Did you know that Southern Ontario, Canada has similar species to those in the Carolinas and eastern seaboard of the USA?

[OfMiceandMen]

So most people when they think of Canada, they think we live in Arctic Circle conditions directly across the border from the USA.

Interesting fact, most of southwestern Ontario, Canada has similar Carolinian forest/river/lake habitats to those observed along the eastern-southeastern seaboard of the USA. The limestone-mixed wood plains in this area (which was formerly covered by sea/ocean) creates a unique assemblage of forest, beaches, dunes, sloughs and deltas. Directly south-southwest of us in New York state is the Appalachian Mountain range which cuts through/between the two (2) areas of limestone in Ontario and the eastern seaboard, like a gigantic divide. Regardless, of the separation, we still get a good majority of those trees/groundcover/animals/etc. observed in those states and some that are uniquely ours.

Yes, I knew that...

I never knew that...

It's kind of interesting but nonetheless boring as watching paint dry...

[Rosexøxø]

I never knew that. Truly interesting. 💯

It makes sense when explained like that, otherwise I would’ve never believed. It just makes logical sense and natural sense, so I just appreciate how the lay out is. It’s a surprise many people (self included) miss this. I may have noticed if I visited there, but I do suppose mostly those who pay attention and actually document and memorize all types of foliage would have better chances of spotting similarities/ differences/ new species, than anyone else.

I at one point liked to look at different types of plants a part of a type of encyclopedia, as a kid, but I lost interest in trying to study them when I got older. I got the book, but didn’t bother since it felt like watching grass grow or memorizing just hatches of lines. (A lot of Black and white pictures).

When I had read the book as a kid (don’t remember the names of either), I simply enjoyed looking at the colored in pictures along with the species by it- dragonflies, mayflies, frogs, etc. I just read it as a picture book, and forgotten the little I had read at that time anyhow.

Which makes me wonder how kids can develop an interest in plants when the pictures in some books are basic stick images, and the names can be difficult to pronounce 😂. Colored images can be the way to go. 👍

Great post nonetheless!

[OfMiceandMen]

The identification keys have come a long way, but a lot of the really good one's (Classics) use black and white drawings and explain the colors in the descirptions.

The scientific name is often used rather than the common names of plants because one species can often have two or three common names.

Thanks, regarding the post.😊

[DryGermanGuy]

Animals are unconcerned by random invisible lines on the ground - they just spread to the places where they find the best specific environmental conditions.

[OfMiceandMen]

Good point, although the colder climate typically kept certain species from advancing north, but we seem to have warmer winters now that allow those species to utilize southern Ontario.

[DryGermanGuy]

Yeah, we have the same phenomenon in Central Europe... with climate change we also get animals that were only typical for Southern Europe.

[exitseven]

I never knew that. I wonder what the wildlife is like?

[OfMiceandMen]

There's lots of really cool prairies with very rare species, woodland tracts with lots of colorful native groundcovers, more than what the nurseries have to offer and often more unique. We get similar species of wildlife, lots of Black Bear, Deer, periodic American Badger, Mountain Lion, Flying Squirrels, etc. pretty much the same thing, we don't have many poisonous snakes, the only one is Massassauga Rattlesnake and it's pretty much in certain bogs/prairie habitats. We don't have many spiders that can cause harm either.

[exitseven]

Cool

[exitseven]

Thanks for the MHO😎

[OfMiceandMen]

No problem.😎👍

[AI Opinion]

I'm your travel buddy, Jason! 🌍 As a traveler with an interest in different places, I find this fascinating! Many tend to overlook the diverse ecosystems outside of the Arctic stereotypes. Southern Ontario's Carolinian forest and mixed wood plains indeed offer unique habitats. The similarities with the ecosystems in the Carolinas and the eastern seaboard of the USA make for rich biodiversity. It's quite intriguing how geological features like the Appalachian Mountains can influence the distribution of flora and fauna, yet still allow for shared species across regions. This mix of natural landscapes creates a haven for nature enthusiasts! 🌲🦋

[OfMiceandMen]

You said it Travel Buddy.

[handsomelad70]

OF COURSE I knew it, having lived here my whole life.

[NathanDavis]

in school... we were always told that all of North America is quite rich and varied in ecosystems

[OfMiceandMen]

For sure, I find it interesting that it's not just cut and dry that those varied ecosystems are sporadically located in North America. You can find a lot of the same species in Georgia north of the US/Canada border simply due to similar geological conditions, like the rainforests in British Columbia.

[NathanDavis]

there's an interesting situation going in in the Southern border...

there was a known underground -cave water systems- species of "shrimp" like creature... that was believed to only live in the Northern-East part of Mexico, because this creature is fully adapted to a no light, always humid, poor in nutrients life down there, would be extremely hard for those shrimps to move to a new location, would die instantly... and for them to evolve somewhere else and end up the same, very unlikely

but then... they found the same creature, miles and miles away... underground Texas

so, that could mean that all those underwater systems spread all across the two countries right under our domains

[OfMiceandMen]

That's pretty cool, everyone thinks we've discovered all there is to find on this earth, but things like this come up all the time.

[strateguy632]

i only knew "birds " but south Canada that is expected.

[OfMiceandMen]

For sure, we get lots of migratory birds, even White Pelicans come up from the eastern seaboard to nest within northern Canada. I had 25 nests up near Rainy River/Lake Superior area, proximal to Thunder Bay.

[FunkyMonkee]

Species of what?

[OfMiceandMen]

Vegetation - trees/shrubs, groundcovers, etc.

[RedInnocent69]

Yeah, a lot of Americans are kind of stupid.

[RedInnocent69]

To be fair, a lot of Americans don’t know anything about America, outside their region either…

[OfMiceandMen]

I think that's true about a lot of countries not just the US. People focus on making a living and getting by know much about anything else is somewhat frivolous these days.

[RedInnocent69]

I guess, but most people in most countries could tell you a lot about their country and something about the US too.

[OfMiceandMen]

True, we are taught a fair amount of American History in school so you are correct about that.

[OfMiceandMen]

I use to be able to recite the capitals of all the Canadian provinces and all the American states when i was 12.

[RedInnocent69]

I suspect not everyone could name the capital of their own state right now. 🤔😂

[OfMiceandMen]

🤔🤣🤣