Conservation updates for member groups.

Ontario Nature Greeting Cards Now Available

You can send a nature-filled greeting to your loved ones this holiday season with Ontario Nature's holiday cards. This year we have several designs available, including the gray jay, boreal owl, snow bunting and more. You can order your cards with or without a nature-themed holiday message on the inside. The proceeds from all sales will go toward protecting wild species and wild spaces in Ontario. Quantities are limited, so order your cards today!

Fall is for the Birds (of Prey)

Fall is an exciting time for bird enthusiasts as summer fledglings become air-borne adults and join others of their kind on route to warmer climes. Raptors embarking on their journey south have been spotted throughout Ontario and the coming weeks will showcase scores more. You can see many of the diverse birds of prey travelling through Ontario this fall by joining a local (physically distanced) hike or nature tour. Visit the Ontario Nature events page to see which Nature Network groups are hosting public outings this fall.

Learn to Identify Ontario's Butterflies

If you love butterflies, the new Pocket Guide to Butterflies of Southern & Eastern Ontario is for you! Produced by renowned lepidopterist, Rick Cavasin, this pocket guide is the definitive source for information on Ontario's diverse and captivating butterflies. It offers tips on species identification as well as the best time to see each species. Visit the Butterflies of Ontario website to learn where you can purchase a copy of this must-have pocket guide.

Fall Issue of ON Nature is Hot Off the Press

The fall issue of ON Nature, Ontario Nature's award-winning quarterly publication, is now available. In it, you can explore Ontario's wilderness and wildlife by reading about: an expert on black widows who is debunking the myths about Ontario's only venomous spider, how scientists are using bird calls to collect data for the third Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas and Toronto's little-known greensnakes. ON Nature is a member-supported magazine. For just $50 per year, you can help fund Ontario Nature's work protecting wild species and wild spaces, and receive a print copy of the magazine.

New Guide Showcases the Plants of Kawartha Lakes

Botanists of all skill levels won't want to miss the publication of The Flora of Kawartha Lakes: An Illustrated Checklist of the Flora of the City of Kawartha Lakes in November. Written by Kawartha Field Naturalists members, Dale Leadbeater and Anne Barbour, the guide offers a list of all the plant species found in this wonderfully diverse region of Ontario. Its introductory chapters also cover the history, geography and geology of the City of Kawartha Lakes. To learn more about this new publication contact Phill at Hawk Owl Publishing.

Events

Owen Sound Field Naturalists

Water Birds and More of the Beaver Valley and Thornbury Areas with Dave Turner, Saturday October 16 @ 9:30am; for more information or to register contact fleshertonartgallery@gmail.com or 519-924-3560.
Experience the Algonquin Arch with Bob Gray, Sunday October 17 @ 2:00pm; for more information or to register contact kemblemt1@gmail.com or 519-371-9128.
Marshall Woods Old Growth Forest Hike with Bob Knapp, Saturday October 23 @ 9:15am; for more information or to register contact rmknapp@yahoo.com or 519-371-1255.
Birding Around the Bay: Waterfowl and More with Erik Van Den Kieboom & Kiah Jasper, Sunday November 14 @ 10:00am; for more information or to register contact erikkieboom@outlook.com or kiahjasper@gmail.com.
Christmas Bird Counts, December 14, 2021 to January 5, 2022 at various locations throughout Grey and Bruce counties; for more information visit the Owen Sound Field Naturalists website.

Friends of the Carp Hills

Images from Space: How a New Satellite Constellation Helps Us to Understand What's Happening on Earth with Dr. Vern Singhroy (Webinar), Tuesday October 26 @ 7:00pm; cost is $10; for more information or to register visit the Friends of the Carp Hills website.

Georgian Bay Biosphere Reserve

Climate Action: Electric Vehicles 101 with Kenneth Bokar (Webinar), Tuesday October 19 @ 10:00am; for more information or to register visit the Georgian Bay Biosphere Reserve website.
Wildfire in the Georgian Bay Biosphere with Mike Waddington (Webinar), Wednesday November 3 @ 10:00am; for more information or to register visit the Georgian Bay Biosphere Reserve website.

North Durham Nature

Secret Lives of Spiders, a Webinar with Catherine Scott, Tuesday October 26 @ 7:00pm; for more information about how you can join this informative session, visit the North Durham Nature website.

Saugeen Nature

Physiography of Central Bruce County Outing to Colpoy's Bay, Saturday November 6 @ 10:00am; for more information and to register contact Bob Gray at 519-371-9128.
Hanover/Walkerton Christmas Bird Count, Saturday December 18; for more information contact Gerard McNaughton at 519-881-3376.

Orillia Naturalists' Club

Nature Book of the Month for November, Monday November 15; Nancy Ironside will review "Jungle Peace" by William Beebe; for more information visit the Orillia Naturalists' Club website.

Friends of Frontenac Park

Frontenac Challenge, Wednesday September 1 to Sunday October 31; participants hike a designated number of trails in Frontenac Provincial Park depending on the challenge they choose; for more information visit the Friends of Frontenac Park website.

Upcoming Deadlines

The next issue of the Nature Network News will be sent on November 15, 2021. The deadline for submissions is November 1, 2021. You can send your submissions to naturenetwork@ontarionature.org. Please note that events can be listed up to two months ahead – allowing others to put them on their calendars well in advance.

Ontario Nature publishes the Ontario Nature Network News every month with contributions from its member groups and staff. Ontario Nature grants permission for use of the information above in member group newsletters. Please credit either Ontario Nature or the member group.