Number 550 October 2007 Monarchs on Goldenrod, Drawing by Eva Davis REGULARS FEATURES Coming Events 19 For Reading 14 Website Update 9 From the Archives 17 Keeping in Touch 13 Red -eared Slider in Toronto 10 Monthly Meetings Notice 3 Ecology Tidbits 11 Monthly Meeting Report 7 Outings Report Extracts 8 For the Birds 15 President’s Report 6 TFN Outings 4 Weather 18 TFN 550-2 Toronto Field Naturalist October 2007 Toronto Field Naturalist is published by the Toronto Field BOARD OF DIRECTORS Naturalists, a charitable, non-profit organization, the aims of President Pinky Franklin which are to stimulate public interest in natural history and Vice President Wendy Rothwell to encourage the preservation of our natural heritage. Issued Sec.-Treasurer Corley Phillips monthly September to December and February to May. Nature Reserves George Bryant Views expressed in the Newsletter are not necessarily those Communications Alexander Cappell of the editor or Toronto Field Naturalists. Monthly lectures Nick Eyles Outings ) Gail Gregory ISSN 0820-636X ) Ruth Munson Web-master Margaret McRae Barry Mitchell IT’S YOUR NEWSLETTER! Peter Money We welcome contributions of original writing, up to 500 Robert Kortright words, of observations on nature in and around Toronto, reviews, poems, sketches, paintings, and photographs of MEMBERSHIP FEES TFN outings (digital or print, include date and place). $30 STUDENT, SENIOR SINGLE (65+) Include your name, address and phone number so $40 SINGLE, SENIOR FAMILY (2 adults, 65+) $50 FAMILY (2 adults – same address, children included) submissions can be acknowledged. Send by mail or email. Deadline for submissions for November issue: Oct. 5, 2007. No GST. Tax receipts issued for donations. Send membership fees and address changes to the TFN office. Please note: TFN does not give out its membership list. NEWSLETTER COMMITTEE Jenny Bull (co-editor), Eva Davis, Karin Fawthrop, Nancy Fredenburg, Elisabeth Gladstone, Mary Lieberman, Joanne Toronto Field Naturalists Lynes, Ruth Munson, Marilynn Murphy, Toshi Oikawa, 2 Carlton St., # 1519, Toronto M5B 1J3 Wendy Rothwell (co-editor), Jan Sugerman. Tel: 416-593-2656 Printing and mailing: Perkins Mailing Services Web: www.torontofieldnaturalists.org Email: [email protected] TFN PUBLICATIONS TORONTO F ELD NATURAL STS CLUB NDEX OF S NGLE YEARS FROM 1979 ea $1 00 TS H STORY AND CONST TUT ON 1965 $2 00 TORONTO REG ON B RD CHART 1983 $5 00 CHECKL ST OF PLANTS N FOUR TORONTO PARKS W LKET CREEK H GH PARK HUMBER VALLEY A GRAPH C GU DE TO ONTAR O MOSSES 1985 $5 00 LAMBTON WOODS 1972 $2 00 GU DE TO TORONTO F ELD NATURAL STS’ TORONTO THE GREEN 1976 NATURE RESERVES 2001 $5 00 Metropolitan Toronto's important natural areas are described and recommendations given for their TORONTO SLANDS PLANT COMMUN T ES AND conservation and management NOTEWORTHY SPEC ES 1987 $5 00 includes maps bibliography and index $10 00 TODMORDEN M LLS 1987 $5 00 TORONTO F ELD NATURAL STS RAV NE SURVEYS ea $5 00 Survey No 1 -- Chatsworth Ravine 1973 VASCULAR PLANTS OF METROPOL TAN Survey No 2 -- Brookbanks Ravine 1974 TORONTO 1994 $10 00 Survey No 3 -- Chapman Valley Ravine 1975 Survey No 4 -- Wigmore Ravine 1975 TORONTO CHECKL STS (birds other vertebrates Survey No 5 -- Park Drive Ravine 1976 butterflies other invertebrates mosses other plants) ea 50¢ Survey No 6 -- Burke Ravine 1976 Survey No 7 -- Taylor Creek - Woodbine Bridge Ravines 1977 HUMBER FORKS AT TH STLETOWN 2000 $5 00 Survey No 8 -- West Don Valley 1978 NDEX OF TFN NEWSLETTERS (1938 to 1978) $10 00 Add $2.00 per item for postage and hand ng; no GST. Order from TFN off ce, see address above. October 2007 Toronto Field Naturalist TFN 550-3 TFN MEETING Sunday, October 14 at 2:30 pm Protecting the Canadian Boreal Forest – one of the largest terrestrial storehouses of carbon on the planet Anna Baggio, Director, Conservation Land Use Planning, Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) VISITORS WELCOME! SOCIAL: 2:00 - 2:30 pm Room 001, Emmanuel College, University of Toronto, 75 Queen’s Park Cres. East Emmanuel College is just south of the Museum subway station exit (east side of Queen’s Park). Enter at south end of building, down a few steps on outside stairwell. Wheelchair entrance: Second door south on Queen’s Park (no automatic opener). Elevator inside to the right. Room 001 is one floor below street level. For information: call 416-593-2656 up to noon on the Friday preceding the lecture. Upcoming TFN Monthly Meetings Fall Lecture Schedule Nov. 4 Migratory songbirds – canaries in the coalmine? Bridget Stutchbury, Professor of Biology, York University Dec. 2 Toronto Waterfront Projects and Natural Habitats Brenda Webster, Project Manager – Planning and Design, Toronto Waterfront Revitalization Corporation Drawing by Robert Muma from TFN’s publication A Graphic Guide to Ontario Mosses TFN 550-4 Toronto Field Naturalist October 2007 TFN OUTINGS • TFN events are conducted by unpaid volunteers. • The club assumes no responsibility for injuries sustained by anyone participating in our activities. • Children and visitors are welcome at all TFN events. Children must be accompanied by an adult. • If you plan to bring children in a stroller, be aware that there may be steps or other unsuitable terrain. • Please do not bring pets. • To get to outings on time, check TTC routes and schedules by calling 416-393-4636. • Outings go rain or shine: check the weather by calling 416-661-0123 so you will know what to wear. • Wear appropriate footwear for walking on trails which may be muddy, steep or uneven. Tuesday, HUMBER RIVER– Nature and Heritage Oct. 2 Leader: Madeleine McDowell 10:00 a.m. Meet at the Old Mill subway station. Lunch optional. Bring binoculars. Wednesday, SUNNYBROOK PARK – Nature Walk Oct. 3 Leader: Roger Powley 11:00 a.m. Meet at the CNIB bus shelter on east side of Bayview Ave., north of Eglinton Ave. E. Bring binoculars. Lunch optional. Tuesday, EAST DON – Nature Walk Oct. 9 Leader: Barbara Kalthoff 10:00 a.m. Meet at the northwest corner of Sheppard Ave. E. and Leslie St. Bring binoculars. Lunch optional. Saturday, EAST POINT – Nature Walk Oct. 13 Leader: D. Andrew White 10:30 a.m. Meet at the southeast corner of Morningside Ave. and Greyabbey Trail. Bring lunch and binoculars. Tuesday, COLONEL SAMUEL SMITH PARK – Birds Oct. 16 Leader: Doug Paton 10:30 a.m. Meet at the southwest corner of Kipling Ave. and Lake Shore Blvd. W. Bring lunch and binoculars. Saturday, LESLIE STREET SPIT – Birding Oct. 20, Leader: Carol Sellers 10:30 a.m. Meet at the park entrance at Leslie St. and Unwin Ave. Bring binoculars. Sunday, CELEBRATE U.N. DAY AT DOWNSVIEW – Lost Rivers Walk Oct. 21 Leaders: Helen Mills and Richard Anderson 2:00 p.m. Meet at the southeast corner of Keele St. and Sheppard Ave. W. Developments at Parc Downsview Park, which is sited on the divide between the Don and Humber watersheds and is the historic headwaters for a number of tributaries flowing into the Don and Black Creek. History of the area. Easy walking. This is a joint outing with Toronto Green Community. Tuesday, SHERWOOD PARK – Urban Issues Oct. 23 Leader: Janice Palmer 10:00 a.m. Meet at the park gate, east end of Sherwood Ave., 200 meters from bus stop at Mount Pleasant Rd. and Sherwood Ave. Parking is limited. This will be a 2 hour circular hike. We will be looking at some of the problems in a heavily-used park and some of the remediation methods used to reduce human impact. Parts of the walk are quite steep. October 2007 Toronto Field Naturalist TFN 550-5 Saturday, LESLIE STREET SPIT – Birds Oct. 27 Leader: Kevin Seymour 10:00 a.m. Meet at the park entrance at Leslie St. and Unwin Ave. Bring lunch and binoculars. Dress warmly. Sunday, ONE WALK – THREE WATERSHEDS - Urban Geology Oct. 28 Leader: Ken Cook 1:00 p.m. Meet outside the Eglinton West subway station. End at Dufferin St. and Rogers Rd. See what the last glacier did to this area. Duration about 2 hours. Wednesday, HIGH PARK MINERAL BATHS – Historic Walk Oct. 31 Leader: Roger Powley 11:00 a.m. Meet at the High Park subway station exit on Quebec Ave. Lunch optional. HIGH PARK AWARDED GRANT High Park has been named as one of the organizations to receive funding under the new Ontario Species at Risk Stewardship Fund. High Park Initiatives and the High Park Community Advisory Council applied for funding for habitat restoration, publication of educational booklets (reprinting A Jewel of Toronto’s Park System and a new guidebook focusing on plant species found in the park), and research projects to support the restoration effort. Restoration work fosters the expansion of wild lupine habitat in the Oak Savannah. This is the food plant of the extirpated Karner Blue butterfly, a species on the province's Protection to Support Recovery list. High Park's stands of Wild Lupine are expected to play a key role in a reintroduction program being planned by Toronto Zoo, by providing food for larvae. HIGH PARK NEEDS YOUR HELP! Volunteers are an essential part of the High Park Species at Risk project. You could help with planting events (see Coming Events on page 19) or publishing projects. To find out more, please contact [email protected]. Grenadier Pond, High Park. Photo by Robin Powell TFN 550-6 Toronto Field Naturalist October 2007 PRESIDENT’S REPORT In my role as president I was privileged to preside over 1. Protection of the Boreal Forest in Northern Ontario the 84th Annual General Meeting on September 9. This as the last vast wilderness that still remains as a haven means the TFN is beginning its 85th year (see “From for wildlife and as a carbon storehouse.