No matter how you measure it – demand for camping equipment and bicycles, provincial park reservations, traffic on local rail-trails, or sales of feeders and bird seed – the pandemic has led to a huge uptick in the number of people engaging with nature and the outdoors. Read more…
A group of dedicated young people is keeping a close eye on the health of local lakes Not everyone would take delight in standing thigh-deep in muck to learn the difference between stinkpot and snapping turtles, but Rosalyn Shepherd was thrilled. The third-year environmental science student at Trent University Read more…
It’s easy to tune out the commonplace in our flora and let it become part of the “green blur”. This is especially true when it comes to ferns, which are among the most common plants you’re likely to encounter on a forest or wetland walk. However, just recognizing and paying Read more…
Many areas of the Kawarthas have been devastated by gypsy moth caterpillars I suspected something was up last summer. Swarms of small, brown moths were flying everywhere around my brother’s cottage south of Bon Echo Provincial Park. Closer examination revealed they were male gypsy moths. After a bit of searching, Read more…
A new invasive plant is rapidly spreading through the Kawartha Lakes In 2018, a water plant by the charming name of starry stonewort (SSW) was identified in Stony Lake. Fast forward two years and this highly-aggressive, invasive aquatic species is now turning up all over the Kawarthas. For many cottagers Read more…
A Kawarthas Summer Nature Almanac With summer almost upon us, I want to look ahead to some of the events in nature that we can expect over the next three months. As for the long-term weather forecast, normal to above-normal temperatures are expected this summer, according to Dave Read more…
“In spring the moccasin flowers reach for the crackling lick of the sun…” Mary Oliver For anyone with an interest in wildflowers, June is synonymous with orchids. At least a dozen species of this fascinating plant family bloom this month in the Kawarthas, and the spectacle is not to be Read more…
Engaging activities to help kids grasp the basics of evolution The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes. Marcel Proust One of the greatest gifts you can give children is a sense of wonder in the natural world. At the same time, Read more…
The pandemic has been an opportunity to enjoy spring migration at some of our great local birding destinations The news that all of Ontario’s parks, both provincial and national, would be closed this spring came as a big disappointment. A birding trip to Point Pelee and Rondeau has been a Read more…
“Whoever you are, no matter how lonely, the world offers itself to your imagination, calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting.” — Mary Oliver, “Wild Geese” From all accounts, nature seems to be doing just fine as human activity has been dialed down in recent months. Read more…
“Welcoming the birds of May” The time that birders have waited for since the lonely, frigid days of winter is now upon us. With May comes the peak of spring migration as long‑distance migrants pour into the Kawarthas from the neo‑tropics ‑ Mexico, Central America, the West Indies and South Read more…
If there is a bright side to the COVID-19 crisis, it is the gift of time that we’ve been given. Why not use it to reconnect with nature and, in the process, celebrate the 50th anniversary of Earth Day? With schools now closed, many families are looking for ideas to Read more…
Despite all the chaos and suffering caused by COVID-19, there is much to restore our faith in humanity and brighten our day. In my neighborhood at least, more people are out walking and acknowledging each other with a smile and a few words than I ever recall. Kids are even Read more…
An almanac of spring in the Kawarthas – Published April 10, 2020 At this time of great uncertainty in our lives, the natural world provides something we all need more than ever: predictability. I am talking about the predictability of change as one season slowly slips into the next, Read more…
The soothing balm you need in this crisis—and it needs you If I may, I would like to begin by asking you a question. Who is there for you right now, during this unprecedented time that we are living? I imagine that loved ones come to mind; close friends, family Read more…
Fewer than usual species found on local counts Many people are asking this winter where all the birds are. A friend in Keene told me recently that it’s been years since his feeders have required so little refilling. So, what’s going on? First, as predicted, most winter finches have Read more…
We will remember2019 as no less than the year of climate change awakening for Canada and much of the world. We saw unparalleled media coverage, civil disobedience, climate strikers on the streets, and a federal election in which two-thirds of voters supported parties that espouse a carbon tax. There was Read more…
This week, I’d like to share more nature sightings from the past year that readers have shared with me. I am always pleased to learn about what people are seeing and to try to answer nature-related questions. To stay abreast of the latest sightings in Peterborough and the Kawarthas, please Read more…
This week, I’d like to share more nature sightings from the past year that readers have shared with me. I am always pleased to learn about what people are seeing and to try to answer nature-related questions. To stay abreast of the latest sightings in Peterborough and the Kawarthas, please Read more…
Looking back at extreme fall temperatures and ahead to what nature has in store As is now the pattern with a changing climate, fall weather this year was marked by extreme temperatures. For many days in November, minimum temperatures were equal to or below historical lows. In Peterborough, the temperature Read more…
I would like to thank the many readers who have shared some of their nature sightings and photographs with me over the past year. This week and next, I am presenting a selection of the many anecdotes and observations I’ve received. These encounters with wildlife show how fortunate we are Read more…
Looking back at extreme fall temperatures and ahead to what nature has in store As is now the pattern with a changing climate, fall weather this year was marked by extreme temperatures. For many days in November, minimum temperatures were equal to or below historical lows. In Peterborough, the temperature Read more…
Book outlines challenges and reasons for hope in addressing climate change In last week’s column, I provided a glimpse of our bleak climatic future as described in “The Uninhabitable Earth”, by American journalist David Wallace-Wells. The book lays out in terrifying detail how climate change will soon become the defining Read more…
“The Uninhabitable Earth” explains how climate change is much worse than you think “We declare, with more than 11,000 scientist signatories from around the world, clearly and unequivocally, that planet Earth is facing a climate emergency.” These were the dire opening words of a report published November 4 in the Read more…
Evergreen forest floor plants are an under-appreciated feature of late fall At first glance, a walk in the November woods seems uneventful, with little of interest to catch our attention. Yet, this is a wonderful time of year to focus on elements of the forest that we may have missed Read more…
Seeing winter finches this year may mean a trip to Algonquin Park Some of my favourite backyard birds during fall and spring migration are white-throated and white-crowned sparrows. These migrants arrive each year right on schedule – almost to the day – and feed on the millet I scatter on Read more…
Still lots to look forward to in the parade of fall colours From May’s gentle pastels and summer’s kaleidoscope of greens to early fall’s dazzling reds and oranges, each time of year has its signature colours. Now, as we move into the second half of October, yellow is taking over Read more…
Grassland birds and aerial insectivores among the hardest hit When I was a teenager in the 1960s, the Peterborough Field Naturalists made an annual June visit to Harry William’s farm near Millbrook. This was not your average nature outing. You were expected to arrive no later than 4:00 am. Why, Read more…
The Liberals aren’t perfect, but a Conservative government would be infinitely worse Earlier this summer, I thought I’d made up my mind. I was going to vote Green to send a message that much more aggressive climate action is necessary. I was bitterly disappointed that the Liberals had failed to Read more…
Shifting dates, species declines, and surprising newcomers tell us climate change has arrived For years we used to drive up to Algonquin Park in early summer to take our daughters to camp. One of the highlights of these trips was seeing moose along the side of Highway 60. Getting closeup Read more…