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Coleoptera is the largest order within the class of insects. There are more than 350,000 species, and new ones are being described each year. Adult Coleopterans have a great range in body size (less than 1 mm to more than 75 mm) and in body colour. Beetles have chewing mouth parts in both the adult … Read more
General – small to medium-sized, averaging 18 m (60 ft) high, deciduous conifer with a sparse, open, narrow, conical crown. Trunk straight. Bark with small scaly patches, grey to red-brown. Twig sender, light brown, numerous short, spur branches. Tamarack Leaves – Deciduous, flat needle, light green, appear in spirals on spur shoots after first year, … Read more
Distinguishing Features – Overall colouration, varying from pale buff to deep reddish-brown upperparts; sides and underparts whitish; tail blackish on top and whitish below; nose and inside of ears, pink. Size 12 cm (4.75 in) Habitat Widespread throughout Northwestern Ontario in a broad range of environments from woodlands to open grasslands; also in semi-rural areas, … Read more
Distinguishing Features – The Amur leopard is well adapted to the harsh climate of its range. The hairs of its summer pelt are 2.5 cm long but in winter they are replaced by 7 cm long ones. Apart from its long winter coat the Amur leopard is easily told apart from other leopard subspecies by … Read more
Distinguishing Features – Overall colouration, glossy yellowy-brown, darker on back. Back and tail covered with thousands of sharp-pointed quills. Legs, short. Size 6 – .9 m (2 – 3 ft) Habitat Widespread throughout Northwestern Ontario, in mixed wood forests, preferring pine habitats. Diet Mainly a herbivor, the porcupine’s diet consists of leaves of shrubs and … Read more
General – only large northern fern with a three part form on a tall stalk (all other large ferns have single fronds rising from the rootstalk); fronds arising singly from a deeply subterranean, much-branched rhizome; commonly found in large patches; up to 1 m high. Bracken Fern Leaves – single, horizontally growing; broad, triangle-shaped; leaflets … Read more
General – small to medium-sized, averaging 16 m (54 ft) high, broadleaved hardwood with a small, open crown of spreading and ascending branches. Branchlets are slender and a red-brown. On young trees, trunk bark is reddish-brown but turns to its characteristic white colour as the tree matures. The trunk generally divides low into several arching … Read more
Distinguishing Features – Brown-gold colouring, fading to whitish on belly. Sides patterned with small dark brown spots. Bright red eyes. Size – Maximum Weight – 225 g (1/2 lb). Habitat Found throughout NW Ontario to Manitoba border in vegetated and rocky areas of rivers, streams and lakes. Notes A favourite of young anglers, the rock … Read more
General – large-sized, averaging 22 – 36 m (72 – 118 ft) high, evergreen conifer. Crown full, spreading, generally irregularly shaped. Branchlets slender, gray-green to orange-brown in color. Trunk shows little taper and is generally branchless for over 1/2 its height. Trunk bark on young trees, thin, smooth and gray-green in color. Later becoming thick, … Read more
Distinguishing Features – One of the smallest frog species in Northwestern Ontario. Overall colouration, varies from gray to varied shades of brown. Some may appear rust red or orange. As with many other frogs, shade of color is affected by temperature. A characteristic dark X intersects the back. Random dark dashes often mark the body. … Read more