Species of the Month, May 2022: Eastern Whip-poor-will

Species of the Month, May 2022: Eastern Whip-poor-will (Antrostomus vociferus)
by Mary Gartshore
 
A friend and fellow naturalist yawns in the morning sun as I pass him a cup of coffee. “So where is the off-switch for your whip-poor-will.” One of the pleasures of sleeping outdoors in Norfolk’s summer is the

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Species of the Month, April 2022: Spring Frogs

Species of the Month, April 2022: Spring Frogs
by Mary Gartshore
 
April and the first frogs are singing. Male frogs sing to direct others to breeding ponds, advertise to females and compete to mate. The previous fall, frogs have held territories and built-up reserves. The first wave includes Western

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Species of the Month, February 2022: Wild Vines

During their winter in Port Dover in 1669-1670, the Sulpian priests Dollier  and Galinee made wine from wild grapes as large and sweet as the finest in France. Today a landscape of tidy vineyards, in rolling countryside epitomizes wine tourism from France to Tasmania.  Yet, in a natural forest one’s

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Species of the Month, January 2022: Sandhill Cranes

Species of the Month, January 2022: Sandhill Cranes
by Mary Gartshore
Sandhills are arriving daily, foraging in fields of harvested grain, building their reserves for their continued journey southwards. Everywhere we can hear their distinctive calls. But until recently this spectacular avian event was not so. Sandhill Cranes are restocking

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Species of the Month, October 2021: Norfolk Road Asters

Species of the Month, October 2021: Norfolk Road Asters
by Mary Gartshore
A few years back a photographer called me and asked: “Are asters flowering yet down there in Norfolk?” Norfolk is blessed with many species of asters but I will focus on those visible on roadsides.

Asters include

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Species of the Month, September 2021: Fascinating Fungus

Species of the Month, September 2021: Fascinating Fungus
by Inga Hinnerichsen
The good, the bad and the ugly…
and the weird and the wonderful, too
Enter the mysterious world of fungi, or at least, get a tiny scratch at the surface of this huge Kingdom. There are at least an

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Species of the Month, August 2021: Singing Insects

Species of the Month, August 2021: Singing Insects
by Mary Gartshore
With a flashlight, camera and patience you can enjoy the spectacle of singing insects in Norfolk County’s natural areas.
As the chorus of frogs and birds begins to wind down, singing insects begin to command the night airwaves. Singing

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Species of the Month May 2021: Bats

Species of the Month, May 2021: Bats
by Mary Gartshore
Bats are the only mammal species that can fly.
According to the fossil record, bats have been capable of flight for about 52 million years.  Bats belong to the mammalian order Chiroptera with over 1400 recognized species – the second-largest

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Species of the Month, April 2021: Yellow-Spotted Salamanders

Species of the Month, April 2021: Yellow-Spotted Salamanders
by Mary Gartshore
Salamanders dance but don’t sing.
Four species of large mole salamanders occur in the Carolinian Zone of Ontario.  These are Small-mouthed Salamander on Pelee Island and Blue-spotted, Jefferson and Yellow-spotted Salamanders on the mainland including Norfolk County.  Cross-breeding and

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Species of the month, February 2021: Pignut Hickory

Species of the month, February 2021:
Pignut Hickory, Carya glabra
by Mary Gartshore
Canada’s four hickory species occur in Norfolk County: Bitternut, Shagbark, Pignut and
Shellbark. The uncommon Pignut or Red Hickory (Carya glabra) often goes unnoticed in our landscape but can occur as a majestic lawn tree with the

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