Ojibway Prairie in Late Winter (27006397226)

The Ojibway Prairie Complex is a 350-

hectare The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100- metre sides (1 hm2), or 10,000 m2, and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. An acre is ...

complex of parks and

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...

s on the west side of

Windsor Windsor may refer to: Places Australia * Windsor, New South Wales ** Municipality of Windsor, a former local government area * Windsor, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland **Shire of Windsor, a former local government authority around Wi ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. It comprises Ojibway Park, Tallgrass Prairie Heritage Park, Black Oak Heritage Park, and the Spring Garden Natural Area, owned and managed by the City of Windsor, as well as Ojibway Prairie Provincial Park, owned and managed by

Ontario Parks Ontario Parks is a branch of the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks in Ontario, Canada, that protects significant natural and cultural resources in a system of parks and protected areas that is sustainable and provides opportuniti ...

. Other natural areas are present adjacent to these parks that are not currently protected. The complex protects one of the largest remnants of

tallgrass prairie The tallgrass prairie is an ecosystem native to central North America. Historically, natural and anthropogenic fire, as well as grazing by large mammals (primarily bison) provided periodic disturbances to these ecosystems, limiting the encroachm ...

and oak savannah in Ontario. These open habitats are present due to sandy soil over a bed of clay, which is less suitable for the growth of trees. The use of

prescribed burn A controlled or prescribed burn, also known as hazard reduction burning, backfire, swailing, or a burn-off, is a fire set intentionally for purposes of forest management, farming, prairie restoration or greenhouse gas abatement. A control ...

s is important to manage these habitats. The complex is notable for its high diversity of plants and animals, including over 160 provincially rare species, more than any other site in Ontario. Several insect and plant species are not known from anywhere else in Ontario. Examples of protected

species at risk The List of Wildlife Species at Risk currently has more than 800 entries for Canadian wild life species considered vulnerable; including 363 classified as endangered species, —190 threatened species, —235 special concern, and 22 extirpated ...

found here include

Butler's garter snake Butler's garter snake (''Thamnophis butleri'') is a species of garter snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to North America. Etymology The specific name ''butleri'' is in honor of ornithologist Amos Butler (1860-1937) of Broo ...

, eastern foxsnake,

eastern prairie fringed orchid ''Platanthera leucophaea'', commonly known as the prairie white fringed orchid or eastern prairie fringed orchid, is a rare species of orchid native to North America. It is listed as a threatened species in the United States on September 28, 19 ...

, and

dense blazing star ''Liatris spicata'', the dense blazing star or prairie feather, is a herbaceous perennial flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. It is native to eastern North America where it grows in moist prairies and sedge meadows. The plants have tall ...

. The

Rt. Hon. Herb Gray Parkway King's Highway 401, commonly referred to as Highway 401 and also known by its official name as the Macdonald–Cartier Freeway or colloquially referred to as the four-oh-one, is a Controlled-access highway, controlled-access 400-series high ...

, constructed between 2011 and 2015, runs just east of the complex. Natural habitats containing various species at risk were present in the area prior to construction, and various management and restoration activities have occurred to mitigate negative impacts. The Ojibway Prairie Complex includes the

Ojibway Nature Centre The Ojibway Prairie Complex is a 350-hectare complex of parks and nature reserves on the west side of Windsor, Ontario, Canada. It comprises Ojibway Park, Tallgrass Prairie Heritage Park, Black Oak Heritage Park, and the Spring Garden Natural A ...

, which offers free exhibits, public education, and summer programmes for children.

References

{{Reflist, refs= {{cite web , title=Overview of Ojibway Prairie Complex , url=http://www.ojibway.ca/complex.htm , website=Ojibway Nature Centre , publisher=City of Windsor , access-date=26 August 2020 , date=9 November 2015 {{cite web , last1=Pratt , first1=Paul D. , title=Provincially Rare Vascular Plants and Wildlife of the Ojibway Prairie Complex , url=http://www.ojibway.ca/raresp.htm , website=Ojibway Nature Centre , publisher=City of Windsor , access-date=26 August 2020 {{cite web , title=Ojibway Prairie , url=https://www.ontarioparks.com/park/ojibwayprairie , website=Ontario Parks , publisher=Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks , access-date=26 August 2020 {{cite book , title=Ojibway Prairie Provincial Park Management Plan , date=8 January 2002 , publisher=Queen's Printer of Ontario , url=https://www.ontario.ca/page/ojibway-prairie-provincial-park-management-plan {{cite web , title=SPECIES AT RISK in the Ojibway Prairie Complex , url=http://www.ojibway.ca/SARbrochure.pdf , publisher=City of Windsor , access-date=26 August 2020 {{cite web , title=Environment , url=https://www.hgparkway.ca/node/4 , website=Rt. Hon. Herb Gray Parkway , publisher=Wood , access-date=26 August 2020 Parks in Windsor, Ontario Nature centres in Ontario Protected areas of Essex County, Ontario Nature reserves in Ontario Education in Windsor, Ontario

See also

References