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As in urban landscapes, rural areas contain zones of green that
attract wildlife and may act as pathways between neighbouring natural
areas. These are called 'habitat islands' and 'habitat
corridors' because they are like islands in a sea of agriculture.
In rural areas, these are frequently creeks that run through cropped
fields. Other areas may be unused by farmers because they are wet
or steep and difficult to cultivate and these too act as habitat
corridors.

Many
farmers carry on the practice of planting hedgerows between their
different crop fields. These are usually planted with trees or shrubs
that slow winds and reduce the loss of topsoil. Areas beneath the
trees fill in with shorter herbaceous plants and wildlife begin
to take advantage of these corridors of green.
| Herbaceous
plants are those that die
down to the ground each year, with their root system lying
dormant until spring. In comparison, woody plants still
have branches over the winter that can tolerate cold temperatures
and re-sprout leaves in the spring. |
White-tailed
Deer. Photo by Barry Cherriere.
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Rural
habitat corridors allow White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus),
Muskrats (Ondatra zibethicus), frogs, snakes and birds to
follow these relatively safe routes to larger natural areas. If
these corridors are wide enough, animals may spend most of their
time in these habitats. Many small mammals use these areas to make
their burrows and tunnels, making farm field edges prime hawk hunting
grounds (e.g. Red-tailed Hawk, Buteo jamaicensis).
There
are also many conservation areas that act as islands in the rural
landscape. Valens Conservation Area is a good example. There are
many privately owned natural areas in the rural landscape too, in
part because the hilly local topography makes these areas unsuitable
for agriculture. As a result, our rural landscape is a picturesque
mix of woods and fields.
Pear
tree found growing in Bronte Provincial Park. It is not
uncommon to find natural areas that were once used for agriculture.
Photo by Alan Ernst.
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