Butterflies: a not-so-well-known sign of spring

Today’s post comes to us from the Discovery staff at Charleston Lake Provincial Park.

Spring is coming!

Some telltale signs of spring include the return of birds that left for the winter, spring wildflowers opening their colourful blooms, and new tree leaves unfurling from buds.

But before that, there’s often an earlier sign of spring: butterflies.

That’s right, butterflies! A sign of spring in Charleston Lake is the sight of some early winged beauties flitting about.

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10 signs of spring at Ontario Parks

Spring has sprung at Ontario Parks!

The sun is out, the birds are chirping, and the days of snow and sleet are (hopefully!) behind us. As the snow melts, enjoy the sensory delights of spring in our provincial parks as we see and hear signs of warm weather to come.

You know it’s spring in Ontario Parks when…

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How to be a Bear Wise visitor

Black Bears live across Ontario in forested areas where they can find enough food, shelter, and denning sites. Our provincial parks are their home, and over 90% of our parks are in bear country.

A safe bear sighting during one of your adventures with Ontario Parks can be a lasting memory. Educating yourself about bears before your visit is important and the mark of a responsible park visitor.

We want to share space with bears, keeping our human visitors and all our wildlife residents safe.

If you’re planning a visit, here are some important safety tips about Black Bears:

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5 fantastic forests to visit this spring

It’s International Day of Forests!

Ontario Parks protects a collection of breathtakingly beautiful forests from across the province. Each will be brimming with signs of life as the snow melts and temperatures warm.

Let’s take a look at five unique forests you can visit this spring.

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Spring paddling safety

Itching for ice out? We certainly are.

But spring weather can be fickle. Hitting the lake too early, failing to respect weather conditions or paddling beyond your skill level isn’t just risky — it’s downright dangerous.

We chatted with Paul Smith, past park superintendent of Kawartha Highlands Provincial Park, to get some top do’s and don’ts for spring paddling safety:

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5 Ontario wildflowers to spot this spring

The sun is shining, birds are chirping, and splashes of beautiful colour are beginning to pop up in parks.

Spring wildflowers bloom for only a short amount of time, and we’ve got our sights set on spotting as many as we can!

Here are five beautiful ephemerals you may find on your spring adventures:

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The 2024 total solar eclipse — what is it?

Today’s post was written by Bruce Waters, former educator at the McLaughlin Planetarium and founder of the Killarney Provincial Park Observatory.

Midafternoon this April 8, one of the rarest events in the universe will occur for observers in Southern Ontario: a total solar eclipse!

A total solar eclipse occurs when the moon blocks the light of the sun completely for a duration of seconds to several minutes.

This extremely rare event — the last one viewable from the GTA area was in 1925! — occurs nowhere else in our solar system and, although statistically unlikely, may not occur anywhere else in the universe.

In fact, in another few million years, it won’t be seen quite the same way here, as the moon is slowly moving away from the Earth.

Let’s learn about this year’s total solar eclipse!

**If the eclipse will overlap with a visit to parks, please refer to this blog.**

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