Rouge Valley Conservation Centre
Nature Notes
By Steve Gahbauer
July 2009
Summer Notes
Experts estimate that Canada is home to over 142,000 species of plants and animals. To date, only half have been discovered. Education is more important than ever as ecosystems continue to be affected by our activities. We can start right here at the Rouge Park. Canada has more than 3,000 identified native plants – trees, shrubs, wildflowers, grasses, ferns, vines, and aquatic plants, and about 700+ species can be found in the Rouge.
But those numbers are dwindling. A quarter of our plants could disappear because of habitat loss, insect infestations, and human activities. Robbed of this nourishment and shelter, many wildlife species could be affected. Butterflies, songbirds, waterfowl and mammals are at risk as never before.
Luckily, in the 47 km² Rouge Park we still have a healthy biological diversity. Among the trees, there are pines and firs, hemlocks and cedars, as well as maples, birches, beeches, ashes, alders and shagbark hickories. There are hardwoods like Ironwood and Blue Beech, also called American Hornbeam. We have serviceberry, chokeberry, dogwood and cottonwood shrubs. And then there are the various ferns, sedges and thistles, the Monarch butterfly-sustaining Milkweed, a host of wildflowers, including anemones, Blood Root, Hepatica and Trilliums, Columbines, Jack-in-the-pulpit, Wild Ginger, Blue Cohosh and Marsh Marigolds, and later in the season asters and vetches. The rivers and tributaries are still relatively well stocked with fish, including trout in the Spring, salmon in the Fall, and Minnows, Suckers, Pike, Redside Dace, Bass and other varieties all year around. In the wetlands we find four species of turtles, waterfowl and frogs, and in the riparian areas we have some snakes. Many species of birds are breeding in the Rouge, including the beautiful Eastern Bluebird, and many more visit the Valley during migration time in Spring and Fall. To say nothing about the many butterflies and moths, insects, bugs, beetles and, yes, even bats in the Rouge Valley.
Among the not so welcome beetles is the tiny Emerald Ash Borer that has felled more than 25 million ash trees across North America since it was detected in 2002. The invasive insect, native to Asia, is still spreading and resisting efforts to rein it in. It isn’t choosy either: any ash tree will do. In southern Ontario, we have Red Ashes, some Black Ashes in swampy areas, the more common White Ash, the shorter Green Ash, as well as some European Ash. All ashes have large, opposite, compound leaves – leaves with two or more leaflets attached to a single leaf stem – and winged seeds, called samaras. The leaves are finely toothed and always have a lighter underside. Ash tree bark has deep ridges that intersect to form a diamond pattern. Ash trees belong to the Oleaceae family, which also includes woody vines and shrubs, such as the Lilac bush. Ash trees are often used to plant boulevards on city streets. In the wild, they grow along streams, rivers and wetlands, or in rich, moist soil of hardwood forests. Find some in the Rouge on your next hike. One is in front of the Conservation Centre.
If insect infestation and other natural forces destroy habitat it is bad enough. But it's worse when humans wantonly deplete forests through mining and logging, slash-and-burn methods for agriculture, or plundering what little remains of prime forest in places like Madagascar, where now gangs of armed criminals are exploiting a political crisis and are assaulting the fabled forests of the island, one of the world's most sensitive biological zones. It is reported that, organized by foreign businessmen, hundreds of illegal loggers and animal traders have overwhelmed the weak defences of the country's many national parks, stripping the forests of precious rosewood and ebony, smuggling out rare animals, and destroying the habitat of endangered wildlife.
Madagascar is a haven to thousands of animal and plant species that are found nowhere else on the planet. When I travelled there a few years ago I learned that many creatures have already gone extinct as a result of massive slash-and-burn agriculture. The national parks are the last bulwark to protect the unique species, but they are now thrown into jeopardy by political violence. We are ravaging the planet – and we are the poorer for it.
Yes, we have an Endangered Species Act in Ontario, but many exemptions and the lack of enforcement still put wildlife and plants at risk. The province's environmental commissioner, Gordon Miller, has well-founded concerns about exemptions that allow the minister of natural resources to grant permits for development or industrial activity without first finding out how that would affect Ontario's 184 at-risk species. Several butterflies, the American Badger and Barn Owls remain at risk. Moreover, in Ontario there is no law that requires the province to monitor biological diversity, so nobody really knows the overall health of species and habitats. Among endangered species in Ontario are Golden Eagles, Northern Cricket Frogs, Northern Madtom, Mudpuppy Mussels, Cougars, and the Aweme Borer Moth, as well as American Chestnut trees and Crooked-stem Asters.
There are also shifts in the bird world. According to the National Audubon Society's recent report on the movement of birds in North America, more than half of widespread bird species that winter on our continent have shifted significantly northward since 1966 in what is believed to be a short-term response to climate change.
Nature happenings in this season include:
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-Summer solstice: on June 20th the sun is at its highest point in the sky. It is the longest daylight of the year and the first day of summer.
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-Hummingbirds and House Wrens are nesting.
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-Wood Duck and Mallard ducklings hatch and venture forth.
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-Many young birds leave their nests, with parents usually nearby. Do not disturb them.
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-Tiger Swallowtail and Monarch butterflies emerge, along with Cecropia moths.
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-Look for the first fireflies of the year.
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-Canada Geese begin moulting and snakes start basking in the sunshine.
This is the time of the year when nature is at its best. Make the most of it by looking, listening and observing wildlife in all its forms – in the water, on the ground and in the air. Enjoy your walks in the Rouge Park.
Sources: Canadian Wildlife Federation, Bird Studies Canada, personal field notes.
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