Ontario Nature is the voice for wild species and wild spaces in Ontario. Its award-winning quarterly magazine, ON Nature, is an authoritative source of engaging environmental content that inspires and informs. Contributors include award-winning journalists, photographers, and leading conservation experts. The magazine brings readers closer to nature. Experience the great outdoors, even when you’re indoors. […]
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Author: ON Nature
Published quarterly by Ontario Nature, ON Nature brings readers closer to nature by exploring Ontario’s natural areas and wildlife and providing insight into current environmental issues.
This award-winning magazine features in-depth articles on the environment and conservation issues and stunning colour photography. Read about wilderness travel and destinations, natural history and up-to-date news on conservation battles.
Winter 2024
Ontario Nature is the voice for wild species and wild spaces in Ontario. Its award-winning quarterly magazine, ON Nature, is an authoritative source of engaging environmental content that inspires and informs. Contributors include award-winning journalists, photographers, and leading conservation experts. The magazine brings readers closer to nature. Experience the great outdoors, even when you’re indoors. […]
About – The Fact Is: Food Waste
Subject: RE: The problem of too many In “The Fact Is” section, it says that the millions of tonnes of food wasted every year is equivalent to the carbon output of 2 million cars. The implied comparison is that food wastage is as bad for climate change as car usage. While your statistic about the […]
RE: The Problem of Too Many
Subject: RE: The problem of too many I think Bill Moses is right on in his letter to the editor. The problems the planet is experiencing right now are directly related to the problem of too many humans taking over and upsetting natural systems. However, he is wrong in accepting that Canada needs to bring […]
The Problem of Too Many
Re: The Problem of Too Many The article “The problem of too many” seems to refer only to problems that affect humans. In fact, nature would sort out a “too many deer” problem (for example) on its own if left to its own devices. It managed to do that kind of thing long before humans […]
Fall 2024
Ontario Nature is the voice for wild species and wild spaces in Ontario. Its award-winning quarterly magazine, ON Nature, is an authoritative source of engaging environmental content that inspires and informs. Contributors include award-winning journalists, photographers, and leading conservation experts. The magazine brings readers closer to nature. Experience the great outdoors, even when you’re indoors. […]
Edible Wild Plants
Did you know many wild plants growing in northwestern Ontario are edible? While berries are the most popular wild edibles, tubers, leaves flowers and stems of many plants found in northern forests and freshwaters are edible.
RE: Farewell to Ontario Nature’s Sage
Re: Farewell to Ontario Nature’s Sage My heart-felt thanks and best wishes to Ontario Nature’s outgoing Conservation Director Anne Bell on her retirement (see p. 5, Summer 2024 issue). Those of us in the conservation community knew we could always rely on Anne’s passion, tenacity and creativity in the service of Ontario’s biodiversity. Protecting habitat […]
Summer 2024
Ontario Nature is the voice for wild species and wild spaces in Ontario. Its award-winning quarterly magazine, ON Nature, is an authoritative source of engaging environmental content that inspires and informs. Contributors include award-winning journalists, photographers, and leading conservation experts. The magazine brings readers closer to nature. Experience the great outdoors, even when you’re indoors. […]
RE: Modernizing Bird Names
Re: What’s in a (Bird) Name I can hear the chirps, trills and warbles of delighted birds – now proud possessors of new names. The once forlorn McCown’s longspur now revels in its glorious moniker, namely, ‘the thick-billed longspur’. And why not? Who wouldn’t want their nomenclature changed by the august American Ornithological Society (AOS)? […]
Modernizing Bird Names
Re: What’s in a (Bird) Name With the greatest of respect, I, (a longstanding “birder”) find the proposed bird name changes written about in Julia Zarankin’s Last Word article asinine! What a flavour is lost when changing Lewis’s Woodpecker or the Baltimore Oriole when one knows of the reasons behind the name? Or Wilson’s Warbler, […]
Spring 2024
20 | Protecting All That Hops, Slithers and Crawls A comprehensive guide to reptiles and amphibians in Ontario highlights profound threats to many of these creatures. Newly gathered data, however, can inform ways to help them survive. By Celia Milne 24 | A Stark Beauty Ontario’s alvars are biodiversity hot spots, but they are misunderstood, […]
Invasive Damages
RE: The War on Invasive Species I was very disappointed in the article The War on Invasive Species, Last Word by By Conor Mihell in the current issue of the magazine (Winter 2023). Actually, I thought (hope) it was there to start discussion, not because it was really a serious approach to the topic. There […]
Winter 2023
24 | A Burning Issue The record-breaking wildfire season is highlighting the gaps in human knowledge of the impact of fires on wildlife. But what is known is worrisome. By Jade Prévost-Manuel 20 | Not Seeing the Forest for the Trees Tree-planting programs that prioritize the number of seedlings in the ground over creating forest […]
Fall 2023
20 | The Little Fox That Could A community science project shows that gray foxes are successfully adapting to the harsh climate of the province’s north. By Julia Zarankin 24 | Acclimating to Change Climate is warming and nature reserve managers are feeling the heat. What happens to conservation plans when the species and habitats […]
Travelling Into Nature
Thank you for your email about Ontario Nature’s nature guides. At age 92 I’m not doing much travelling. But I watch nature in the courtyard of the large private seniors residence where I live. Some of the space is wooded and grassy. Do your nature guides include information about getting there by public transit? If […]
Of Roads and Wolves
I read with interest your feature article “Lone Wolf” in the summer 2023 issue of ON Nature about gray wolves need for uninterrupted landscapes for habitat. Ontario Nature rightly cares about gray wolves. Unfortunately, just yesterday, I read the news from the Fur-Bearers group that B.C. had shot from helicopters 217 wolves and 8 cougars […]
Illustrated by AI
RE: “Lights Out” (Summer 2023) I’ve been enjoying the latest print issue of ON Nature but was surprised (and disappointed) to see the “Lights Out?” fireflies story was illustrated with an Artificial Intelligence image. To me this seems rather disingenuous for a magazine focused on nature, science and education. In the future, I hope to […]
Wolves, Status Quo and Novelty
RE: “Lone Wolf” (Summer 2023) The canine habits described here suggest how we can enhance human society: We need the input of both pack- and lone-wolves. The former stick to “defined areas”, while the latter “establish new territories”. There’s value in keeping some aspects of the current order. Take democracy, for example. The principle of […]
Pawpaw Inspired by ON Nature
Dear Editor, I wanted to share with you this pawpaw tree that my folks just planted, inspired by the ON Nature magazine feature, The Forgotten Fruit. Now they just need to plant a second one to get some fruit! – Jenna Cardoso, Cambridge
Summer 2023
20 | Lights Out? The enchanting light shows of adult fireflies make ignoring the rest of their life cycle easy. But therein lie the threats to them. By Brian Banks 24 | Lone Wolf An extraordinary journey by a solitary gray wolf reveals the challenges these animals encounter in their search for open territory. By […]
Nature of the North
This guide is intended as a starting point for learning more about the many wonderful natural features that northern Ontario has to offer. There are many knowledgeable local businesses and tourism operators who may be able to provide additional information and services. For any hiking, canoeing, or other adventures ensure you are well prepared!
Coconut Coir Detrimental
On page 33 of the spring (paper) edition, the author suggests that gardeners use coir as a substitute for Ontario, or Canadian, peat. My goodness. So more Indonesian rainforest, for example, should be destroyed for the planting of yet more coconut trees, for their coir, and oil, and whatever else we humans want? I think […]
Natural Burial
On page 18 of your Spring 2023 issue of ON Nature, I am referred to as the founder of the Natural Burial Association. I am at best the Co-Founder along with the late pioneering green, Mary Anne Brinckman, who was a remarkable contributor to Canada’s natural heritage. Mary Anne pushed for less wasteful burial practices, […]
Local Potting Mix
Re: For Peat’s Sake For a couple years I’ve been working on a potting mix that is free of peat moss, cocoa coir, perlite or vermiculite. I think I’m finally there, or very close. All I’m using from off my property is a local rock dust, blood meal and perlite for drainage. The rock dust is […]
Spring 2023
5 | This Issue A history lesson. By Caroline Schultz 38 | Last Word The Downside of #NoMowMay By Lorraine Johnson and Dr. Sheila Colla 34 | Our Member Groups A legacy of nature reserve stewardship. By Melissa Thomas 35 | Our Community School of Flock raises awareness about bats. By Hayley Raymond ON Nature […]
MZO Impact on Scugog River
RE: Kingston Rejects Development on Wetland I am an Ontario Nature donor and a recipient of ON Nature magazine. There is an article by Sarah Hasenack in the Winter 2022 issue that is exactly on point for my community in north-east Lindsay. We are faced with a small community development in 17 hectares just north […]
Winter 2022
5 | This Issue The Web of Life. By Caroline Schultz 7 | Earth Watch A wetland win All about peatlands Kinghurst Forest in winter New carbon guide And more… 38 | Last Word How Carbon Offsets Can Better Help Nature By Sean Rudd 34 | Our Member Groups Twenty-Five Years of Protecting Nature. By […]
Species at Risk Guide
Learn about more than 50 species at risk that are found in northern Ontario. We are now in the midst of the largest mass extinction since the disappearance of the dinosaurs more than 65 million years ago. Habitat loss and degradation, climate change, invasive species, pollution and over-exploitation of natural resources are some of the factors driving the decline. This handy guide covers mammals, birds, reptiles, fish, plants and insects.
Fall 2022
38 | Last Word Piping Plovers Prevail By Lisa Richardson 34 | Our Member Groups Naturalists Expand a Reserve. By Lisa Richardson 36 | Our Community Environmental Champions Recognized. By Zachary Pothier 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 […]
Backyard Habitats Guide
While backyard habitats cannot take the place of large wilderness areas, they can foster the diversity of wildlife populations in urban areas. Regardless of where you live, you can turn even the smallest yard into a wildlife haven with a little time and careful planning. Wildlife considerations can be included in the design without sacrificing aesthetics.
Summer 2022
38 | Last Word There is no good type of disposable waste By Melina Damian 34 | Our Member Groups A tree for every resident in Halton Hills. By Lisa Richardson 36 | Our Community Hydro One is giving back to nature. By Kayla Salive ON Nature magazine is an award-winning quarterly that brings readers […]
Appraising Tree Planting
I love trees. I grow trees from seed and I’m a member of a group in Halton Hills, dedicated to planting trees. Nevertheless, I welcomed the article When Tree Planting Harms More Than It Helps by James Kamstra in the Spring 2022 issue of ON Nature. Tree planting, quite rightly, is seen as a way […]
Refuting Tree Planting Harms
I was disappointed in your editorial, “When Tree Planting Harms More Than It Helps.” Several positive points were not mentioned: the carbon sequestering value of tree planting, the incredible loss of forest cover since European (human) invasion, opportunities to plant trees in urban and rural areas, and the fact that most top predators live in […]
Brook Trout
Thank you and Patricia Hluchy for the excellent article, “Trout in Trouble” in the Spring 2022 edition of Ontario Nature! It was skillfully crafted – well done! It’s obvious why Patricia was a finalist for the National Magazine Award for her article about American ginseng. I’m pleased to report that Peel Region recently passed a […]
Spring 2022
38 | Last Word When Tree Planting Harms More Than It Helps By James Kamstra 34 | Our Member Groups Advocacy Efforts Pay Off with the Prince Edward County Field Naturalists By Lisa Richardson 36 | Our Community A Life Well Lived – Carolyn Joyce Keen By Kirsten Dahl with input from John, Paul, Scott […]
Birchbark Canoe Building
After reading your interesting article about birchbark canoe building, The Art of the Craft, I thought that others would like to see, in practice, how it was done. Apparently, César Newashish, in 1971, was one of the few people practicing the art. This documentary shows how a canoe is built the old way. César Newashish, […]
Model Forests
Thank you for the feature by Ian Coutts, in the Winter 2021 issue, about Edmund Zavitz’s extraordinary reforestation efforts. During the centennial of the Reforestation Act, our family is celebrating 51 years of forest stewardship in Lanark County thanks to the remarkable legacy of agreement forests. You can read about it in the December 2020, […]
Great Winter Edition
I have been a member of Ontario Nature since a small child in the 40s and continue to be amazed and nurtured by nature. I am an amateur botanist and love trying to identify mosses. But the use of just common names is confusing as “we are the folk” and there are many folk names […]
Edmund Zavitz
Thank-you, thank-you for publishing Ian Coutts article about Ontario’s father of forestry. I trained as a forester many years ago and was very much inspired by the work of foresters such as Zavitz. It always breaks my heart that so little is known about the love of ecology that so many foresters have. We are […]