On December 23 of last year, I looked out my living room window at the red oak tree outside. It still had a few leaves on it, scattered on spreading branches.
Rain had frozen on the leaves, so that they had ice on them. The sun came out from the west behind the tree and shone on the leaves, making little gold lights which moved and glistened in the wind.
Then, as the sun went further down, there was more orange and the leaves looked like small candle-fires burning all over the tree, very lively and in motion. The sky behind the tree was very light blue and white, so that the tree really stood out. The "candles" kept shining brightly for a good fifteen minutes.
There were then bands of white clouds brightly lit from below, which blew out of sight to the east, and what was left was a vivid blue sky, like a summer sky, until a gentle orange appeared, and then a deep orange just before sunset.
Note: This is my last and final posting at Nature Ontario, as I have now covered all of the topics which I had planned at the beginning. These postings will be here until the blogsite provider decides to remove them, so now is your chance to read or print out any you may want. Thank you for your interest.
Monday, December 8, 2008
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Biodiversity in the Bible
The Oxford "Cyclopedic Bible Concordance", printed in Britain in the 1940s, contains special sections listing the animals, birds etc. which are named in the Bible. The lists are very impressive. That is because the Holy Lands include a wide variety of natural habitats including "maritime and inland, mountain and plain, luxuriance and desert, cold and tropical, glacial and volcanic, pastoral and arable". So, the species which like any one of these places can live there.
Although some species of animals formerly abundant have disappeared, such as the lion, wild bull, rhinoceros and bison, 80 species of mammalia still existed there in the 1940s. How well have the present stewards of the Holy Lands preserved these species?
As for birds, the Concordance states that there were about 350 species there in the 1940s. The list of plants mentioned in the Bible includes 114 kinds, and the Concordance states that a noted scientist says of Palestine: "There is not another spot on earth where so much of nature is focused as in this little corner. You have Alpine cold and torrid heat. Here are all the animals, birds, insects, plants, shells, rocks of all zones".
If you compare the biodiversity of the former Palestine to Ontario's Tommy Thompson Park in Toronto, which is an internationally recognized important birding area, it has a list of 300 resident and migrant birds ever seen there. We used to have more animal species living in forests extending further south in Ontario, until the trees were cut down for lumbering and agriculture. We have quite a variety of habitats, from the warm south to the far north of our province, and we have more freshwater lakes than anywhere else in the world.
Note: You are encouraged to explore how your own religion supports biodiversity.
Although some species of animals formerly abundant have disappeared, such as the lion, wild bull, rhinoceros and bison, 80 species of mammalia still existed there in the 1940s. How well have the present stewards of the Holy Lands preserved these species?
As for birds, the Concordance states that there were about 350 species there in the 1940s. The list of plants mentioned in the Bible includes 114 kinds, and the Concordance states that a noted scientist says of Palestine: "There is not another spot on earth where so much of nature is focused as in this little corner. You have Alpine cold and torrid heat. Here are all the animals, birds, insects, plants, shells, rocks of all zones".
If you compare the biodiversity of the former Palestine to Ontario's Tommy Thompson Park in Toronto, which is an internationally recognized important birding area, it has a list of 300 resident and migrant birds ever seen there. We used to have more animal species living in forests extending further south in Ontario, until the trees were cut down for lumbering and agriculture. We have quite a variety of habitats, from the warm south to the far north of our province, and we have more freshwater lakes than anywhere else in the world.
Note: You are encouraged to explore how your own religion supports biodiversity.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Nature in the Bible
The Book of Genesis begins with the story of creation - the creation of wildlife habitat, then the creation of all of nature's plants and creatures, and finally the creation of human beings in God's image. Since we were created in God's image, we are obviously meant to create and protect wildlife habitat too - as well as to support all forms of life. We are earthly stewards of God's creation.
Noah was a great conservationist. He constructed a very large boat, so that he, his relatives, and every kind of animal and bird could survive the great flood.
There are many quotations throughout the Bible which uphold the value of nature and the need to be kind to nature's creatures. Here are some examples:
"If you happen to see your enemy's cow or donkey run loose, take it back to him. If his donkey has fallen under its load, help him get the donkey to its feet again; don't just walk off." (Exodus 23:4-5)
"Work six days a week, but do not work on the seventh day, so that...even your animals can rest." (Exodus 23:12)
"A good man takes care of his animals, but wicked men are cruel to theirs." (Proverbs 12:10)
"Jesus said "For only a penny, you can buy two sparrows, yet not one sparrow falls to the ground without your Father's consent." (Matthew 10:29)
Note: You are encouraged to explore how your own religion supports life, nature and conservation.
Noah was a great conservationist. He constructed a very large boat, so that he, his relatives, and every kind of animal and bird could survive the great flood.
There are many quotations throughout the Bible which uphold the value of nature and the need to be kind to nature's creatures. Here are some examples:
"If you happen to see your enemy's cow or donkey run loose, take it back to him. If his donkey has fallen under its load, help him get the donkey to its feet again; don't just walk off." (Exodus 23:4-5)
"Work six days a week, but do not work on the seventh day, so that...even your animals can rest." (Exodus 23:12)
"A good man takes care of his animals, but wicked men are cruel to theirs." (Proverbs 12:10)
"Jesus said "For only a penny, you can buy two sparrows, yet not one sparrow falls to the ground without your Father's consent." (Matthew 10:29)
Note: You are encouraged to explore how your own religion supports life, nature and conservation.
Friday, November 28, 2008
Neville Park's Lost River
One of the biggest mistakes is to try to build right over a river, because this greatly interferes with nature's intended course. A whole street, with houses on both sides, was put in over what was obviously once a flourishing eco-system, on Neville Park Boulevard in the Toronto Beach area.
I once met a woman who lived in one of these houses, and she told me about the water and spongy ground in her driveway. I said I had noticed sloping front steps and repairs to the brickwork on some of the houses, where the movement of water underneath had actually shifted some of the buildings.
I also asked her about the houses on the west side of the street (north of Queen Street) which have very steep front yards and several flights of steps to get up to them. I said "Wouldn't it delay the response time of emergency personnel if they had to climb up all those steps - especially in the snow and ice in winter?" She replied that it was "no problem", because a friend of hers had been carried down to an ambulance one time. However, she added that the friend had died.
There are other places in Toronto where houses have been built right over rivers too. One is the houses on the east side of Glen Manor Drive, south of Queen Street, which were built right on top of a river which used to be big enough to have boats come up it from Lake Ontario. One of the houses has shifted so far over that it actually leans on the next house. Taddle Creek in the Toronto Annex area is another example: I have been in the house on the northwest corner of Bernard and St. George Streets, and the floors in it have shifted to an extreme slant. It looks down across the street to the Chinese Consulate, and one can only imagine how international relations are affected. The Garrison Creek regularly floods the basements on Shaw Street, and downhill from there, the playing field at the Christie Pits has water and spongy ground even on the dry summer days.
While on the subject of real estate you might want to consider not buying, the new houses on the southwest corner of Queen and Woodbine were built right on what used to be part of Ashbridges Bay, and they require sump pumps in the basements - not a good place to be if there is ever a repeat of Hurricane Hazel! And what does a street named "Fallingbrook" suggest to you? (Also, be suspicious of any house which is built with wood right down touching the edge of the lawn, as this makes wonderful termite habitat.)
I once met a woman who lived in one of these houses, and she told me about the water and spongy ground in her driveway. I said I had noticed sloping front steps and repairs to the brickwork on some of the houses, where the movement of water underneath had actually shifted some of the buildings.
I also asked her about the houses on the west side of the street (north of Queen Street) which have very steep front yards and several flights of steps to get up to them. I said "Wouldn't it delay the response time of emergency personnel if they had to climb up all those steps - especially in the snow and ice in winter?" She replied that it was "no problem", because a friend of hers had been carried down to an ambulance one time. However, she added that the friend had died.
There are other places in Toronto where houses have been built right over rivers too. One is the houses on the east side of Glen Manor Drive, south of Queen Street, which were built right on top of a river which used to be big enough to have boats come up it from Lake Ontario. One of the houses has shifted so far over that it actually leans on the next house. Taddle Creek in the Toronto Annex area is another example: I have been in the house on the northwest corner of Bernard and St. George Streets, and the floors in it have shifted to an extreme slant. It looks down across the street to the Chinese Consulate, and one can only imagine how international relations are affected. The Garrison Creek regularly floods the basements on Shaw Street, and downhill from there, the playing field at the Christie Pits has water and spongy ground even on the dry summer days.
While on the subject of real estate you might want to consider not buying, the new houses on the southwest corner of Queen and Woodbine were built right on what used to be part of Ashbridges Bay, and they require sump pumps in the basements - not a good place to be if there is ever a repeat of Hurricane Hazel! And what does a street named "Fallingbrook" suggest to you? (Also, be suspicious of any house which is built with wood right down touching the edge of the lawn, as this makes wonderful termite habitat.)
Monday, November 24, 2008
Strategic Natural Places to Save
One important place which has fortunately been saved is Grant's Woods, near Orillia, Ontario. It has more than 52 acres of rare, old-growth forest. The man who owned it, William M. Grant, was a very responsible steward of the land and he donated it to the Couchiching Conservancy.
Volunteers worked hard to convert the house into a Conservancy Centre and foundations and local businesses donated money to it. There are now educational programs for schools and other community groups at Grant's Woods, as well as walking trails for those who wish to observe nature.
Another important place which should have been better saved is the kettle lakes of the Oak Ridges Moraine. Again, many volunteers worked very hard to educate the public about the importance of the kettle lakes for Toronto's future water supply. However, despite their pre-election promise to save the kettle lakes of Bond Lake and Lake Wilcox, the Liberal government failed to take effective action once elected. They claimed that it would have cost the taxpayers too much money to oppose the developers in court, but what judge would have ruled in favour of such ill-advised development?
An additional strategic place to save - or, at least, to be in harmony with - is the ley lines of the earth. The Indians used to travel in the same direction as the rivers flowed, often in canoes. However, what has happened more recently is that streets and highways have been built at right-angles to the rivers, with bridges carrying large amounts of traffic at right-angles to the natural flow.
People respond unconsciously to this lack of underlying harmony. For example, the large bridge called the Bloor Viaduct over Toronto's Don River has been the scene of numerous suicides. In addition, where the subway crosses the Humber River near the Old Mill, bodies have been found. Other behaviours in the places where roads cross at right-angles to rivers are accidents, graffiti, and other crimes. In other words, something is reminding people that something is wrong - and it will continue to do so until the rivers and nature are respected.
Volunteers worked hard to convert the house into a Conservancy Centre and foundations and local businesses donated money to it. There are now educational programs for schools and other community groups at Grant's Woods, as well as walking trails for those who wish to observe nature.
Another important place which should have been better saved is the kettle lakes of the Oak Ridges Moraine. Again, many volunteers worked very hard to educate the public about the importance of the kettle lakes for Toronto's future water supply. However, despite their pre-election promise to save the kettle lakes of Bond Lake and Lake Wilcox, the Liberal government failed to take effective action once elected. They claimed that it would have cost the taxpayers too much money to oppose the developers in court, but what judge would have ruled in favour of such ill-advised development?
An additional strategic place to save - or, at least, to be in harmony with - is the ley lines of the earth. The Indians used to travel in the same direction as the rivers flowed, often in canoes. However, what has happened more recently is that streets and highways have been built at right-angles to the rivers, with bridges carrying large amounts of traffic at right-angles to the natural flow.
People respond unconsciously to this lack of underlying harmony. For example, the large bridge called the Bloor Viaduct over Toronto's Don River has been the scene of numerous suicides. In addition, where the subway crosses the Humber River near the Old Mill, bodies have been found. Other behaviours in the places where roads cross at right-angles to rivers are accidents, graffiti, and other crimes. In other words, something is reminding people that something is wrong - and it will continue to do so until the rivers and nature are respected.
Monday, November 17, 2008
The Lost Species of Ontario
Ontario used to have large flocks of passenger pigeons. In fact, my grandfather told my father that there were so many of them that the sky would turn dark when they flew over. However, due to human mismanagement of the environment, there is not one passenger pigeon left today. One reason is that they were hunted . Another reason was habitat loss, because they nested in the white pines and pines were cut down for lumber.
There used to be plants which you no longer see as well. A relative of ours, Annabelle (Lucas) Noble of Lefroy, Ontario was interviewed for the Bradford Witness when she was over 100 years old in the late 1960s. She recalled:
"I remember plants growing almost wild around the door, plants unheard of today: Sweet Mary, when pinched gave off a lovely perfume. Live Forever was a thick-leafed green vine and of course, there was Old Man and Old Woman. These foliage plants grew around the old well, too."
How many other species have disappeared? Let us make sure that we take good care of the ones we have left, so that they will still be here in the future.
There used to be plants which you no longer see as well. A relative of ours, Annabelle (Lucas) Noble of Lefroy, Ontario was interviewed for the Bradford Witness when she was over 100 years old in the late 1960s. She recalled:
"I remember plants growing almost wild around the door, plants unheard of today: Sweet Mary, when pinched gave off a lovely perfume. Live Forever was a thick-leafed green vine and of course, there was Old Man and Old Woman. These foliage plants grew around the old well, too."
How many other species have disappeared? Let us make sure that we take good care of the ones we have left, so that they will still be here in the future.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
The Care of City Trees
The older parts of Ontario cities such as Toronto have tall trees - often red or white oaks. These trees have many benefits including shade for us from the sun, the cooling of houses in the summer, protection from wind in the winter, habitat for wildlife, beauty, and property value.
Yet, many of these trees are near the end of their life cycle, and not enough new ones are being planted. How about a law that, every time a tree is cut down, two new ones have to be planted?
Trees, like all living beings including us, need food. Their food comes from the leaves which fall on the ground and become soil again, so that the cycle of life will sustain itself. Yet, many of the leaves are taken away from the trees which provided them; the leaves are removed in bags. The trees eventually become less green.
Another problem is air pollution. Some types of trees are more susceptible to pollution than others. You can observe those trees which have just branches and no leaves at the top, which is where the new growth should be taking place. Norway maples are widely planted because they are pollution-resistant, grow quickly, and provide shade. However, they are not native trees, and the birds do not nest in them for that reason.
A more intelligent approach is obviously needed for the care of our trees.
Yet, many of these trees are near the end of their life cycle, and not enough new ones are being planted. How about a law that, every time a tree is cut down, two new ones have to be planted?
Trees, like all living beings including us, need food. Their food comes from the leaves which fall on the ground and become soil again, so that the cycle of life will sustain itself. Yet, many of the leaves are taken away from the trees which provided them; the leaves are removed in bags. The trees eventually become less green.
Another problem is air pollution. Some types of trees are more susceptible to pollution than others. You can observe those trees which have just branches and no leaves at the top, which is where the new growth should be taking place. Norway maples are widely planted because they are pollution-resistant, grow quickly, and provide shade. However, they are not native trees, and the birds do not nest in them for that reason.
A more intelligent approach is obviously needed for the care of our trees.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Bird-Feeders at Retirement Homes
When my father was up in his eighties and living in a retirement home, my brother brought him a bird-feeder and set it up outside his window for him. He knew that my father would like this because he had had a bird-feeder outside his front window at home for many years and had always loved nature.
Sure enough, cardinals and blue jays came to the feeder. Red-winged blackbirds came up from the nearby marsh. My father enjoyed watching them far more than he had a use for the colour television in his room. Everyday he put out more seeds for the birds, from a large bag of seed which my brother had brought him.
The next time I went to visit my father, there was a whole row of bird-feeders, all along that side of the building - one outside each resident's window. A new interest had been created, which kept both the seniors and the birds happy.
Sure enough, cardinals and blue jays came to the feeder. Red-winged blackbirds came up from the nearby marsh. My father enjoyed watching them far more than he had a use for the colour television in his room. Everyday he put out more seeds for the birds, from a large bag of seed which my brother had brought him.
The next time I went to visit my father, there was a whole row of bird-feeders, all along that side of the building - one outside each resident's window. A new interest had been created, which kept both the seniors and the birds happy.
Friday, October 24, 2008
How I Became Interested In Nature
Being encouraged by one's family definitely helps, and there is much that parents can do to teach their children about nature and the environment. When my great-grandparents came to Canada, they had a choice of several farms and they chose the one which was most scenic, because that was what my great-grandmother liked.
Her son (my grandfather) used to stay up late at night and read the Encyclopedia Britannicas by oil-lamp, so that he could learn about the different kinds of plants, trees, animals and birds etc. He became very knowledgeable about the subject and he got along well with the Indians, as they both shared a concern about nature. He passed on his knowledge to his son (my father) who, in turn, taught me a great deal about it.
When I was young, we still lived on the family farm and my mother used to take us on walks to the nearby lake, a pond, the woods and fields. She taught us about the different plants, birds, etc. which we saw and when we were a bit older, she taught us about gardening.
As a student, I did not have as much to do with nature but I gradually came back to it. I learned a great deal from the Conservation Authority at Tommy Thompson Park in Toronto. I also joined the Toronto Field Naturalists and went on their nature walks and attended their lectures. This was a good learning opportunity as well, because the group included very knowledgeable people, some of them retired biologists.
Then I found that I could learn more about nature by going on outings by myself, because in a group there is more of a tendency to pay attention to the other members of the group than to be able to use your senses and experience nature as a deeper meditation. So, I went on quite a few outings by bicycle or on foot to various parks in Toronto.
Her son (my grandfather) used to stay up late at night and read the Encyclopedia Britannicas by oil-lamp, so that he could learn about the different kinds of plants, trees, animals and birds etc. He became very knowledgeable about the subject and he got along well with the Indians, as they both shared a concern about nature. He passed on his knowledge to his son (my father) who, in turn, taught me a great deal about it.
When I was young, we still lived on the family farm and my mother used to take us on walks to the nearby lake, a pond, the woods and fields. She taught us about the different plants, birds, etc. which we saw and when we were a bit older, she taught us about gardening.
As a student, I did not have as much to do with nature but I gradually came back to it. I learned a great deal from the Conservation Authority at Tommy Thompson Park in Toronto. I also joined the Toronto Field Naturalists and went on their nature walks and attended their lectures. This was a good learning opportunity as well, because the group included very knowledgeable people, some of them retired biologists.
Then I found that I could learn more about nature by going on outings by myself, because in a group there is more of a tendency to pay attention to the other members of the group than to be able to use your senses and experience nature as a deeper meditation. So, I went on quite a few outings by bicycle or on foot to various parks in Toronto.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Wildwood Parkette
Hidden away on a side-street named Wildwood Crescent, in Toronto's Gerrard and Woodbine area, is a small park along the railway track called Wildwood Parkette. Its significance is the number of wildlife species which can be found in the city, if even a small space is friendly to them.
Because the grass and wildflowers are seldom cut along the railway track, a surprising variety of plants can be observed there, and the seeds from them resut in wildflowers popping up on the park lawn. The wildflowers include milkweed, Canada goldenrod, Queen Anne's lace, chicory, common sowthistle, butter-and-eggs, white sweet clover, small hop clover, white clover, red clover, tumble mustard, dandelion, pigweed, bluet, and columbine. The far side of the tracks has a beautiful, long patch of dame's rocket, and the fence on the park side has Virginia creeper.
Insects include monarch butterflies, bumblebees, cabbage white butterflies, cicadas, field crickets, and carpenter ants.
Much of the side of the park which is along the tracks has trees, both inside and outside of the railway fence. I once watched a yellow-bellied sapsucker systematically making holes in a branch of one of the Scotch pines. Another time I saw a barred owl, resting up on a tree branch during the day.
Other birds seen there include: song sparrow, junco, robin, marsh hawk, chickadee, crow, ring-billed gull, starling, pigeon, house sparrow, mourning dove, cardinal, blue jay, hermit thrush, golden-crowned kinglet, house finch, yellow-shafted flicker, and tree swallow.
Railway tracks also serve as corridors along which mammals travel, most notably coyotes. One time a women living a few streets further south reported seeing a deer in her back yard, and it would have travelled along the railway tracks and then down to her garden.
Because the grass and wildflowers are seldom cut along the railway track, a surprising variety of plants can be observed there, and the seeds from them resut in wildflowers popping up on the park lawn. The wildflowers include milkweed, Canada goldenrod, Queen Anne's lace, chicory, common sowthistle, butter-and-eggs, white sweet clover, small hop clover, white clover, red clover, tumble mustard, dandelion, pigweed, bluet, and columbine. The far side of the tracks has a beautiful, long patch of dame's rocket, and the fence on the park side has Virginia creeper.
Insects include monarch butterflies, bumblebees, cabbage white butterflies, cicadas, field crickets, and carpenter ants.
Much of the side of the park which is along the tracks has trees, both inside and outside of the railway fence. I once watched a yellow-bellied sapsucker systematically making holes in a branch of one of the Scotch pines. Another time I saw a barred owl, resting up on a tree branch during the day.
Other birds seen there include: song sparrow, junco, robin, marsh hawk, chickadee, crow, ring-billed gull, starling, pigeon, house sparrow, mourning dove, cardinal, blue jay, hermit thrush, golden-crowned kinglet, house finch, yellow-shafted flicker, and tree swallow.
Railway tracks also serve as corridors along which mammals travel, most notably coyotes. One time a women living a few streets further south reported seeing a deer in her back yard, and it would have travelled along the railway tracks and then down to her garden.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Glen Stewart Ravine
Glen Stewart Ravine is in the Toronto Beach area, running south from Kingston Road just east of Glen Manor Drive. You go down a long flight of wooden steps and follow the trail.
Before you even get down to the woods, you have likely seen house sparrows, starlings, crows, blue jays, grackles and robins, as well as pigeons and ring-billed gulls flying overhead. At the bottom of the steps, there is a very tall tree with a hole away up high, where downy woodpeckers go in and out.
In the leaves below may be hermit thrushes, house wrens, and even a whippoorwill. Chickadees and flickers call in the background. Along the path, you may look up and see a crow's nest away up high, a nuthatch at eye level, and, in the fall, golden-crowned kinglets.
If you take the steps up to Balsam Avenue, you may see a hairy woodpecker and winter wrens. If you go straight ahead, rather than up the steps, you come to a more open area where there may be goldfinches. There are migrating warblers in spring and fall. In fact, according to a City of Toronto booklet entitled "Glen Stewart Ravine Nature Trail", up to 110 species of migrating birds may be seen in this ravine.
Foxes used to have a den in the ravine as well. One day I saw a young fox run across Southwood Drive near Glen Ames Road and go behind some houses towards the ravine.
A number of years ago, small signs on metal posts were put in front of the largest trees to number them and tell what kind of trees they were. The 12 numbered trees, starting at the southerly entrance and heading up north along the right side of the main path - the left side has a nice stream running along it - are:
Red Maple
Eastern Hemlock
Yellow Birch
Northern Red Oak
White Oak
Mountain Maple
Alternate-leaved Dogwood
Black Cherry
Witch Hazel
American Beech
Sugar Maple
White Ash
If you visit this ravine, you may wish to bring a tree book with you and see how many of these trees you can find. Stay on the main trails, because erosion of the sandy soil is a problem, and the trees need the soil preserved for their roots.
Before you even get down to the woods, you have likely seen house sparrows, starlings, crows, blue jays, grackles and robins, as well as pigeons and ring-billed gulls flying overhead. At the bottom of the steps, there is a very tall tree with a hole away up high, where downy woodpeckers go in and out.
In the leaves below may be hermit thrushes, house wrens, and even a whippoorwill. Chickadees and flickers call in the background. Along the path, you may look up and see a crow's nest away up high, a nuthatch at eye level, and, in the fall, golden-crowned kinglets.
If you take the steps up to Balsam Avenue, you may see a hairy woodpecker and winter wrens. If you go straight ahead, rather than up the steps, you come to a more open area where there may be goldfinches. There are migrating warblers in spring and fall. In fact, according to a City of Toronto booklet entitled "Glen Stewart Ravine Nature Trail", up to 110 species of migrating birds may be seen in this ravine.
Foxes used to have a den in the ravine as well. One day I saw a young fox run across Southwood Drive near Glen Ames Road and go behind some houses towards the ravine.
A number of years ago, small signs on metal posts were put in front of the largest trees to number them and tell what kind of trees they were. The 12 numbered trees, starting at the southerly entrance and heading up north along the right side of the main path - the left side has a nice stream running along it - are:
Red Maple
Eastern Hemlock
Yellow Birch
Northern Red Oak
White Oak
Mountain Maple
Alternate-leaved Dogwood
Black Cherry
Witch Hazel
American Beech
Sugar Maple
White Ash
If you visit this ravine, you may wish to bring a tree book with you and see how many of these trees you can find. Stay on the main trails, because erosion of the sandy soil is a problem, and the trees need the soil preserved for their roots.
Saturday, October 4, 2008
How Nature is Viewed
On the television show "The Nature of Things" on January 16, 1997, there was a discussion about how nature has been viewed in proprietary terms, rather than for its own sake. In other words, there is too much of an attitude that nature is a commodity to be used and that it is not useful unless it is destroyed. How much progress has there been since then?
There is more awareness of the need for recycling, and this is a positive step forward. However, the materials which are not recycled are still taken to places called "landfill sites", as if the land needs to be filled, rather than appreciated as it is.
There has been terrible destruction of the Oak Ridges Moraine, with governments doing little to stop the so-called construction (actually, destruction), which has threatened Toronto's future clean water supply from the kettle lakes and permanently destroyed much valuable farmland.
Lawn pesticides for cosmetic use have been banned province-wide in Ontario, and this progress. However, golf courses, which take up large areas of land, were excluded from the ban and pesticides are still used on foods which people actually eat.
Thus, although there has been some noteworthy progress - as a result of the hard work of caring naturalists - there remains a lack of right-brain awareness on the part of those who are imprisoned in the goals of money and power. Those in that category still regard nature as a commodity in the same way that they view other people as a commodity, to be used for those goals. This attitude, in turn, stems from viewing themselves as being commodities. That is, they are caught up in the misbelief that they have to impress other people to have any value themselves.
There is more awareness of the need for recycling, and this is a positive step forward. However, the materials which are not recycled are still taken to places called "landfill sites", as if the land needs to be filled, rather than appreciated as it is.
There has been terrible destruction of the Oak Ridges Moraine, with governments doing little to stop the so-called construction (actually, destruction), which has threatened Toronto's future clean water supply from the kettle lakes and permanently destroyed much valuable farmland.
Lawn pesticides for cosmetic use have been banned province-wide in Ontario, and this progress. However, golf courses, which take up large areas of land, were excluded from the ban and pesticides are still used on foods which people actually eat.
Thus, although there has been some noteworthy progress - as a result of the hard work of caring naturalists - there remains a lack of right-brain awareness on the part of those who are imprisoned in the goals of money and power. Those in that category still regard nature as a commodity in the same way that they view other people as a commodity, to be used for those goals. This attitude, in turn, stems from viewing themselves as being commodities. That is, they are caught up in the misbelief that they have to impress other people to have any value themselves.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Ideas for New Eco-Products
More items would be recycled if people could think of creative uses for them. In fact, there used to be an environmental group in the Toronto Annex in which the members would get together to come up with new uses for things they were ready to throw out.
Here is one idea which a friend of mine thought of: Make eco-planting pots out of crushed, organic materials, such as carrot peelings, to grow carrots. A plant would come in the pot, and you would simply set it out in the garden. You would not have to transplant it, because the pot would become the exact kind of nourishment which the plant would need.
Another idea would be to have eco-labels to put on containers which have commercial-looking labels. You would be more likely to recycle the container if you could put a label on it with a nice picture of a flower or bird and an uplifting message. The message could be information about the flower or bird, and people could read the messages and learn about them, for example, at the breakfast table.
Here is one idea which a friend of mine thought of: Make eco-planting pots out of crushed, organic materials, such as carrot peelings, to grow carrots. A plant would come in the pot, and you would simply set it out in the garden. You would not have to transplant it, because the pot would become the exact kind of nourishment which the plant would need.
Another idea would be to have eco-labels to put on containers which have commercial-looking labels. You would be more likely to recycle the container if you could put a label on it with a nice picture of a flower or bird and an uplifting message. The message could be information about the flower or bird, and people could read the messages and learn about them, for example, at the breakfast table.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
The Importance of Cattails
Cattails are a well-known native marsh plant, but their value for both humans and wildlife is less known.
According to the Peterson Guide to Edible Wild Plants, the pollen of cattails is high in protein and can be made into a protein-rich flour. The young shoots and stalks, immature flower spikes, sprouts and rootstocks can all be eaten.
Cattails also provide food for geese and muskrats. They provide shelter and nesting cover for redwing blackbirds.
Cattails can be grown in a backyard pool, in shallow water.
There are many valuable native plants like cattails which can be used as food. Yet, marshes and forests were destroyed by the early settlers for agriculture - to grow non-native plants which took back-breaking labour to cultivate! Had they known the food value of the native plants already there, they could have saved themselves all that trouble - and preserved the environment as well.
Marshes and other lands are stll being ruined by developers, along with the valuable, future food supply which they could provide. What will the increasing population eat?
According to the Peterson Guide to Edible Wild Plants, the pollen of cattails is high in protein and can be made into a protein-rich flour. The young shoots and stalks, immature flower spikes, sprouts and rootstocks can all be eaten.
Cattails also provide food for geese and muskrats. They provide shelter and nesting cover for redwing blackbirds.
Cattails can be grown in a backyard pool, in shallow water.
There are many valuable native plants like cattails which can be used as food. Yet, marshes and forests were destroyed by the early settlers for agriculture - to grow non-native plants which took back-breaking labour to cultivate! Had they known the food value of the native plants already there, they could have saved themselves all that trouble - and preserved the environment as well.
Marshes and other lands are stll being ruined by developers, along with the valuable, future food supply which they could provide. What will the increasing population eat?
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Why Controlled Burns Do More Harm Than Good
It is better to trust nature's own, innate wisdom than to try to impose human control over it.
Sometimes people become impatient with the invasion of natural habitat by alien plant species. They think that they can instantly restore the native species, rather than let nature take its own course. The fact is that alien species invade an eco-system which has already been disturbed by human interference, such as a place where trees have been cut down for agriculture. If the alien species are left to grow, they will re-condition the soil and then the native plants, which are better adapted to this climate, will take over again on their own.
One extreme example of the "control freak" mentality was the controlled burn at the north end of Toronto's High Park a few years ago. An area which had been regularly trampled by humans and canines was deliberately set on fire by self-proclaimed do-gooders, with very unnatural naptha gas mixed with diesel. The resulting clouds of smoke would have singed three leaves, disturbed wildlife in their homes, and polluted the air with toxins.
The plants which sprung up after the fire were native, all right: probably the largest poison ivy patch in all of Ontario. There was a narrow, one-foot wide pathway through the middle of this "field", which our naturalist group was guided through on an outing. If anyone had lost their balance and had to put their hand down on the ground, they would have spent the next two weeks reaching for calomine lotion. If another controlled burn were ever conducted to get rid of the poison ivy, the air would be filled with poison ivy smoke, which would go right into people's lungs for some distance away.
The other main plant which sprung up after the fire was lupins. Lupins are flowers with beautiful spires of colour, and our guide tried to tell us that they are "native". He was right, in that every plant is native to somewhere. He mentioned Nova Scotia as being a place where a lot of them grow, but they are no more native to there than to Ontario. According to Canadian Gardening's "Natural Gardens", most of the wild lupins in Ontario are garden escapes of Russell hybrid lupins from California. The lupins in Nova Scotia were introduced from British Columbia.
Another widely used excuse for controlled burns is that fire releases the seeds from the cones of the Lodgepole Pine, which would not grow without the help of fire. However, the Lodgepole Pine is native to British Columbia, not Ontario, and British Columbia already gets enough fires without anyone setting them.
Sometimes people become impatient with the invasion of natural habitat by alien plant species. They think that they can instantly restore the native species, rather than let nature take its own course. The fact is that alien species invade an eco-system which has already been disturbed by human interference, such as a place where trees have been cut down for agriculture. If the alien species are left to grow, they will re-condition the soil and then the native plants, which are better adapted to this climate, will take over again on their own.
One extreme example of the "control freak" mentality was the controlled burn at the north end of Toronto's High Park a few years ago. An area which had been regularly trampled by humans and canines was deliberately set on fire by self-proclaimed do-gooders, with very unnatural naptha gas mixed with diesel. The resulting clouds of smoke would have singed three leaves, disturbed wildlife in their homes, and polluted the air with toxins.
The plants which sprung up after the fire were native, all right: probably the largest poison ivy patch in all of Ontario. There was a narrow, one-foot wide pathway through the middle of this "field", which our naturalist group was guided through on an outing. If anyone had lost their balance and had to put their hand down on the ground, they would have spent the next two weeks reaching for calomine lotion. If another controlled burn were ever conducted to get rid of the poison ivy, the air would be filled with poison ivy smoke, which would go right into people's lungs for some distance away.
The other main plant which sprung up after the fire was lupins. Lupins are flowers with beautiful spires of colour, and our guide tried to tell us that they are "native". He was right, in that every plant is native to somewhere. He mentioned Nova Scotia as being a place where a lot of them grow, but they are no more native to there than to Ontario. According to Canadian Gardening's "Natural Gardens", most of the wild lupins in Ontario are garden escapes of Russell hybrid lupins from California. The lupins in Nova Scotia were introduced from British Columbia.
Another widely used excuse for controlled burns is that fire releases the seeds from the cones of the Lodgepole Pine, which would not grow without the help of fire. However, the Lodgepole Pine is native to British Columbia, not Ontario, and British Columbia already gets enough fires without anyone setting them.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Great Blue Herons
Have you ever seen a great blue heron fishing in a pond? They stand motionless for the longest time and then, when a fish comes near, they suddenly grab it in their long, sharp beak. If you ever want to learn either patience or the ability to take immediate advantage of an opportunity, you can learn much by observing a great blue heron.
When the great blue heron takes to flight, it is an amazing sight to see. Their wingsan is about six feet across. They fly with their neck curled back, rather than straight out, and their long legs are hanging down trailing. Despite their large size, they can land very gracefully in a tree. They nest in colonies in the tops of trees.
If you have ever seen a picture of a prehistoric pterodactyl, you may have noticed how similar its shape was to the modern-day great blue heron. Pterodactyls had a wingspan of twenty feet.
Water birds evolved long before songbirds, because the waters were here long before the forests. So, the great blue hero is a link with the past - besides being a fascinating, modern bird in Ontario. We can help them by preserving our natural wetlands.
When the great blue heron takes to flight, it is an amazing sight to see. Their wingsan is about six feet across. They fly with their neck curled back, rather than straight out, and their long legs are hanging down trailing. Despite their large size, they can land very gracefully in a tree. They nest in colonies in the tops of trees.
If you have ever seen a picture of a prehistoric pterodactyl, you may have noticed how similar its shape was to the modern-day great blue heron. Pterodactyls had a wingspan of twenty feet.
Water birds evolved long before songbirds, because the waters were here long before the forests. So, the great blue hero is a link with the past - besides being a fascinating, modern bird in Ontario. We can help them by preserving our natural wetlands.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Rosetta McClain Gardens
Rosetta McClain Gardens is a Toronto city park located on Kingston Road, just east of Birchmount Road on the Scarborough Bluffs.
It has many cultivated trees and gardens, but the most interesting plants are the wildflowers, located just outside the fence, and the best place to observe birds is at the birdfeeder on the next property to the east.
Besides the cultivated trees, there are a number of native species in the park, including soft maple, sugar maple, spruce, tamarack, sweet birch, and Manitoba maple.
The cultivated gardens are picturesque, even though they contain mostly non-native species, and the flowers provide nectar for monarchs and other butterflies. The non-native trees still provide cover and shelter for birds.
Species of birds which I have observed in or from the park include: blue jay, golden-crowned kinglet, chickadee, ring-billed gull, robin, grackle, house sparrow, pigeon, mourning dove, starling, killdeer, hermit thrush, winter wren, cardinal, dark-eyed junco, white-crowned sparrow, fox sparrow, tree swallow, crow, house finch, barn swallow, yellow-shafted flicker, Canada goose, red-breasted nuthatch, and downy woodpecker.
Because the Scarborough Bluffs were formed from silt washed down from a river in glacial times, rather than from solid earth and rock, the Bluffs erode considerably each year, and the park gets smaller and smaller on the lake side as a result. I have photographed trees there and, in subsequent years, they have toppled over the Bluffs and now even the land where they stood is no longer there.
It has many cultivated trees and gardens, but the most interesting plants are the wildflowers, located just outside the fence, and the best place to observe birds is at the birdfeeder on the next property to the east.
Besides the cultivated trees, there are a number of native species in the park, including soft maple, sugar maple, spruce, tamarack, sweet birch, and Manitoba maple.
The cultivated gardens are picturesque, even though they contain mostly non-native species, and the flowers provide nectar for monarchs and other butterflies. The non-native trees still provide cover and shelter for birds.
Species of birds which I have observed in or from the park include: blue jay, golden-crowned kinglet, chickadee, ring-billed gull, robin, grackle, house sparrow, pigeon, mourning dove, starling, killdeer, hermit thrush, winter wren, cardinal, dark-eyed junco, white-crowned sparrow, fox sparrow, tree swallow, crow, house finch, barn swallow, yellow-shafted flicker, Canada goose, red-breasted nuthatch, and downy woodpecker.
Because the Scarborough Bluffs were formed from silt washed down from a river in glacial times, rather than from solid earth and rock, the Bluffs erode considerably each year, and the park gets smaller and smaller on the lake side as a result. I have photographed trees there and, in subsequent years, they have toppled over the Bluffs and now even the land where they stood is no longer there.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
The Value of Milkweed Plants
According to the Peterson Edible Wild Plant Guide, the Common Milkweed plant - which is found in dry soil, fields and roadsides - has good potential food value for human beings.
The young shoots, leaves, unopened flower buds, flowers, and young pods are all edible. While the milky juice of the broken stems and leaves is bitter and mildly toxic, Peterson says "
Fortunately, both of these properties are dispelled upon boiling, and milkweed becomes one of the better wild vegetables". (Consult the book for cooking instructions.)
Another reason to protect and plant milkweeds is that milkweed (also called Asclepias) is the host plant for monarch butterfly caterpillars. It is, therefore, essential to this butterfly's continuing life cycle.
In fact, if you want to explore how interesting the observation of insects is, a milkweed patch is one of the best places to see a wide variety of insects. I have seen an ichneumon, with its long ovipositor, actually laying eggs in a milkweed leaf. Their larvae eat the larvae of other insects which must, therefore, lay their eggs on milkweed plants too. Ichneumons control a lot of harmful insects.
There are also bright orange and black-patterned milkweed bugs and ladybird beetles. Some of the ladybird beetles are native to here, but the ones with seven black spots on their back are from Europe.Where there are insects, there are also fascinating dragonflies. When the milkweed flowers come into bloom, you can enjoy the various, beautiful butterfly species which come to feed on the nectar.
By observing all of the life in a milkweed patch, you get to see first-hand how the food chain works, and you come to appreciate how your own food can come directly from native plants, without having to disturb the land with agriculture.
The young shoots, leaves, unopened flower buds, flowers, and young pods are all edible. While the milky juice of the broken stems and leaves is bitter and mildly toxic, Peterson says "
Fortunately, both of these properties are dispelled upon boiling, and milkweed becomes one of the better wild vegetables". (Consult the book for cooking instructions.)
Another reason to protect and plant milkweeds is that milkweed (also called Asclepias) is the host plant for monarch butterfly caterpillars. It is, therefore, essential to this butterfly's continuing life cycle.
In fact, if you want to explore how interesting the observation of insects is, a milkweed patch is one of the best places to see a wide variety of insects. I have seen an ichneumon, with its long ovipositor, actually laying eggs in a milkweed leaf. Their larvae eat the larvae of other insects which must, therefore, lay their eggs on milkweed plants too. Ichneumons control a lot of harmful insects.
There are also bright orange and black-patterned milkweed bugs and ladybird beetles. Some of the ladybird beetles are native to here, but the ones with seven black spots on their back are from Europe.Where there are insects, there are also fascinating dragonflies. When the milkweed flowers come into bloom, you can enjoy the various, beautiful butterfly species which come to feed on the nectar.
By observing all of the life in a milkweed patch, you get to see first-hand how the food chain works, and you come to appreciate how your own food can come directly from native plants, without having to disturb the land with agriculture.
Teaching Familiarity with Nature
In order to get people to care about nature and want to protect it, they first need to be familiar with it. Also,their experiences with it need to have been positive and nurturing
As more of our population becomes urbanized, children are growing up without the chance to enjoy nature. They are also spending less time with their parents. That is why school programs which teach about nature and the environment are especially important.
Adults, too, could benefit from nature sensitivity training. Cities are noisy places with concrete sidewalks and high buildings. Practises such as yoga and meditation, as well as nature walks, can help individuals be more receptive to what is natural.
What about persons from other countries? They may know about the species in their homeland, but never have been taught the difference between a cardinal and a blue jay in Ontario. Nature studies should be a requirement for immigration and citizenship in order to protect our natural environment, and suitable courses should be offered.
As more of our population becomes urbanized, children are growing up without the chance to enjoy nature. They are also spending less time with their parents. That is why school programs which teach about nature and the environment are especially important.
Adults, too, could benefit from nature sensitivity training. Cities are noisy places with concrete sidewalks and high buildings. Practises such as yoga and meditation, as well as nature walks, can help individuals be more receptive to what is natural.
What about persons from other countries? They may know about the species in their homeland, but never have been taught the difference between a cardinal and a blue jay in Ontario. Nature studies should be a requirement for immigration and citizenship in order to protect our natural environment, and suitable courses should be offered.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Observing Nature with Openness and Receptivity
During one of my 90 or so nature trips to Toronto, Ontario's vast Tommy Thompson Park, I was stopped by one of two women who said "We have come to look at the monarch butterflies. Have they all gone south?" She added that it was wonderful that the park had developed totally spontaneously, that nothing was planted and that it just grew.
I replied that I had not seen many monarchs that day, but that I had just seen two red-tailed hawks. She did not seem interested in the hawks; it had to be butterflies. I later thought that if she had been spontaneous, she would have been glad to see any species which was there - that it did not have to be a particular kind at a particular time. I did not get a chance to tell her that if you go with what is, you end up seeing a lot. Each visit is a different experience, with new birds or butterflies to see or new flowers in bloom.
The hawks had been fascinating. The pair of them flew over me and circled around, with one of them in particular taking in every detail about me. They impressed me as being very aware. I had had a similar experience at the Vancouver Aquarium,when I was looking through a window at a killer whale swimming around and it came over and sized me up. It seemed to know everything about me!
Any creature which gets its food by being a predator has to be very alert and know what its prey is going to do. Another time I saw a coyote at Tommy Thompson Park and, even though it was a hot, summer day and the coyote was not moving very fast, it was looking in all directions and taking everything in. It had a sharpness about it which was far superior to any domestic dog. I realized that I had probably been observed by coyotes many times, without even knowing it, while I was looking at the birds, butterflies and flowers. They have certainly mastered the ability to observe with openness and receptivity whatever comes along, and we could learn much from them about how to enhance the richness of our own experience.
As for the monarch butterflies, there were plenty of times that I watched them too. One time, on what is called Peninsula A, I saw 14 monarchs on one Canada goldenrod plant, and lots of them on other plants too. They looked very beautiful, and they were filling up on nectar for their long trip south.
I replied that I had not seen many monarchs that day, but that I had just seen two red-tailed hawks. She did not seem interested in the hawks; it had to be butterflies. I later thought that if she had been spontaneous, she would have been glad to see any species which was there - that it did not have to be a particular kind at a particular time. I did not get a chance to tell her that if you go with what is, you end up seeing a lot. Each visit is a different experience, with new birds or butterflies to see or new flowers in bloom.
The hawks had been fascinating. The pair of them flew over me and circled around, with one of them in particular taking in every detail about me. They impressed me as being very aware. I had had a similar experience at the Vancouver Aquarium,when I was looking through a window at a killer whale swimming around and it came over and sized me up. It seemed to know everything about me!
Any creature which gets its food by being a predator has to be very alert and know what its prey is going to do. Another time I saw a coyote at Tommy Thompson Park and, even though it was a hot, summer day and the coyote was not moving very fast, it was looking in all directions and taking everything in. It had a sharpness about it which was far superior to any domestic dog. I realized that I had probably been observed by coyotes many times, without even knowing it, while I was looking at the birds, butterflies and flowers. They have certainly mastered the ability to observe with openness and receptivity whatever comes along, and we could learn much from them about how to enhance the richness of our own experience.
As for the monarch butterflies, there were plenty of times that I watched them too. One time, on what is called Peninsula A, I saw 14 monarchs on one Canada goldenrod plant, and lots of them on other plants too. They looked very beautiful, and they were filling up on nectar for their long trip south.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Ten Ways to Be Kind to Wildlife
l) Preserve their habitat - forests, streams, wetlands etc.
2) Create new habitat for them. Plant trees and native plants. Have water for them.
3) Don't go near their nests, or they may abandon their young.
4) Use binoculars or telescopic lenses to avoid disturbing them.
5) Have a birdfeeder in the winter and keep it refilled with birdseed and regularly cleaned.
6) Help any injured birds or animals to become well again. (Learn how first.)
7) Donate money or land to charitable organizations which help wildlife.
8) Teach others, including children, to appreciate wildlife species.
9) Don't have things which could harm them, such as pesticides or large windows which birds could fly into.
10) Become politically active in protecting nature and/or join a naturalist group.
Natureontario.blogspot.com is my Earth Blogsite. You can also view my Sky Blogsite, which is astrologyinspiration.blogspot.com.
2) Create new habitat for them. Plant trees and native plants. Have water for them.
3) Don't go near their nests, or they may abandon their young.
4) Use binoculars or telescopic lenses to avoid disturbing them.
5) Have a birdfeeder in the winter and keep it refilled with birdseed and regularly cleaned.
6) Help any injured birds or animals to become well again. (Learn how first.)
7) Donate money or land to charitable organizations which help wildlife.
8) Teach others, including children, to appreciate wildlife species.
9) Don't have things which could harm them, such as pesticides or large windows which birds could fly into.
10) Become politically active in protecting nature and/or join a naturalist group.
Natureontario.blogspot.com is my Earth Blogsite. You can also view my Sky Blogsite, which is astrologyinspiration.blogspot.com.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Nature is Ours to Protect
I once had a conversation with a very intelligent South Korean woman who was working in the local grocery store. I had told her that I had been listening to the Seoul, South Korea radio station on my short-wave radio and that I had heard a story about how the people of Seoul are doing wonderful things to re-create nature in the middle of their city. They are restoring a river which flows through the downtown and making nice parks on either side of it, as an eco-tourist attraction. I said that it would be nice if we could get the people in Toronto to do things like that too.
She replied that the reason why the South Koreans are taking care of their environment is that they feel that it is theirs to protect. They have lived there for generations. She said that the problem with Toronto is that no one feels that it is theirs to be responsible for. Everyone, of any race, is in a minority, when they compare their numbers to the total population. They are afraid that anything they do could be undone by other people.
Toronto needs to solve this problem, if our environment and, indeed, our future livelihood are to be protected. Multi-culturalism started out with the ideal that people could work together for the good of all, and that the society as a whole could benefit from the best ideas of so many different cultural backgrounds.
So, let's not stop in the middle. Let's keep affirming that nature is our collective responsibility to protect. Each individual can identify with nature and be aware of being an important part of it. All of us will benefit if we create a greener, pollution-free, more beautiful environment.
She replied that the reason why the South Koreans are taking care of their environment is that they feel that it is theirs to protect. They have lived there for generations. She said that the problem with Toronto is that no one feels that it is theirs to be responsible for. Everyone, of any race, is in a minority, when they compare their numbers to the total population. They are afraid that anything they do could be undone by other people.
Toronto needs to solve this problem, if our environment and, indeed, our future livelihood are to be protected. Multi-culturalism started out with the ideal that people could work together for the good of all, and that the society as a whole could benefit from the best ideas of so many different cultural backgrounds.
So, let's not stop in the middle. Let's keep affirming that nature is our collective responsibility to protect. Each individual can identify with nature and be aware of being an important part of it. All of us will benefit if we create a greener, pollution-free, more beautiful environment.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Naturalist R.D. Lawrence and the Wolves
One moonlit night in the early 1980s, when I lived in a farmhouse near Kirkfield, Ontario, I awoke to the psychic knowledge that there were wolves in the field out beside our house. I could tell that they were aware of our presence in the house, but that they respected that the house was our territory, and they knew that I knew that the field was part of theirs.
I had lived in an area away from most humans in my preschool years, and there had been foxes coming up near our house then. We would find their tracks and the tracks of the rabbits they were chasing in the snow the next day. As a child, I must have become psychically familiar with the foxes and, therefore, the wolves.
The next day after the wolves came, I went out and found wolf tracks in the snow. I followed them back to where they had come from, and they had entered the field through a low place under the fence and then from a bush across the road. I told some of the people around there, but they just dismissed them as being dog tracks. I still knew that they were wolves.
As it happened, shortly after that, I met the well-known Canadian nature writer and biologist, R.D. Lawrence, who had lived among wolves and written books about them, such as "In Praise of Wolves". He was then living a few miles north of us near Norland, Ontario. He told me that I was right - that there was a trail which the local wolves used and that it went right across our property!
R.D. Lawrence later got old and passed on, but he leaves a very valuable, natural legacy for Ontario: He showed by his positive example that animals can best be studied alive and free in their natural habitat, not in biology laboratories. He also bought a large property further north as a safe haven for wolves. Other naturalists have preserved it, and it is still there to this day.
I had lived in an area away from most humans in my preschool years, and there had been foxes coming up near our house then. We would find their tracks and the tracks of the rabbits they were chasing in the snow the next day. As a child, I must have become psychically familiar with the foxes and, therefore, the wolves.
The next day after the wolves came, I went out and found wolf tracks in the snow. I followed them back to where they had come from, and they had entered the field through a low place under the fence and then from a bush across the road. I told some of the people around there, but they just dismissed them as being dog tracks. I still knew that they were wolves.
As it happened, shortly after that, I met the well-known Canadian nature writer and biologist, R.D. Lawrence, who had lived among wolves and written books about them, such as "In Praise of Wolves". He was then living a few miles north of us near Norland, Ontario. He told me that I was right - that there was a trail which the local wolves used and that it went right across our property!
R.D. Lawrence later got old and passed on, but he leaves a very valuable, natural legacy for Ontario: He showed by his positive example that animals can best be studied alive and free in their natural habitat, not in biology laboratories. He also bought a large property further north as a safe haven for wolves. Other naturalists have preserved it, and it is still there to this day.
Monday, July 14, 2008
The Food Value of Pines, Maples, Beeches and Oaks for Humans
As explained in my previous blog, the original vegetation on the Oak Ridges Moraine was mainly pines, maples, beeches and oaks. Their food value for humans is described in the Peterson Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants:
Pines - All species of pines are edible. The young male cones can be boiled, and the inner bark made into highly nutritious flour. The fresh needles can be used to make a tea rich in vitamins A and C.
Maples - The sap from maples can be boiled to make maple sugar. The watery sap itself is quite pure and can be used as drinking or cooking water in areas where the water supply may be contaminated. All maples make excellent syrup.
Beeches - Beechnuts have sweet kernels that are delicious roasted and eaten whole, or ground into flour. An outstanding vegetable oil can be squeezed from the crushed kernels.
Oaks - Acorns are rich in protein and fat. They need to be boiled first to get rid of the bitter-tasting tannin, but then they can be roasted and eaten as nuts. Dried and crushed acorns can be ground into meal and used to make excellent breads and muffins.
So, when trees are cut down, a valuable food source is removed, which will take years to replace. This was not thought of by either the early settlers nor the current developers. However, the sooner that more of these kinds of trees are planted, the sooner there will be a reliable food supply for the future.
Pines - All species of pines are edible. The young male cones can be boiled, and the inner bark made into highly nutritious flour. The fresh needles can be used to make a tea rich in vitamins A and C.
Maples - The sap from maples can be boiled to make maple sugar. The watery sap itself is quite pure and can be used as drinking or cooking water in areas where the water supply may be contaminated. All maples make excellent syrup.
Beeches - Beechnuts have sweet kernels that are delicious roasted and eaten whole, or ground into flour. An outstanding vegetable oil can be squeezed from the crushed kernels.
Oaks - Acorns are rich in protein and fat. They need to be boiled first to get rid of the bitter-tasting tannin, but then they can be roasted and eaten as nuts. Dried and crushed acorns can be ground into meal and used to make excellent breads and muffins.
So, when trees are cut down, a valuable food source is removed, which will take years to replace. This was not thought of by either the early settlers nor the current developers. However, the sooner that more of these kinds of trees are planted, the sooner there will be a reliable food supply for the future.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Restoring the Oak Ridges Moraine
The original vegetation of the area of the Oak Ridges Moraine was "a mixed forest of pine and hardwoods. The valuable white pine was early sought out and very few trees of any size are left in the present woodlots. Among the hardwoods, hard maple, beech, and red and white oak were the most important and a few good stands may be seen." This is according to the book "The Physiography of Southern Ontario", published by the Ministry of Natural Resources.
In my May 30 blog I reported how these trees - pine, maple, beech and oak - are among the very most important ones for creating wildlife habitat.
The destruction of trees has continued in the same way as in the early days, because of developers feeding off the human overpopulation problem. However, if there is any good news about urban sprawl, it is that most of the houses have very large yards round them. What an opportunity to plant new trees! Instead of having to spend their weekends cutting acres of grass, the owners of these new houses - rather, the entrusted stewards of the land - could create good karma for themselves by planting the kinds of trees which rightfully belong there.
Then they could enjoy observing the many species of birds and animals which these trees would attract.
In my May 30 blog I reported how these trees - pine, maple, beech and oak - are among the very most important ones for creating wildlife habitat.
The destruction of trees has continued in the same way as in the early days, because of developers feeding off the human overpopulation problem. However, if there is any good news about urban sprawl, it is that most of the houses have very large yards round them. What an opportunity to plant new trees! Instead of having to spend their weekends cutting acres of grass, the owners of these new houses - rather, the entrusted stewards of the land - could create good karma for themselves by planting the kinds of trees which rightfully belong there.
Then they could enjoy observing the many species of birds and animals which these trees would attract.
Saturday, June 28, 2008
The Grackles' Reply to the Construction Project
It was on September 15 , 2006 just after lunch that I took a walk down a Toronto residential street which had been plagued by loud construction noise from one, particular house all summer. The house was one of those oversized, bull-in-a-china-shop types which would never look right on the street anyway.
Every fall, for generations long past, a large flock of grackles have migrated south over that location and stopped to rest and eat along the way. They are a part of nature which was meant to be.
A young squirrel, whose habitat was also being disrupted, made pitiful, repeated cries of disorientation and pain at the ongoing, loud noise of the construction. The large flock of grackles perched in the tall, white oak while the construction workers sat down to eat lunch. Unexpectedly, the grackles started biting off unripe acorns and letting them fall to the ground. Most of them landed on the car below, sounding like an intense staccato of hail. Some landed on the next car too. The grackles were fighting back!
The men at first thought it was the squirrels. After a few more minutes of the grackles continuing to pound acorns on the car, the worker who owned it came over to move it. "I'll get my shotgun out after those birds!" he yelled. The grackles had successfully exposed the violence inherent in the construction activity.
The rest is up to us. The grackles have done their share.
Every fall, for generations long past, a large flock of grackles have migrated south over that location and stopped to rest and eat along the way. They are a part of nature which was meant to be.
A young squirrel, whose habitat was also being disrupted, made pitiful, repeated cries of disorientation and pain at the ongoing, loud noise of the construction. The large flock of grackles perched in the tall, white oak while the construction workers sat down to eat lunch. Unexpectedly, the grackles started biting off unripe acorns and letting them fall to the ground. Most of them landed on the car below, sounding like an intense staccato of hail. Some landed on the next car too. The grackles were fighting back!
The men at first thought it was the squirrels. After a few more minutes of the grackles continuing to pound acorns on the car, the worker who owned it came over to move it. "I'll get my shotgun out after those birds!" he yelled. The grackles had successfully exposed the violence inherent in the construction activity.
The rest is up to us. The grackles have done their share.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Birds of Toronto's Neville Park Beach: Part 2
There are several reasons for the relatively large number of bird species listed in Part 1:
1) This area is just east of Tommy Thompson Park, which is an internationally recognized important birding area, with over 300 types of resident and migrant birds having been recorded.
2) There are tall red and white oaks, willows, pines and other trees available for food, cover and nesting.
3) The fish and plant life in Lake Ontario provide food for water birds.
4) The water attracts mosquitoes which are food for a number of birds including swallows.
5) The eggs and young of the smaller birds are food for larger ones.
6) There are wildflowers along the shore which provide seeds for some species of birds to eat.
7) Some home-owners provide bird feeders and bird baths, as well as trees and shrubs attractive to birds.
Yet, despite all of these reasons, the number of birds there now would be only a fraction of the number once there, before houses and yards were built right over the river which led down to the lake. Marshy areas were destroyed by humans. There are also leaf-blowers, lawnmowers, construction machinery and aircraft, as well as motorized watercraft. Humans are inadvertently destroying what is priceless in their selfish pursuit of temporary, material ends.
1) This area is just east of Tommy Thompson Park, which is an internationally recognized important birding area, with over 300 types of resident and migrant birds having been recorded.
2) There are tall red and white oaks, willows, pines and other trees available for food, cover and nesting.
3) The fish and plant life in Lake Ontario provide food for water birds.
4) The water attracts mosquitoes which are food for a number of birds including swallows.
5) The eggs and young of the smaller birds are food for larger ones.
6) There are wildflowers along the shore which provide seeds for some species of birds to eat.
7) Some home-owners provide bird feeders and bird baths, as well as trees and shrubs attractive to birds.
Yet, despite all of these reasons, the number of birds there now would be only a fraction of the number once there, before houses and yards were built right over the river which led down to the lake. Marshy areas were destroyed by humans. There are also leaf-blowers, lawnmowers, construction machinery and aircraft, as well as motorized watercraft. Humans are inadvertently destroying what is priceless in their selfish pursuit of temporary, material ends.
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Birds of Toronto's Neville Park Beach: Part 1
Many city-dwellers seem unaware of the rich biodiversity of species around them. Yet, the following 37 species of birds have been observed at or within two blocks of the foot of Neville Park Blvd. in the Toronto Beach area in 2006 to 2008:
Double-crested Cormorant
Mute Swan
Canada Goose
Mallard Duck
Oldsquaw
Turkey Vulture
Northern Harrier
Black-crowned Night Heron
Killdeer
Spotted Sandpiper
Herring Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Common Tern
Caspian Tern
Rock Dove
Mourning Dove
Yellow-shafted Flicker
Downy Woodpecker
Barn Swallow
Tree Swallow
Blue Jay
American Crow
Black-capped Chickadee
White-breasted Nuthatch
Brown Creeper
American Robin
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Warbling Vireo
Yellow Warbler
House Sparrow
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
European Starling
Orchard Oriole
Northern Oriole
Scarlet Tanager
Northern Cardinal
House Finch
Double-crested Cormorant
Mute Swan
Canada Goose
Mallard Duck
Oldsquaw
Turkey Vulture
Northern Harrier
Black-crowned Night Heron
Killdeer
Spotted Sandpiper
Herring Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Common Tern
Caspian Tern
Rock Dove
Mourning Dove
Yellow-shafted Flicker
Downy Woodpecker
Barn Swallow
Tree Swallow
Blue Jay
American Crow
Black-capped Chickadee
White-breasted Nuthatch
Brown Creeper
American Robin
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Warbling Vireo
Yellow Warbler
House Sparrow
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
European Starling
Orchard Oriole
Northern Oriole
Scarlet Tanager
Northern Cardinal
House Finch
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Nature Awareness and Thornton W. Burgess
The many nature books by Thornton W. Burgess which were enjoyed by our parents and grandparents still have great environmental relevance today.
The stories are about mammals, birds, frogs etc., and they are characters who have names, feelings, personalities, and talk like human beings. There would be much more caring about nature if the young people today were taught to think of nature's creatures as being just like them.
Attributing human qualities to animals is called "anthropomorphism" but, whatever you choose to call it, it is something which can have great educational benefit. It can also encourage imagination and sensitivity which go beyond nature.
Even adults, who tend to have trouble getting to sleep at night after listening to all the violence on the news, could benefit by choosing instead to read about the adventures of Peter Rabbit, Sammy Jay and Reddy Fox just before bed.
The public libraries still have many books by Thornton W. Burgess, and you or your children can benefit greatly from the peaceful aura they create.
The stories are about mammals, birds, frogs etc., and they are characters who have names, feelings, personalities, and talk like human beings. There would be much more caring about nature if the young people today were taught to think of nature's creatures as being just like them.
Attributing human qualities to animals is called "anthropomorphism" but, whatever you choose to call it, it is something which can have great educational benefit. It can also encourage imagination and sensitivity which go beyond nature.
Even adults, who tend to have trouble getting to sleep at night after listening to all the violence on the news, could benefit by choosing instead to read about the adventures of Peter Rabbit, Sammy Jay and Reddy Fox just before bed.
The public libraries still have many books by Thornton W. Burgess, and you or your children can benefit greatly from the peaceful aura they create.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
How to Create a Butterfly Garden in Ontario
Butterflies, like people, require food, water, shelter, and a place for their their young to grow.
For food, they need nectar which comes from flowers. They are best attracted to colourful, native flowers which are easy to land on such as milkweed, butterfly weed, echinacea, goldenrod, bee balm and butterfly bush.
For water, they cannot drink from a big pool or lake, and instead they need mud puddles or the edge of a pond.
For shelter they like trees, especially those with lots of leaf or needle cover where they are safe. They like willows, pines, cedar and spruce, as well as honeysuckle vines.
For their young, they require what are called host plants, where they can lay their eggs and then have the caterpillars hatch out and eat the leaves. The host plants must be the right kind for each type of butterfly.
Here is a list of common Ontario butterflies and the host plants they need for their young:
Black Swallowtail - plants of the carrot family
Tiger Swallowtail - willows, cottonwoods, wild cherries, yellow poplar etc.
Cabbage White - mustards
Clouded Sulfur - legumes
Orange Sulfur - alfalfa and clovers
Eastern Tailed Blue - legumes
Spring Azure - dogwood, blueberries etc.
Fritillary - violets
Comma - hops, nettles
Mourning Cloak - willows, elms and poplars
Red Admiral - nettles
Painted Lady - daisies and thistles
Viceroy - willows, poplars
Monarch - milkweeds
Skipper - legumes, grasses
For food, they need nectar which comes from flowers. They are best attracted to colourful, native flowers which are easy to land on such as milkweed, butterfly weed, echinacea, goldenrod, bee balm and butterfly bush.
For water, they cannot drink from a big pool or lake, and instead they need mud puddles or the edge of a pond.
For shelter they like trees, especially those with lots of leaf or needle cover where they are safe. They like willows, pines, cedar and spruce, as well as honeysuckle vines.
For their young, they require what are called host plants, where they can lay their eggs and then have the caterpillars hatch out and eat the leaves. The host plants must be the right kind for each type of butterfly.
Here is a list of common Ontario butterflies and the host plants they need for their young:
Black Swallowtail - plants of the carrot family
Tiger Swallowtail - willows, cottonwoods, wild cherries, yellow poplar etc.
Cabbage White - mustards
Clouded Sulfur - legumes
Orange Sulfur - alfalfa and clovers
Eastern Tailed Blue - legumes
Spring Azure - dogwood, blueberries etc.
Fritillary - violets
Comma - hops, nettles
Mourning Cloak - willows, elms and poplars
Red Admiral - nettles
Painted Lady - daisies and thistles
Viceroy - willows, poplars
Monarch - milkweeds
Skipper - legumes, grasses
Friday, May 30, 2008
Strategic Planting for Biodiversity
If you have a lawn, garden, or rural space, why not plant those trees and plants which will support the greatest number of different birds and animals? Not only will you get to observe all of the interesting species, but you will be protecting nature's chain which ultimately sustains us human beings.
Biologists Martin, Zim and Nelson determined from the food-habits data on more than 300 species of birds and mammals which plants are the best for creating wildlife habitat.
For the Northeast Region of the United States, which has a climate similar to Ontario's, the following were their findings, beginning with the most important:
WOODY PLANTS
Oak
Blackberry
Wild Cherry
Pine
Dogwood
Grape
Maple
Beech
Blueberry
Birch
UPLAND WEEDS AND HERBS
Ragweed
Bristlegrass
Sedge
Crabgrass
Panicgrass
Pigweed
Clover
Sheepsorrel
Goosefoot
Dropseedgrass
MARSH AND AQUATIC PLANTS
Smartweed
Pondweed
Wildrice
Bulrush
Wildcelery
Naiad
Cordgrass
Widgeongrass
Cutgrass
Spikerush
CULTIVATED PLANTS
Corn
Wheat
Oats
Apple
Cult. Cherry
Timothy
Barley
The above plants are all (or mostly) native ones. They require very little care because they are what would grow here anyway, if nature were left to flourish on its own. So, just give them a good start and let nature do the rest. The birds and animals will recognize them as what should be here.
By the way, the National Listing which Martin, Zim and Nelson came up with for the United States as a whole differed very little from the findings for the Northeast. So, the above plants will give you a very good idea of what to plant. Also, if you see the birds and mammals flocking to a plant on your neighbour's property, you will know what to plant on yours.
Coming up in a future posting on this site: How to Create a Butterfly Garden in Ontario.
Questions? Email me at rainbowlife33@gmail.com.
Biologists Martin, Zim and Nelson determined from the food-habits data on more than 300 species of birds and mammals which plants are the best for creating wildlife habitat.
For the Northeast Region of the United States, which has a climate similar to Ontario's, the following were their findings, beginning with the most important:
WOODY PLANTS
Oak
Blackberry
Wild Cherry
Pine
Dogwood
Grape
Maple
Beech
Blueberry
Birch
UPLAND WEEDS AND HERBS
Ragweed
Bristlegrass
Sedge
Crabgrass
Panicgrass
Pigweed
Clover
Sheepsorrel
Goosefoot
Dropseedgrass
MARSH AND AQUATIC PLANTS
Smartweed
Pondweed
Wildrice
Bulrush
Wildcelery
Naiad
Cordgrass
Widgeongrass
Cutgrass
Spikerush
CULTIVATED PLANTS
Corn
Wheat
Oats
Apple
Cult. Cherry
Timothy
Barley
The above plants are all (or mostly) native ones. They require very little care because they are what would grow here anyway, if nature were left to flourish on its own. So, just give them a good start and let nature do the rest. The birds and animals will recognize them as what should be here.
By the way, the National Listing which Martin, Zim and Nelson came up with for the United States as a whole differed very little from the findings for the Northeast. So, the above plants will give you a very good idea of what to plant. Also, if you see the birds and mammals flocking to a plant on your neighbour's property, you will know what to plant on yours.
Coming up in a future posting on this site: How to Create a Butterfly Garden in Ontario.
Questions? Email me at rainbowlife33@gmail.com.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Introduction
Welcome to my first posting at Nature Ontario!
This blogsite will include weekly postings about nature topics in Ontario, Canada.
My Display Name for e added blogging is Rainbow Life.
You can reach me by email at: rainbowlife33@gmail.com.
This blogsite will include weekly postings about nature topics in Ontario, Canada.
My Display Name for e added blogging is Rainbow Life.
You can reach me by email at: rainbowlife33@gmail.com.
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