Point Pelee National Park is a spectacular park to visit in any season, especially known for its spring and fall migration and its incredible biodiversity. Seven Lambton Wildlife members were fortunate enough to camp there from September 6th to the 9th.
Where to begin …. The best place to begin is to say a big THANK YOU to Paul Carter who did an outstanding job organizing the camping trip. His expertise, along with the expertise of Larry Cornelis, was truly appreciated by everyone. Each time we have the opportunity to hike with Paul and Larry we learn so much!
You will notice that in the photo Paul and Larry are sitting in red Adirondack chairs. The Red Chair Experience began three years ago in Gros Morne National Park, and it is a way of connecting Canadians with nature in our country’s most unique and treasured places.
During our stay we were lucky to see many of the species of flora and fauna that Point Pelee has to offer.
Butterflies
We saw numerous monarch butterflies, which was encouraging because we all know that these butterflies are struggling as a species (keep planting those milkweed!).
We were treated to many other butterfly species including Common Buckeye, Giant Swallowtail (caterpillar photos below), Red-spotted Purple, Painted Lady, and Crescent.
Five-Lined Skinks
A highlight of the trip was seeing numerous five-lined skinks! These beautiful animals are Ontario’s only lizard species. They have scaly skin like all lizards and are fast, agile and prefer warm, dry habitats.
Dragonflies and Damselflies
There are a great number of species of dragonflies and damselflies in Point Pelee National Park. Two notable ones that Paul pointed out were the Carolina Saddlebags and the Lance-tipped Darner – both lifers for us! Some of the more common ones included orange bluets (?), twelve-spotted skimmer, and Common Green Darner.
Snakes
We were surprised to see a Melanistic Garter Snake just outside the canoe rental shop at the Boardwalk trail. The melanistic color morph is a relatively common color morph that occurs naturally in the wild. Another great find was a Northern Water Snake – if you look closely at the photos you will see that it had recently enjoyed a meal.
Birds
We were treated to a number of wonderful bird sightings that included both migratory and resident bird species. It is hard to beat seeing fledgling birds. The first photo is of a fledgling cedar waxwing that one of the campers spotted at the Cemetery entrance. Other birds included immature and adult Bald Eagles, Osprey, Magnolia Warbler, Black and White Warbler, Hooded Warbler, Blue-grey Gnatcatcher, and Wild Turkey.
There is so much to enjoy at Point Pelee National Park – we hope that seeing some of the beauty of the park will inspire you to visit it soon!
