Lights out?

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 SUMMER MAY OFFICIALLY BEGIN on June 21, but in much of southern Ontario, a person could argue that it starts with the year’s first...
A wing and a prayer

A wing and a prayer

The short-eared owl, which is primarily seen in southern Ontario in winter, is struggling amid habitat loss and climate change. Can this threatened species be restored to its former abundance? MIKE CADMAN HAS MADE A CAREER of studying and counting birds. Yet when he...
A blueprint for recovery?

A blueprint for recovery?

The mottled duskywing butterfly was on the verge of disappearing from Ontario. Now, a pioneering reintroduction effort is raising hope that this and other at-risk butterflies can be brought back to life The drive from the Cambridge Butterfly Conservancy to Pinery...
The rights of nature

The rights of nature

The movement to designate rivers, lakes and other natural features legal “persons” with rights to self-preservation and legal redress is spreading through Indigenous communities in Canada. Will Ontario embrace the resolutions as a way of protecting its natural bounty?...
Call of the wild

Call of the wild

Bird calls and songs are giving scientists new insights into avian behaviour and population patterns. How researchers are gathering information for the third Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas by listening “OH.” A single sharp note of a birdsong stops Mike Cadman...
Riverdancers

Riverdancers

The playful behaviour of river otters has long enchanted animal lovers. But researchers continue to wonder about what drives these creatures’ curious antics ANIMAL STORIES HAVE A WAY of living on. An unexpected and substantial drop in the number of snapping turtles in...