TFN Juniors Learning about Forests

Hello Junior Naturalists!

This week’s theme is forests! We are very lucky to live in a city with a large urban forest. Toronto’s tree canopy covers about 28% of the city, which is much more than most other major cities in the world!

Forests provide many ecological, economical, and social benefits. They give us oxygen, clean our air, clean our water, reduce flooding, help combat climate change, and provide habitat for wildlife. Studies show that people feel better when they live in an area with lots of trees, and they spend more time outdoors. So forests help our mental health and physical health!

Visit the City of Toronto’s website to learn more about Toronto’s urban forest and where you can access it. https://www.toronto.ca/explore-enjoy/parks-gardens-beaches/ravines-natural-parklands/

You should also flip through the digital version of the Trees, Shrubs & Vines of Toronto booklet. It describes different forest and plant types, and highlights many of Toronto’s native species.

If you’re looking for a challenge, try out the forest-themed word search below!

forest-wordsearchDownload
forest-answer-keyDownload

We got a lot of great contributions this past week! Check out the gallery below for some amazing nature photos – many of them are from wetlands and meadows!

  • Caitlin saw an amazing meadow in Algonquin Park
  • Willow Pine Cone Gall
  • White Admiral butterflies clustered around ‘scat’. They suck up extra minerals like nitrogen, which they can’t get from nectar
  • Moose tracks spotted on Anne’s Quetico Canoe trip
  • Mystery creature near a lake
  • Daria and George help a painted turtle back to a pond
  • Painted turtle
  • Painted turtle

I hope you have a great week! Try to get out to a forest, and send us photos! 🙂

Toronto Field Naturalists wishes to acknowledge this Land through which we walk. For thousands of years, the Land has been shared by the Wendat, the Haudenosaunee, and the Anishinaabe. Toronto is situated on the Land within the Toronto Purchase, Treaty 13, the traditional and treaty Lands of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation. This territory is also part of the Dish with One Spoon Wampum, a covenant agreement between Anishinaabeg, Haudenosaunee, Wendat peoples and allied nations to peaceably share the land and all its resources. Today, the Land is home to peoples of numerous nations. We are all grateful to have the opportunity to continue to care for and share the beauty of this Land.