This Tuesday we brought our cameras to the pond to photograph some of the beautiful Grenadier Pond fall scenery.
Here are a couple of the photos we took!
Downy Woodpecker by Rishona Altenberg
The Tuesdays at the Pond group on Photo Day by Sarah Rafols
Milkweed by Rishona Altenberg
Close-up by Sarah Rafols
Sunflowers by Sarah Rafols
This time of year, the fields are awash in gold as beautiful, native goldenrod blooms. Goldenrod is hugely important in an ecosystem like High Park and we are thankful for it all year long.
Many people assume that goldenrod pollen causes their alergies, but this is a myth. Humble-looking ragweed is the main culprit as it releases huge amounts of pollen into the wind. Of all the pollen in the air this time of year, a measly 1%-2% is from goldenrod. Below are 5 reasons we love goldenrod:
The naturalized "Bowling Field" behind the Nature Centre is a fascinating habitat to explore this fall.
1.It provides food and shelter for so many insects all through the year. As we walked through the Bowling Field today we saw a number of bee species, butterflies, stinkbugs, froghoppers and a crowd of dragonflies hunting other insects attracted by the goldenrod.Right now it seems like a buffet out there!
2. It is beautiful…especially in the late-summer sun.
3. There are lots of different types! This diversity is perfect for us naturalists who like a good identification challenge.In High Park alone, you can find 9 different species: Tall Goldenrod, Early Goldenrod, Zig-Zag Goldenrod, Blue-stem Goldenrod, White Goldenrod, Giant Goldenrod, Gray Goldenrod, Stout Goldenrod…and lots of Canada Goldenrod!
4. Monarchs rely on the abundant goldenrod nectar as a source of energy before their heroic migrations south.
This monarch butterfly is loading up on goldenrod nectar before the long migration south.
5. It is prolific. Goldenrod spreads by wind-carried seed, but also by spreading from underground rhizomes. Dense stands of goldenrod can hold their own against invasive speciees.
Please come out to High Park to witness the glorious goldenrod as it blooms. Please respect it by letting it grow.
A fox den entrance. Foxes like to make their dens on south-facing slopes near forest edges. They also prefer dry, sandy soil and High Park has lots of sandy soil near forest edges!
This weekend the Ramblers Hiking Club saw a fox den! We noticed 2 entrances about 25 cm wide and a large pile of excavated sand was outside one of them. One of the Ramblers decided this was the “porch”. Red Fox’s underground burrows can be up to 25 m long but judging by the amount of sand, this one isn’t that long. Dens are often on a south-facing slope to maximize warm sunlight and have a good view of the surrounding area.
Elusive, secretive and shy, Foxes live in High Park and stay active all winter long. Foxes thick tails can be wrapped around their feet and face to keep warm in the coldest conditions. And they manage to find enough food to survive. In the winter foxes eat mostly meat: meadow voles, mice and squirrels. Remains of a fox’s meal can often be found just outside their dens.
With difficult winter hunting conditions, foxes rely heavily on these senses to catch enough food for survival. Foxes have excellent sight, smell and hearing. Amazingly, foxes can locate mice beneath deep snow through use of their hearing. This video shows the fox’s unbelievable winter hunting skills: BBC clip of Red Fox hunting in the snow
A fox track has 4 toes, is about 4.5 cm wide and 5-6 cm long.
We also found some fox tracks! Fox tracks look very similar to domestic dog tracks. However, there are some differences. Dogs tend to explore their surroundings somewhat randomly. Foxes don’t have this luxury and hunt very purposefully. Their tracks reflect this: a dog’s seem random while a fox’s are often straight and careful. We noticed the fox tracks by the den and went along the fallen trees and branches wherever possible.
Foxes often walk along landforms like a ridge, a forest edge or in this case, along a fallen branch. What balance!
For more reading on the wildlife of High Park visit: High Park Nature
For more reading on foxes visit: Hinterland Who’s Who – Red Fox
Click to enlarge
It’s busy here at the Nature Centre! We started our fall programs on September 20th and since then we’ve hosted:
watching for hawks
91 kids enrolled in our clubs, including 41 kids involved in our Tuesday Knee-High Naturalists Club for preschool aged kids
Have you made it to High Park yet this fall? What did you see?
Thanks to funding from the Toronto Field Naturalists, we will be continuing our nature walks into the Fall. There are five nature walks scheduled through-out October, all focused on the wonderous natural environment of High Park.
Visit our Events listing to read more about the various walks. You can also see the walks listed on our Facebook page.
Want to help spread the news? Download our poster and put it up in your community!
We’re looking forward to spending time with you this fall!
Fall registration kicked off this morning! If you’re interested in enrolling your child in our fall programs, there are plenty of spaces available.
If you are a teacher getting ready for the 2010/2011 school year, don’t forget to give us a call SOON to book your field trip. Learn more about elementary school programs by clicking here. We also have programs for secondary school students.
We are also taking bookings for birthday parties. Be sure to plan ahead to avoid disappointment. Weekends fill up quickly with party bookings.
One last thing…another year of our homeschooling program! If you are a homeschooling family and want to learn more about our fall session of this unique program, please send us an e-mail!
