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…
“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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Council expected to revisit Peterborough’s suspended tree bylaw later this fall I have always loved trees. As a kid I delighted in climbing the sugar maples near our house and seeing how high I could go until terror set in. I also spent countless hours playing “chestnuts” with the shiny Read more…
Looking ahead to events in nature in the Kawarthas Although we enjoyed a comfortable summer in the Kawarthas – sunny, not too hot, and no extreme weather – the biggest story for the planet as a whole continues to be the climate crisis. July was Earth’s hottest month since temperature Read more…
Your enthusiasm for nature will be noticed by children A love of nature begins in childhood; every boy and girl is a budding naturalist. This should come as no surprise. Up until the agricultural revolution and, later, the emigration into villages and cities, humans grew up and lived in intimate Read more…
July is a great time to get to know these beautiful insects. My special affection for butterflies began as a classroom teacher. Each September, I would collect monarch caterpillars for my students to raise. They would watch and document each stage of metamorphosis with rapt attention. We were often able Read more…
An activist friend told me recently about an email she received doubting the urgency of addressing climate change. The person argued that if climate change was truly a crisis, our elected leaders and governments at all levels would be saying so, and, since relatively few politicians seem truly alarmed, there Read more…
Now that summer has officially arrived, 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, seasonal temperatures are expected this summer with frequent swings from hot to colder. These swings will mean Read more…
Spring in the Kawarthas is synonymous with a ubiquitous yellow dust that descends upon everything from cars and patio furniture to rivers and lakes. Even the edges of puddles become marked with what looks like yellow chalk. For cottagers, the strange powder is most visible in June, when it piles Read more…
Motorists need to slow down and watch out for these increasingly rare travelers. I have always had a special fondness for turtles. As a child, I loved nothing more than catching, feeding and then releasing these ancient reptiles. They were no less than my gateway drug to a lifelong love Read more…
A visit to Point Pelee and Rondeau parks is a celebration of the wonder of spring migration For anyone wanting to see Ontario’s most spectacular birds – Red-headed Woodpeckers, Indigo Buntings, Scarlet Tanagers, Baltimore Orioles, Red-breasted Grosbeaks, and more than two dozen species of warblers – a trip to Point Read more…