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!