Prehistoric Plants

(Image: Grace Hunter)

The Biosphere is home to many cool plants, from short shrubs that produce yummy blueberries to towering white pines. 

Some of our favourite plants in the Biosphere have an ancient past - for example, ferns first appeared 350 million years ago, before even dinosaurs roamed the world!

Here are some native plants in the Biosphere whose ancestors existed at the same time as the dinosaurs. 

We hope they inspire you to design and plant your own dinosaur-approved garden!

 Ferns: Ostrich fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris) and marginal wood fern (Dryopteris marginalia)

Ostrich Fern (Image: harm.koh)

Conifers: Common juniper bush (Juniperus communis) and white pine (Pinus strobes)

Horsetails: Marsh horsetail (Equisetum palustre) and meadow horsetail (Equisetum pratense)

Meadow Horsetail (Image: Miika Silverberg)

Mosses: Star moss (Polytrichum commune) and cushion moss (Leucobryum glaucoma)

Three cheers for full moons and swimming loons!

Fish in Troubled Waters

Have you started the Fantastic Fishy Fun?
Beneath the surface of Georgian Bay swims Canada’s largest freshwater fish - the lake sturgeon! 

The lake sturgeon is an enormous fish, adults reach an average length of 3 - 5 feet. Unlike certain other fish in the Great Lakes (like bass and walleye), the sturgeon does not have scales on its body. Instead it is covered with hard bony scutes. They also have backbones made of cartilage - the same tissue found in your ears and nose. 

Lake sturgeon are a species at risk in Ontario - which means they are at risk of going extinct and disappearing forever. Overfishing, dam construction and pollution have played a part in the disappearance of the lake sturgeon in Ontario. 

(Image: Lucija Prelovec) 

You can help the lake sturgeon by protecting the water in Georgian Bay so all fish have clean habitat to live in. Check out the activities “Down with Phosphorus” and “Natural Recipes for the Biosphere” on the Kids in the Biosphere webpage for fun ways to keep the water in Georgian Bay clean. 

Three cheers for fallen logs and croaking frogs!

Rainy Days

We love spending hot summer days hiking, swimming, and exploring the Biosphere! But plans change when a big thunderstorm rolls across Georgian Bay. While we’re stuck inside listening to the rain on our roof and booming thunder in the distance, the animals that call the Biosphere home have their own tricks to ride out bad weather. 

Some animals, like squirrels and small birds, will seek shelter from rain in trees and hedges. Small insects like butterflies need to avoid the giant raindrops falling from the sky, so they hide out on the underside of leaves. Bats won’t fly in heavy rain, because the water makes them too cold to fly. As well, some scientists think that bats dislike flying in the rain because raindrops prevent them from using echolocation to find their way around.

On the other hand, some animals love the rain! Amphibians like frogs, toads, and salamanders need water to keep their skin damp. A good rain allows them to move across land to travel to breeding areas or to hunt for food.

(Image: Grace Hunter)

So while a stormy day stuck inside at the cottage may not seem like much fun, remember that rain is important for our animals in the Biosphere. We want to hear what the Kids in the Biosphere do for fun when stuck indoors on gloomy days. Send us your favourite rainy day activity at kids@gbbr.ca, and we’ll share it in a future blog post!

Three cheers for barbecue on the grill and calling whip-poor-wills!

As Solid as a Rock

We all know that Georgian Bay Rocks & Rolls! 

Eastern Georgian Bay is famous for its rocky, windswept landscape. The bare, exposed rocks found throughout the Biosphere are part of the Canadian Shield. The rocks in the Shield are some of the oldest in the world - certain ones are over one billion years old!

Rocks are made of minerals. People mine for minerals to make all kinds of useful things. In fact, the same minerals in Georgian Bay’s rocky islands and shores can also be found in many household objects! Here are some common minerals that can be found in both Biosphere rocks and items around your home and cottage

                                                       Feldspar: Desks, cement, books

 Image: Rob Lavinsky, iRocks.com

                                                                         Mica: Pens, makeup

                                                                         Quartz: Phones, paint

Image: Didier Descouens

Three cheers for maple trees and honey bees!

Finding a Pollution Solution

People explore Georgian Bay in many ways: sailing, kayaking, swimming, even scuba diving and more! 

We all want the water in Georgian Bay to be clean for people, animals and plants. But the Great Lakes now contain a type of pollution that is hard to see - tiny microplastics!

Plastic microbeads are tiny pieces of plastic found in products like hand soap, body wash, and even toothpaste! 

Microbeads scrub away dirt, but once their job is finished they are washed down the drain and into lakes. Fish, birds and other animals can become sick by eating plastic beads.

Microplastic beads (Image: Oregon State University)

On August 20th, a group called exxpedition is setting sail to learn how much plastic is in Georgian Bay and other Great Lakes. You can help out by signing up to collect a water sample, or by holding a beach clean-up. This will be the largest simultaneous sampling for microplastics in history! Check out their website  for more information, to sign up and help keep our Great Lakes clean: http://exxpedition.com/greatlakes2016/

Say Cheese! Tips for your Photo Scavenger Hunt

We love seeing the cool things you find on Georgian Bay when working on your Great Photo Scavenger Hunt. Here are some tips and tricks for taking that perfect picture!

Look down: Be creative when looking for wildlife to photograph - small animals and plants like butterflies, frogs, and wildflowers all make excellent subjects for a photo shoot. 

Hide and seek: Don’t be afraid to take pictures through the windows in your home or cottage. This keeps you out of sight, allowing you to get great shots of backyard visitors like birds. By turning off lights, you can reduce reflections on glass windows and take better photos.

Take only photographs, leave only footprints: Remember to always respect nature when taking pictures. While you may want to get as close as possible to your subject to get the perfect shot, always keep a respectful distance from wildlife.

We took this photo through a window - the chipmunk wasn’t afraid and we were able to take a great picture! (Image: Grace Hunter)

If you take a picture of a plant and animal and are unsure what it is, send it to us at kids@gbbr.ca and we’ll identify it! Happy picture-taking!

Three cheers for wildflowers and rain showers!

The Not So Early Birds

Have you ever seen a bird sitting on a nest in the summertime? We often associate birds building nests and laying eggs with spring - but some species will lay eggs right through summer. The American Robin and the Eastern phoebe raise young more than once throughout their breeding season. The American Goldfinch usually waits until June or July to build a nest and lay its eggs.

An Eastern phoebe - look close and you can see it's carrying building materials for a nest! (Image: Grace Hunter)

Summer is also the time for many baby birds to start stretching their wings and venturing out of the nest. If you come across a feathered baby bird on its own this summer it may be a fledgling; these babies may look a little lost but are still being cared for by their parents. So what should you do if you come across a baby bird and aren’t sure if needs help? It’s all explained in this comic made by a biologist named Rosemary Mosco. It provides all the info you need on what to do if you come across an injured bird, a fledgling, or even a dinosaur. Happy bird-watching and enjoy the Birds of the Biosphere!

Three cheers for deep lakes and blueberry pancakes!

2016 Welcome to Kids in the Biosphere

We're about to have a fantastic summer in the Georgian Bay Biosphere Reserve! There is so much happening; rocking, rolling, climbing, swimming, cycling, paddling, seeing, smelling, overall exploring and adventuring. Check it out: 

WHAT IS NEW WITH KIDS IN THE BIOSPHERE?

• Exciting new activities on the Kids in the Biosphere webpage
• New blog posts coming out every Friday!
• Enjoy the online photo upload system on the Kids in the Biosphere webpage
• More events in more locations
• A new resident critter who’ll accompany us to events

SPOTTED TURTLE NEEDS A NAME

Now it is that time again... to find a name for our resident spotted turtle! Our little friend and the options for a name, then cast your vote to kids@gbbr.ca. 

NOT TO BE MISSED EVENTS

Come to one of these events: play games, enjoy nature activities, meet our resident critters, and much more! 

Family Fun Day, July 2nd, 9am at Desmasdon's Boatworks in Pointe au Baril

Canada Day Celebration, July 2nd, 4pm at 5 Tamarack Drive in Skerryvore 

Crane Lake Annual General Meeting, July 9th at Crane Lake Resort

Explore Our Shores, July 16th 1pm at 5 Leaside Drive in Skerryvore

Bayfield Nares Annual General Meeting, July 24th at 10am, Pointe au Baril Community Centre

Explore Our Shores, July 30th, 9:30am at Moon Is. Woods Bay (boat access only)

Explore Our Shores, August 13th, 9:30am at Kapikog Lake Boat Launch, Little Kapikog Lake Rd. 

NEEDED: YOUR AWESOME PHOTOS

The photo collection on the kids webpage is ready for your pictures! If you took a scavenger hunt picture, or have an awesome nature picture, share it here with GBBR and other Kids in the Biosphere participants: www.gbbr.ca/education/kids/ 

Keep sending in your great nature finds, mystery species, and adventure stories. We might feature one in a blog! 

Three cheers for teeny-tiny seeds and sweet-smelling weeds.