On Fri, 2 Jul 1999, Jeff Owens wrote:
> Know Your Bioregion
>
> How well do you know your bioregion? Try the following
> questions and see.
>
> 1. Which directions do storms come from in
> each season?
In spring and summer mostly from the southwest. In fall and winter mostly
from the northwest. It seems to me we rarely get weather coming from the
east, but hurricanes and tropical storms will travel up the eastern
seaboard and affect us in the Ottawa valley. I'm not sure of this one, I
haven't looked up the predominant weather patterns, but that is my general
impression from weather watching.
>
> 2. Name 3 native edible plants and when they are harvested.
Fiddleheads and wild garlic in the spring. Are they native? I never
thought about it. Maple syrup in the spring. Wild ginger. I don't know
when it is harvested.
>
> 3. What are the average high/low tempratures for winter
> and summer.
Between -20C to - 30C average low. But it can and does go down to -40
often enough that you need to plant and plan shelter with that in mind.
Average high would be in the upper 20Cs to low 30Cs. Most years there will
be at least a few days in the mid 30Cs and in the odd year it will go up
into the high 30Cs.
>
> 4. What native peoples originally lived in your area?
Algonquin. They have a land claim covering most of the Ottawa valley.
>
> 5. Name five resident birds and five migratory birds.
Resident. Crows, Starlings, House Sparrows, Blue Jays, Cardinals.
Chickadees, Nuthatches.
Migratory. Seagulls, Snowy Owls, Robins, Goldfinches, Ravens.
>
> 6. What plants have become endangered in this area?
Orchids. There are probably a lot more but orchids get the most press.
>
> 7. What are the earliest and latestest times for
> sunrises and sunsets.
Earliest, I'm not sure, but I believe it is just before 5am EDT, and
around 9pm EDT for sunset.
>
> 8. What nocturnal animals live in this area?
Bats, racoons, skunks, toads, possibly lynx, possibly eastern cougar
(people say they've seen them or their scat, but haven't been able to
prove it), fox. Nighthawks.
>
> 9. Can you recognize the calls of three native
> birds?
I can now recognize the call of the pileated woodpecker. We saw and heard
one a few weeks ago. Chickadee. Blue Jay. Nighthawk. White throated
sparrow.
>
> 10. What was the habitat like a hundred years ago?
Logged out mixed deciduous woodland and Eastern white cedar stands. More
wetlands.
Apparently the pileated woodpecker is making a comeback as the forests
mature again, and as they adapt to city life.
It was interesting to think of this, and provide a snapshot of my city
centric view of my bioregion. I was down at Perth for the solstice
weekend. I slept in a tent. I could not identify even a fraction of the
bird calls I was hearing. I do know there is an incredible variation in
ecosystems encompassed by the watersheds of the Ottawa and Rideau rivers,
so the snapshots of the ecosystem that this quiz would draw out would be
different even for different parts of the Gloucester, Ottawa, Hull,
Nepean, Kanata, Metropolitan area.
sph
Sandra P. Hoffman [EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://www.flora.org/sandra/
----------------------------
The one small garden of a free gardener was all his need and due,
not a garden swollen to a realm;
his own hands to use,
not the hands of others to command. --Sam Gamgee
