Naturally, Hamilton! A Guide To the Green Spaces of Hamilton and Area

Naturally, Hamilton!

Naturally Hamilton: Our Home, Our Future Red Hill Valley Biological Diversity: What is it? Does it exist in Hamilton? Wildlife Hotspots Vistas and Waterfalls Hiking Trails Site List of Wildlife Hotspots, Vistas and Waterfalls Site Map of Wildlife Hotspots, Vistas and Waterfalls Local Environmental Organizations

Biological Diversity:
What is it? Does it exist in Hamilton?

In Hamilton there are:

800 species of native plants
160 species of nesting birds
10 species of snakes and turtles
12 species of frogs, toads and salamanders
50 species of mammals
88 species of butterflies
78 species of fishes

Surprised? Many people do not realize how close nature is to the city. Hamilton, Dundas, Ancaster, Stoney Creek, Burlington, Flamborough, and Glanbrook are uniquely situated at the extreme end of Lake Ontario and the Niagara Escarpment. Such a location allows residents and visitors alike to see many interesting plant and wildlife species.

Red Trillium (Photo: Alan Ernst)/div>

Hamilton and Halton regions are at the northern tip of a small ecological zone in Canada known as Carolinian Canada which encompasses the southernmost portion of Ontario but occurs nowhere else in this country. Many species of plants and animals occur here because the summer climate approaches that of North and South Carolina in the United States. Trees such as Sassafras, Tulip Tree and Flowering Dogwood, and wildflowers such as Tall Bellflower, Horsebalm, and Yellow Giant Hyssop are Carolinian species which occur in the Hamilton area. The Giant Swallowtail Butterfly and the Virginia Opossum are also species which live here in the region but are more commonly associated with the Carolinas.

Migrating birds follow the shores of Lake Superior and Georgian Bay and then fly overland to Lake Ontario on their way south in the autumn. They follow this route back to their nesting sites in the springtime when they return from the U.S. and Central and South America. At the head of Lake Ontario, Hamilton is a stop-over or staging area for birds that fly that route. We can see many ducks, shorebirds, raptors, and song birds, such as colourful warblers during their migration to and from the south. In the winter, Hamilton Harbour and the shores of Lake Ontario are home to many waterfowl. These birds choose not to fly farther south because they can still find food such as fish, aquatic insects, and molluscs right here in Ontario.

Praying Mantis (Photo: Alan Ernst)

Beamer Memorial Conservation Area on the escarpment above Grimsby, on the east side of our region, provides an excellent vantage point to see many birds of prey such as Bald Eagles, hawks, falcons and vultures during their migration in the spring. (see Wildlife Hotspots Map, site #33).

Natural areas are designated as Environmentally Significant Areas (ESAs) when the areas meet one or more of the following criteria: they provide an important ecological function, such as corridors for wildlife movement; they provide an important hydrological function, such as ground water recharge or headwater source for streams; they have a high diversity of species of plants or animals; they contain significant earth science features of geological interest; they contain significant vegetative communities, for example tall grass prairie or oak savannah habitat; they support significant species of plants or animals, ranging from nationally endangered to regionally rare species; or they have an educational, scientific, aesthetic or historical value to humans.

In Hamilton, there are 67 ESAs comprising 11 per cent of the region. Halton has 38 ESAs, which make up 12 per cent of that region. [1995 data — these numbers have increased since then].

Frost on Rosehip (Photo: Alan Ernst)

GENE

A gene is a unit of hereditary information (DNA). Genes are very stable units which are passed from parent to young and they profoundly influence every aspect of an organism.

SPECIES

A group of individuals who are able to mate and produce fertile offspring among themselves, but are not able to do so with other groups.

ECOSYSTEM

A community of organisms interacting with one another and the environment in which they live. A pond, a forest, a prairie or desert and the organisms that inhabit each are examples of ecosystems.

BIODIVERSITY

"Complex beyond understanding and valuable beyond measure, biological diversity is the total variety of life on earth. It is the natural biological wealth that undergirds human life and well-being. The concept reflects the interrelationships of genes, species, and ecosystems. Because genes are the components of species, and species are the components of ecosystems, altering the make-up of any level of this web can change the others" (Reid and Miller, 1989). "No on knows, even to the nearest order of magnitude, how many life forms humanity shares the planet with: roughly 1.4 million species have been identified, but scientists now believe the total number is between 10 million and 80 million." (Ryan, 1992).

Monarch Larva (Photo: Alan Ernst)

Humans have historically been most concerned with those species that are commercially valuable to them. We must remember that humans are only one of many species on earth. For our sake, we must also remember that many organisms contribute to the ecosystem, allowing for the survival of those species which are commercially important to humans. For example, the roots of many wild plants secure streambeds and absorb snowmelt, guarding against flooding and erosion. This ecological function enhances and helps to maintain the spawning habitat of fish in streams. Shrubs and non-commercial trees provide windbreaks which reduce loss of topsoil. Fundamentally, all green plants release oxygen which animals require for life! There may also be many species of bacteria, fungi, and plants in our region and across the planet which we do not yet recognize as directly important to our health and well-being.

Species in communities have unique ways of avoiding predators, locating food and capturing and handling prey, and inter-dependent relationships among species are frequent. There is always uncertainty about all the interactions among life forms and the consequences of an extinction or loss of natural areas. For human survival and for the sake of the species with whom we share our planet, we should respect all parts of biological communities.

References:

Reid, W.V. and Miller, K.R. 1989. Keeping Options Alive: The Scientific Basis for Conserving Biodiversity. World Resources Institute. Washington, D.C.

Ryan, J.C. 1992. Conserving Biological Diversity. In State of the World 1992. Brown, L.R. (Ed.) Worldwatch Institute. Washington. D.C.