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Biodiversity in the City |
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Imagine a Toronto with flourishing natural habitats and
an urban environment made safe for a great diversity of
wildlife species. Envision a city whose residents treasure
their daily encounters with the remarkable and inspiring
world of nature, and the variety of plants and animals who
share this world. Take pride in a Toronto that aspires to
be a world leader in the development of urban initiatives
that will be critical to the preservation of our flora and fauna.
A number of the non-human residents of Toronto
will be profiled in booklets. It is hoped
that despite the severe biodiversity loss due to
massive urbanization, pollution, invasive species,
habitat loss and climate change, the Biodiversity
Booklet Series will help to re-connect people with
the natural world, and raise awareness of the
seriousness that biodiversity loss represents and
how it affects them directly. The Series will help
cultivate a sense of stewardship in residents; inform
the City of the current state of local biodiversity
and how current City policies, procedures and
operations can be enhanced, altered or revised
in order to help mitigate local biodiversity loss.
The booklets will be available at your local City of Toronto
Public Library branch.
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Biodiversity Booklet Series
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Spiders of Toronto: 2012
A female jumping spider (Phiddipus clarus) lands on the
edge of a milkweed leaf. Males defend females from rival
males using a combination of visual and vibratory signals,
and these interactions occasionally escalate into direct
combat, and fights between females over refuges are even
more intense.
Birds of Toronto (Revised Edition): 2012
A flock of Whimbrel viewed from Colonel Samuel Smith
Park on 23 May 2007 frames the Toronto skyline. In a short
stretch of May, literally thousands of Whimbrel migrate
past Toronto each spring between their South American
wintering grounds and their breeding grounds on the tundra
coast of the Hudson Bay Lowlands.
Trees and Shrubs of Toronto: 2012
A view skyward through the Fall leaves of a black maple
tree (Acer saccharum ssp nigrum) as they turn from green to
golden. Black maple is one of the six maples that are native
to Toronto. It grows primarily on flood plains of the Rouge,
Humber and Don Valleys, but is sometimes also planted as
a street tree.
Butterflies of Toronto: Released Fall 2011
The exquisite orange, white and black markings of the
Baltimore Checkerspot make this one of the most vibrant
and beautiful butterflies to behold. It is found in wetland
areas where its caterpillar host plant turtlehead occurs. This
image captures the beauty of both the newly-emerged adult
and chrysalis in all their glory.
Fishes of Toronto: 2012
A migrating Brown Trout attempts to jump a weir near the
Old Mill Bridge, just north of Bloor Street. These weirs are
barriers to fish migration and were modified (notched) to
enable at least the larger jumping fish to migrate upstream
to their spawning grounds. The removal of these migration
barriers is a significant component of the restoration efforts
being made to restore the extirpated (locally extinct) native
Atlantic Salmon.
Mammals of Toronto: 2012
The Red Fox is an integral part of Toronto’s wildlife
community, occupying diverse habitats from the lakeshore
to ravines and woodlots and even people’s backyards on
occasion. It is well adapted to live in the city.
Reptiles and Amphibians of Toronto: 2012
A red eft (Notophthalmus viridescens) discovered in May
2009. The red eft is the second and only terrestrial life stage
in the three-part post-hatching life cycle of the Red-spotted
Newt (a type of salamander). The red eft develops from the
aquatic larval stage and will become the aquatic adult after
a few years of living on land. The bright red skin of these
animals is a warning that they are toxic and that would-be
predators should stay away.
Future issues will consider: moths; dragonflies and
damselflies; beetles; bees; wasps; ants; wildflowers;
mosses and lichens; mushrooms and other fungi; ferns
and grasses; and possibly other taxonomic groups.
Questions?
If you have any questions, please contact Kelly Snow of the City of Toronto's Environmental Planning section at: ksnow@toronto.ca
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