5 | This Issue

Nature protection is democratic.

By Andrés Jiménez Monge

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9 | Earth Watch

• The Fact Is: White-tailed deer
• Guelph Urban Park
• New Project Monitors Declining Butterfly Populations
• Summer Species Watch: Lesser Yellowlegs, Spotted Turtle
• Indigenous Guardians
• Deerberry

14 | Earth Watch

• Featured Photographer – Greg Noakes
• Highway 413
• Preserving Rare, Native Ojibwe Horses
• Is Climate Change Making Ontario Fish Smaller?
• Climate Anxiety
• A Tallgrass Prairie Species Rediscovered

20 | Tiny Invaders of Canoe Country

Spiny water fleas have spread through Ontario lakes, threatening native food webs. Here’s how scientists are battling what’s being called the biggest threat to inland lakes since acid rain.

By Leah Borts-Kuperman

24 | Rising Risks for Species at Risk

The Government of Ontario dropped protections for more than 100 species at risk, claiming that federal protections can fill the gap. Here are the reasons why that is misguided.

By Brian Banks

28 | Washed Away

The impact of heavy rainfall on wildlife is likely to get worse, but conservation authorities, whose original core purpose was flood mitigation, are hampered by policy measures that limit their powers.

By Ian Coutts

35 | Nature Network

• Thunder Bay Field Naturalists
• New Nature Network Groups

By Lesley Rudy

36 | Our Community  

Nature’s Way Forward

By Kayla Salive

37 | From the Blog

Vote for a Healthy, Sustainable Ontario.

By Cristina Murano

38 | Last Word

A Case for Ecotourism Abroad.

By Justin Peter

ON Nature magazine is an award-winning quarterly that brings readers closer to nature by exploring Ontario’s natural species and spaces, and providing insight on pressing conservation issues.

The cost of an annual subscription is $50. If you are a senior citizen (65+) or a student, you can subscribe for a discounted rate of $40.

For just $9.95, you can purchase recent issues of our award-winning magazine. We have back issues available online dating to 1932!

For more information or to purchase a back issue, please contact Kamran Minai, at 416-444-8419 ext. 232 or kamranm@ontarionature.org.

Photos © Ron Erwin, Ron Erwin, Alan Harris / iNaturalist CC 0.0, John Reaume, Ontario Parks, Brendan Boyd / iNaturalist CC BY 2.0, Ron Erwin, Cataraqui Region Conservation Authority, Michael Bryan, Kayla Salive, Can Pac Swire CC BY-SA 2.0, Pete Ryan

The post Summer 2026 appeared first on ON Nature Magazine.

This information is for gardeners – from young couples planting flowers for enjoyment to cooks growing their own herbs – and amateur naturalists observing wildlife in their gardens. It warns about the dangers of common flowers and nursery varieties that can threaten our native vegetation – known as “natural invaders” – which may already be in your backyard, ready to spread to nearby woodlots and ravines.

Ontario’s landscape is vibrant with various plants and flowers in spring and summer, enticing us to add them to our gardens. However, it’s essential to consider how these plants arrived and why some are now problematic.

Out of about 2,600 plant species in Ontario, around 700 are non-native exotics, including invasive species that threaten native ecosystems. While some exotics, like hostas, can be harmless if contained, others have aggressive reproductive traits that allow them to displace native plants. Notable invasive species include European birch and purple loosestrife, which have overwhelmed entire ecosystems like Wainfleet Bog and wetlands, leading to a decline in biodiversity and habitat for wildlife.

You can learn more at: ontarionature.org/going-wild-for-native-plants-blog.

Introduction | History | Modern Invasive Plants |
Management and Control of Invasive Plants | What You can Do

Ornamental Trees | Ornamental Shrubs | Groundcovers | Grasses |
Wet Meadows and Water Gardens | Inadvertent Introductions | Resources

The story of how different trees, shrubs, and herbs found their way into our gardens and natural areas is as diverse as the plants themselves.

Native species spread primarily through their fruits and seeds, dispersed by water, wind, and animals, including humans. Streams and rivers transport seeds over long distances, especially during floods. Many trees have winged fruits, like maple keys, that the wind carries. Seeds in fleshy fruits often survive digestion by birds and other animals, allowing them to be deposited far from the parent plant. Some fruits also have hooks or spines that cling to animals’ fur, facilitating their dispersal.

Many of them migrated to our shores during European settlement, bringing with them the traits that made them so successful in their home countries. Some were brought as ornamentals that reminded early settlers of home. Others were brought for food, forage, pasture crops, pot herbs, condiments, or medicinal or ceremonial purposes.

Many came as stowaways in the rigging or ballast of ships. In the early days, vessels sailing light carried tons of earth as ballast—earth that was shoveled overboard upon making port and which naturally contained the seeds of numerous foreign plants and other weed seeds arrived in the soil of imported plants.

Recently, seeds and fruits have been transported via car grilles, sold in commercial wildflower mixes, or used as landscaping materials. Most non-native species would not have reached this continent without human assistance. Human activities have significantly changed our landscapes, allowing invasive species to thrive. We have cut down forests, plowed land, built cities, and created artificial habitats like farms and gardens.

Altered landscapes are more susceptible to invasion because they often have fewer established native species to control non-native growth. While habitats with healthy native species can better suppress invasives, they are not immune to invasion. For example, the native red mulberry is becoming rare in Ontario due to hybridization with the introduced white mulberry.

Many of these plants survived and even thrived in their new environment, becoming naturalized in our landscape. Unfortunately, they left behind the former natural controls (usually insects) that kept them in check in their native habitats.

There are five main methods for controlling invasive exotic species:

1. Chemical herbicides
2. Physical removal
3. Biological agents
4. Prescribed burning
5. Ecological or integrated pest management

In recent years, the use of herbicides has raised environmental concerns, so it is not the first method recommended. However, herbicides can be quite effective when applied to cut stumps to prevent shoot and root sprouting. Physical control methods are labour-intensive and may not always be effective, as stem and root fragments of certain species can re-infest previously controlled areas or spread to new ones.

Prescribed burning is typically used in open areas such as prairies, alvars, and savannahs, where the invasion of small trees and shrubs threatens these habitats. For safety reasons, it is recommended that only trained professionals carry out prescribed burns.

Biological control involves introducing living organisms to target populations of invasive species. This approach should be considered with caution, as there have been instances where the control agents preferentially target native species instead of the invasive ones, themselves becoming invasive. Ecological and integrated pest management combines any or all of the above methods with preventative measures to manage invasives effectively.

Before removing an exotic species, it is essential to consider ways to restrict its growth and reproduction to keep it in check. Some effective strategies include reducing site disturbances and re-establishing natural conditions in the area. This process requires patience, as restoring an area to its natural state can be lengthy and should typically involve reintroducing native species that can compete with the invaders present. Once controlled, monitoring and corrective action of the site is critical to prevent the re-establishment of the undesirable species.

The variation of size, form and colour of plants is endlessly surprising and beautiful, inspiring us to add them to our gardens. However, some of the species that we choose to plant for beautification purposes tend to pose more problems than they provide pleasure.

Groundcovers

In just about every backyard, there’s an area where nothing grows, either as a result of poor soil conditions or inadequate light. Increasingly, many people are replacing lawns with ground covers that require little maintenance and survive in poor growing conditions.

Tall Grasses

Landscaping with grasses is a new trend in gardening. Grasses are tall and graceful and retain their elegance throughout the year. They can be cut and dried for flower arranging and can be highly attractive to wildlife (especially birds and butterflies). Many new varieties of exotic ornamental grasses have recently been introduced to the landscape trade. As beautiful as they are, Pampas grass (Miscanthus sp.) and Reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea) are two “natural invaders.” It is recommended not to plant non-native grasses as they produce a lot of seed and could become invasive.

Although a genotype of reed canary grass is native, most landscaping grasses have been introduced as forage crops from Eurasia and threaten the existence of our native species. The vigorous growth of reed canary grass reduces the available moisture and nutrients to adjacent plant species and the shade it creates can reduce available light, limiting the growth and survival of young tree seedlings.

Grass Species to Avoid

Grass Species To Plant

---

Wet Meadows and Water Gardens

The presence of water is vital to wildlife, primarily for drinking and bathing. For some amphibians, it is essential for completing their life cycle. As well, many of the plants that grow in or near water produce beautiful foliage and flowers and it is for this reason that many people choose to grow aquatic plant species.

Flowering rush (Butomus umbellatus), a native of Europe and Asia, is occasionally found inland as a discard from gardens. It has become a nuisance along the St. Lawrence River and has expanded its range into southwestern Ontario. European frog-bit (Hydrocharis morsusranae), also a natural invader, has severely overrun some Lake Ontario marshes. Eurasian water milfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum), native to Eurasia and Africa, is an extremely aggressive species in lakes, ponds and slow-moving streams, in part because of its ability to grow rooted in water more than six metres deep (fresh or saline) and under ice. Although this plant is sometimes eaten by ducks, it holds no true wildlife value and poses more problems than benefits.

Wet Meadow and Water Garden Species to Avoid

Wet Meadow and Water Garden Species To Plant

---

Inadvertent Introductions

Although many of our exotic invaders have been introduced to North America intentionally, some have come with no purpose.

Garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata) seems to be such a species (although it may have been introduced for medicinal uses and as a green vegetable). This European plant is named for the garlic fragrance produced when it is crushed. It was first recognized as a problem species in Ontario in the late 1970s and has since become a major threat to woodlands in the southwestern Ontario counties of Middlesex and Elgin, and in large cities including Toronto, Waterloo, Hamilton and Ottawa. It is especially troublesome in shaded habitats such as forested riverbanks, moist woodlots and roadsides where it can grow to the exclusion of native species. Garlic mustard is adapted to disturbance and both natural and human disturbances assist in its rapid invasion.

Garlic mustard spreads mainly through seeds which are carried to new habitats by humans, animals and water. Each plant produces an average of 350 seeds which germinate from two to six years later. Garlic mustard thrives on nitrogen and as a result it has benefited from acid rain, particularly in upland forests. Eliminating the spread of garlic mustard may be impossible, but it can be slowed by cutting and removing the flower stalk at ground level prior to seed production and applying glyphosate in early spring or late fall, when most native plants are dormant. Fire may also work. Early detection is critical since successful removal of well-established colonies is unlikely without considerable cost. A single plant is capable of populating a site.

Wildflower seed mixes that are labelled as native.  Often commercial mixes do not list the species that it contains, and they may contain some undesirable species. Also they may claim that certain species are native but are actually not to Ontario, such as Lance-leaved Coreopsis and Purple Coneflower.  While these seed mixes are fine for backyard gardens, caution should be taken if used in naturalization projects.

Other inadvertent introductions in herb gardens:

• Dog-strangling vine (Cynanchum spp.)
• Spotted knapweed (Centaurea maculosa)
• White bedstraw (Galium mollugo)
• Coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara)

---

What You Can Do

Despite evidence that exotics are threatening our natural areas, they are still being tested for wildlife plantings, landscaping purposes, wood and fiber production, soil conservation practices and forage improvement. At the same time, we are spending tremendous amounts to protect and preserve significant habitats that are increasingly vulnerable to infestation by alien invaders. The continued fragmentation of our southern Ontario landscape by suburbs, country estate housing and transportation corridors serves to give these natural invaders an added advantage.

Awareness of the problems caused by invasive alien plants is the first step in preventing their continued use. When choosing plants for your garden, determine whether they are native or exotic. Learn what native species can be used in place of exotics — there is almost always an alternative. Ask your nursery what native plants they have available and use them instead. If you still decide to choose an exotic, make sure it is a non-invasive species such as peony, petunia, forsythia and butterfly bush.

Original author: Kim Gavine

Designer: Noah Cole

Copyright: First printed in 2017, updated in August 2026 © Ontario Nature

Contributors: Noah Cole, James Kamstra, Kayla-Jane Barrie

Updated online: August 18, 2026

The post Native Plants Guide appeared first on ON Nature Magazine.

5 | This Issue

Thankful for Spring

By Andrés Jiménez Monge

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7 | Earth Watch

• Watershed Monitoring in Credit Valley
• Avian Influenza Decimates Caspian Terns
• Spring Species Watch – Northern Shoveler and Easter Gartersnake
• Environmental Policy Rollbacks
• Chronic Wasting Disease

12 | Earth Watch

• Featured Photographer – Michael Wynia
• The Fate of Belugas
• Bird’s-foot Violet Habitat Restoration
• Studying the Environment Through Bird Songs
• Sauble Dunes Nature Reserve Expands Northward

18 | Power Grab

Ontario’s new “special economic zones” give industry wide scope—so wide that they could reverse decades of work establishing legal protections for environmentally sensitive areas.

By Brian Banks

24 | The Myriad Mysteries of the White-throated Sparrow

Multiple colour patterns. A changing song. White-throated sparrows may be ubiquitous (at least for now), but they are far from common.

By Julia Zarankin

28 | Big Moths in Big Trouble

Sphinx moths and other large moth species have been declining for decades. How can this population trend be reversed?

By James Kamstra

35 | Nature Network

Group Successfully Defends Carden Alvar.

By Lesley Rudy

36 | Our Community  

Recognizing conservation champions with Ontario Nature’s awards.

By Lisa Martell

37 | From the Blog

Unearthing ON Nature magazine’s past.

By Jenna Quinn

38 | Last Word

Belonging as a Blind Birder.

By Christine Malec

ON Nature magazine is an award-winning quarterly that brings readers closer to nature by exploring Ontario’s natural species and spaces, and providing insight on pressing conservation issues.

The cost of an annual subscription is $50. If you are a senior citizen (65+) or a student, you can subscribe for a discounted rate of $40.

For just $9.95, you can purchase recent issues of our award-winning magazine. We have back issues available online dating to 1951!

For more information or to purchase a back issue, please contact Kamran Minai, at 416-444-8419 ext. 232 or kamranm@ontarionature.org.

Photos © Peter Gorrie, John Reaume, Peter Gorrie, Eric Treleaven, Scott Fairbairn, John Reaume, John Reaume, Pete Ryan

The post Spring 2026 appeared first on ON Nature Magazine.

5 | This Issue

Connectivity

By Andrés Jiménez Monge

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7 | Earth Watch

• Banding Together for the Chorus Frog
• Red-winged Blackbird Populations Declining
• Species Watch: Northern Harrier and Great Blue Heron
• More Study Needed on Impact of Low Ice in Lakes
• Featured Photographer: John Reaume

12 | Earth Watch

• Gillies Grove
• Connecting Saugeen Bruce Peninsula Habitat
• Canadian Government Classifies “Forever Chemicals” as Toxic
• New Protected Areas
• Debate About Compassionate Conservation

18 | The Vanishing Icon

Boreal caribou populations continue to decline in Ontario. Can a new agreement help them recover?

By Conor Mihell

24 | The Ma’iingan Way

A study in northern Ontario has revealed between wolves, habitat connectivity and humans on the land – highlighting the power of collaboration in conservation.

By Andrés Jiménez Monge

28 | Remembering the Queen Bee

The recent passing of renowned bee researcher Dr. Sheila Colla has left a deep void in Canada’s scientific community, academia and many people’s lives. But her legacy lives on.

By Carol Toller

35 | Nature Network

Better together.

By Lesley Rudy

36 | Our Community  

Stretching limited conservation dollars.

By Andrés Jiménez Monge

37 | From the Blog

Ontario is lagging on its targets.

By Kellsie Bonnyman

38 | Last Word

Time to dig in on aggregates.

By Anne Bell

ON Nature magazine is an award-winning quarterly that brings readers closer to nature by exploring Ontario’s natural species and spaces, and providing insight on pressing conservation issues.

The cost of an annual subscription is $50. If you are a senior citizen (65+) or a student, you can subscribe for a discounted rate of $40.

For just $9.95, you can purchase recent issues of our award-winning magazine. We have back issues available online dating to 1951!

For more information or to purchase a back issue, please contact Kamran Minai, at 416-444-8419 ext. 232 or kamranm@ontarionature.org.

Photos © Don Johnston, Ron Erwin, Matt Forsythe/City of Toronto, Mark Bernards, Mircea Costina/AdobeStock, Ron Erwin, Victoria MacPhail, Greg Noakes, Noah Cole, Ron Erwin, Pete Ryan

The post Winter 2025 appeared first on ON Nature Magazine.

Conservation policy usually focuses on preserving the young or endangered, but fails exceptional animals like centenarians, those remarkable individuals old even for their own species. Greenland sharks can live 400 years, lobsters over 100, and ocean quahogs 500.

Protecting centenarians is crucial. If an animal is found to live far beyond the usual lifespan of its species, I believe it should automatically be protected because of those exceptional characteristics.

These rare survivors carry irreplaceable genetic information. Just as we safeguard ancient trees, we should protect these elders as an act of responsibility, awareness, and respect. Their value lies in the fact that they are still here, and that alone should be enough to protect them.

Blanca Hernández,
Salamanca, Spain

The post Failing to Protect Life in Nature appeared first on ON Nature Magazine.

5 | This Issue

Nature Transcends Legislation

By Andrés Jiménez Monge

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7 | Earth Watch

• New Section of the Bruce Trail Opens
• A Midsummer Day Flyer
• Species Watch: Northern Harrier, Great Blue Heron
• Ontario Government Receives Failing Grade in Conservation
• Featured Photographer: Rebecca St.Pierre

12 | Earth Watch

• Streams Over Asphalt
• Short-fruit Rush Recognized as Endangered
• Preserving the Urban Orchard
• Forest Fallout
• Protecting Biodiversity Around Sauble Dunes

18 | Wilderness CSI

Advances in the testing of genetic samples in the environment are not only helping researchers estimate wildlife populations and monitor invasive species but may also curb the extinction crisis.

By Conor Mihell

24 | Bearing Up with Climate Change

The distinct population of polar bears in Hudson Bay has dropped by half in less than three decades. Is there hope for Canada’s largest carnivore?

By Carol Toller

28 | Seeds of a Tallgrass Renaissance

Once-abundant prairies and other tallgrass ecosystems are today limited to isolated patches across Ontario. Growers and naturalists are working to restore that nearly lost heritage.

By Ray Ford

35 | Nature Network

Connecting Regional Voices

By Lesley Rudy

36 | In House  

Exploring Sydenham River

By Kirsten Dahl

37 | From the Blog

Ontario Deals a Setback to Urban Birds

By Brendon Samuels

38 | Last Word

Can black bears survive the extended hunt?

By Judy Malone

ON Nature magazine is an award-winning quarterly that brings readers closer to nature by exploring Ontario’s natural species and spaces, and providing insight on pressing conservation issues.

The cost of an annual subscription is $50. If you are a senior citizen (65+) or a student, you can subscribe for a discounted rate of $40.

For just $9.95, you can purchase recent issues of our award-winning magazine. We have back issues available online dating to 1951!

For more information or to purchase a back issue, please contact Kamran Minai, at 416-444-8419 ext. 232 or kamranm@ontarionature.org.

Photos © John Reaume, Jason Jaacks, Don Johnston, Not Far From The Tree, Jason Jaacks, Handicraft Creative, Ron Erwin, Tom Preney, Sarah Hedges, Jenna Quinn, Brendon Samuels, Pete Ryan

The post Fall 2025 appeared first on ON Nature Magazine.

I appreciated the theme and content of the summer 2025 issue of ON Nature. As a long time Organic/Ecological,Regenerative farmer I was pleased to see Ray Ford’s article on “The Costs of Modern Agriculture” on page 16.

We need to make farming and ranching part of the solution rather than a big part of the problem. Regenerative farming and ranching practices can actually take carbon out of the air and sequester it by increasing soil organic matter while improving soil health, water infiltration, nutrient density of food and increasing biodiversity below and above the soil.

Two organizations that are working to help farmers in this regard are Farmers for Climate Solutions and the Ecological Farmers Association of Ontario.

Thank you for an informative, thoughtful and at times even hopeful issue on Ontario Nature and the efforts to protect and restore it.

Tony McQuail,
Lucknow, Ontario

The post Modern Farms Impact on Nature appeared first on ON Nature Magazine.

Thank you to all at ON Nature magazine for an always informative and visually engaging publication. I read every issue from cover to cover.

I read Ian Coutts’ article, “The Dirt on Gardens” with some interest and concern. It might encourage others with naturalized gardens to learn that the City of London has recently updated its Yard and Lot Maintenance By-Law to provide clearer guidelines for gardens that support biodiversity, including pollinator, food and native plant gardens.

These changes were largely prompted by the work of Brendon Samuels, Chair of the city’s Environmental Stewardship and Action Community Advisory Committee. The approach was informed by the Bylaws for Biodiversity project of the Ecological Design Lab. The project (available at ecologicaldesignlab.ca/by-laws-for-biodiversity) provides free practical tools to support similar advocacy efforts in other jurisdictions.

After receiving an order to comply with the city’s yard maintenance by-law in 2023, Brendon set about to determine how to achieve compliance with the by-law. The concerns he and his committee raised about the existing by-law resulted in a “housekeeping” update of the by-law by city staff. The revised by-law was enacted in March 2024 and provides much-needed clarity for both property owners and people who wish to file a complaint. https://london.ca/yard-lot-maintenance-law.

According to the city website, the by-law requires property owners to keep their land safe for the public, appropriately store and remove refuse, remove and stop the growth of prohibited plants, and remove graffiti from buildings and structures, among other things. The city’s website emphasizes that the by-law is not intended to manage the aesthetics of gardens, especially where vegetative growth or a garden has been intentionally cultivated. The city’s Climate Emergency Action Plan encourages the planting and maintenance of diverse, resilient, native plant species and gardens to help slow the effects of climate change.

In addition, Brendon and his committee have made “Nature Lives Here” lawn signs available to the public. The signs are meant to educate and reduce conflict with neighbours who may object to the appearance of naturalized properties.

May other municipalities follow this example!

Susan Berry, Nature London
London, Ontario

The post Nature Lives Here appeared first on ON Nature Magazine.

5 | This Issue

Nature Is Who We Are

By Caroline Schultz

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7 | Earth Watch

• New Wetland Resources
• Least Bittern Rises Again
• Species Watch: Red-bellied Snake, Luna Moth
• Road Projects are Saving Turtles

12 | Earth Watch

• Featured Photographer: Mel Diotte
• Chimney Swifts
• Ontario Scientists Preserving U.S. Data
• The Costs of Modern Agriculture

18 | Upholding Land Rights

To stop environmental devastation of their lands and rivers, Grassy Narrows First Nation declared sovereignty over their territory. Elder Judy Da Silva and her community are fighting to get policy makers to respect their right to protect their land.

By Melina Damian

24 | The Dirt on Gardens

Homeowners who naturalize their gardens are running afoul of municipal bylaws. Can recent cases in favour of wild gardens prevent bylaw officers from getting lost in the weeds?

By Ian Coutts

28 | The Great Invasion

Invasive species and climate change are pushing the iconic Great Lakes whitefish to the brink of local extinction. Can scientists and Indigenous communities find a solution in time?

By Conor Mihell

35 | Nature Network

Nature Groups Help Expand Rouge Park

By Lesley Rudy

36 | In House  

A Teenager’s Activism

By Hayley Raymond

37 | From the Blog

The Opioid Crisis and Wildlife

By Ella Miller

38 | Last Word

Everyone Has a Role in Conservation

By Liann Bobechko

ON Nature magazine is an award-winning quarterly that brings readers closer to nature by exploring Ontario’s natural species and spaces, and providing insight on pressing conservation issues.

The cost of an annual subscription is $50. If you are a senior citizen (65+) or a student, you can subscribe for a discounted rate of $40.

For just $9.95, you can purchase recent issues of our award-winning magazine. We have back issues available online dating to 1951!

For more information or to purchase a back issue, please contact Kamran Minai, at 416-444-8419 ext. 232 or kamranm@ontarionature.org.

Photos © Allan Lissner, Allan Lissner, Kari Gunson, Ron Erwin, Allan Lissner, Not So Hollow Farm, Paul Vecsei/Engbretson Underwater Photography, Land Over Landings, David Pugh, Conor Lawless, Pete Ryan

The post Summer 2025 appeared first on ON Nature Magazine.

5 | This Issue

A Time of Change.

By Caroline Schultz

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7 | Earth Watch

• Rare Fish in Thames River
• Breeding Bird Atlas Findings
• Species Watch: Ruby-throated hummingbird, Trillium
• Farewell to Nature at Ontario Place
• Regenerative Tourism

12 | Earth Watch

• Featured Photographer: Andrew Interisano
• Anti Greenwashing
• Landfill Space Rapidly Running Out
• Developing Conservation Authority Land
• Ontario Nature Enlarges its Gananoque Lake Nature Reserve

18 | As the Dragon Flies

The annual migration of common green darner dragonflies is less understood than that of monarch butterflies, but scientists are starting to discover just how epic these insects’ journeys are.

By Brian Banks

24 | Adapt or Perish

With threats to forests multiplying, Ontario researchers are seeking ways to keep the woods resilient. Can forests adapt in time to stay ahead of climate change?

By Jade Prévost-Manuel

28 | Ribbons of Green

A natural corridor from Hamilton’s Cootes Paradise to the Niagara Escarpment shows the biodiversity benefits of connected habitat—and of conservation partnerships.

By Conor Mihell

35 | Nature Network

A Conservation Project With Legs

By Lesley Rudy

36 | In House  

Naturalists celebrate 90 Years

By Kirsten Dahl

37 | From the Blog

The Road to Unsustainable Growth

By Jenna Kip

38 | Last Word

Electoral Reform is Needed for Climate Action

By Sharon Sommerville

ON Nature magazine is an award-winning quarterly that brings readers closer to nature by exploring Ontario’s natural species and spaces, and providing insight on pressing conservation issues.

The cost of an annual subscription is $50. If you are a senior citizen (65+) or a student, you can subscribe for a discounted rate of $40.

For just $9.95, you can purchase recent issues of our award-winning magazine. We have back issues available online dating to 1951!

For more information or to purchase a back issue, please contact Kamran Minai, at 416-444-8419 ext. 232 or kamranm@ontarionature.org.

Photos © Robert McCaw, Erin Carroll – Upper Thames River Conservation Authority, Ron Erwin, Ron Erwin, Ron Erwin, Mark Zelinski, Matt Forsythe – City of Toronto, Jenna Quinn, Noah Cole, Pete Ryan

The post Spring 2025 appeared first on ON Nature Magazine.