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.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
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.
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