of something lurking in the shallow, weedy water below.

A drab aquatic insect appears with six long, jointed legs, each equipped with two claws.

Two large eyes and a jaw that covers most of the bottom part of the head…seemingly peering back at you.

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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 Luna Moth as a child, I was fascinated. I wondered if I had discovered some kind of fairy or other magical creature!

It was the first time an insect had ever caught my attention and curiosity.

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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 all, they’re the reason we have a forest!

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Is that lichen killing those trees?

Today’s post comes from Cara Freitag, a past Park Naturalist at Neys Provincial Park.

There are many misconceptions about nature: climb a tree to escape bears,  moose are friendly, coolers are strong enough to prevent bears getting your food.

Before I became a naturalist, I thought that all insects were bugs, not just the Hemiptera order. My cousins in Germany thought that every Canadian had a pet Polar Bear!

None of these things are true.

Big mammals tend to get most of the attention, but there are misconceptions about smaller organisms too.

We have many visitors at the Neys Visitor Centre wondering: “Is that lichen killing those trees?” (Don’t worry, the answer is no.)

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It’s Take Me Outside Day!

Written by Discovery Program Project Coordinator Jessica Stillman.

Teachers, did you know you can help your students be more engaged and enthusiastic in all areas of their learning by taking them outside?

Studies show that students who experience nature as part of the educational process score higher on tests in reading, writing, and math and have demonstrated better listening skills.

Not that you need any more reasons to get outside, but here are four more reasons to take your class outside for Take Me Outside Day:

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Leeches: fearsome, ferocious, and… friendly?

Today’s blog comes from Charlotte Westcott, Discovery leader at Neys Provincial Park.

One of the most exciting things about working for Ontario Parks is getting to investigate all the different species that live in your area.

Here at Neys, we have a diverse array of boreal forest flyers, runners, critters, and crawlers to investigate.

Yet for all our curiosity about the world around us, sometimes a few of our park residents can slip through the cracks.

Even for some park naturalists, critters can get a bit too… disgusting. Yet if we challenge ourselves to look past the grossness, we can find a whole new world of wonder on the other side!

These fearsome, ferocious, and friendly species have marvelous stories, adaptations, and more just waiting to be discovered once we give them a second look.

Continue reading Leeches: fearsome, ferocious, and… friendly?

Canadian Geographic’s Ontario Parks Giant Floor Map: bringing parks to the classroom

Calling all teachers…

Ontario is one huge place. Most of us spend the majority of our time in one small section of the province.

But there is a vast expanse waiting to be explored.

We’ve partnered with Canadian Geographic for something big. GIANT, you could say.

We’re excited to unfold the Ontario Parks Giant Floor Map, and explore it with students across the province.

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Fascinating fall fungi at Frontenac

From yeast fungi (responsible for leavening bread) to mold (we’ve all forgotten about food for just a little too long), the world of fungi is a large and fascinating one.

But the role fungi play in our natural environment is perhaps one of the most important roles of all.

Have you ever wondered how old tree stumps break down and are slowly reclaimed by the forest floor? Or how plants are able to obtain water and nutrients essential for their survival?

The answer is fungi.

Fungi are the powerhouses of forest ecosystems. They are the best wood decomposers found in the natural environment and form relationships with nearly 90% of the world’s land plants

At Frontenac Provincial Park, over 700 species of fungi have been identified in our forests.

Let’s find out some interesting facts about a handful of them:

Continue reading Fascinating fall fungi at Frontenac

(Don’t fear) The Eastern Hog-nosed Snake

Today’s post comes from Nicholas Ypelaar, former assistant Discovery coordinator at Awenda Provincial Park. 

“EW! SNAKES!” and/or accompanying fearful shrieks are phrases I’m all too familiar with.

In defense of all those who have zero affinity to the limbless scaled reptiles of the world, I can understand it. My grandmother grew up in Goa, India, where venomous snakes such as cobras and kraits are commonplace.

As humans, we tend to build fears based on what we perceive as dangerous to help us survive. However, we aren’t the only species trying to survive.

I’d like to dispel the myth that Ontario snakes are dangerous through the lens of a particular “bad actor,” the threatened Eastern Hog-nosed Snake.

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