July Perpetual Calendar Post for The Gamiing Centre

This text is from a series I wrote for The Gamiing Nature Centre, a non-profit charitable organization that works to promote understanding and participation in practices that balance human needs with the needs of wildlife and ecosystems. A credit to Drew Monkman is warranted due to his vast, accessible knowledge and email help, in addition to the Toronto Reference Library, and the Cornell  Lab of Ornithology.  

Photo Credit: SB C+D15KM Lakeshore Trail , Silent Lake ONTARIO 

In July,  we can explore up-close-and-personal flowers, bird, bugs, amphibians, reptiles and mammals all enjoying the comfort of summer heat while capitalizing on summer plant food sources. Deciduous forests like those around the Gamiing Centre make up less than 0.9% of all of Ontario's three forest zones. Home to numerous local riparian eco systems, the Kawartha's Lakes are an ecologically unique space, sensitive, beautiful and diverse. 


‘Riparian’ is derived from Latin, meaning river bank (and a great scrabble word to add to your summer game!) used to refer to the land next to any body of water.  The riparian zone is especially important to the health of the water system because it helps to filter pollution before it reaches the water and to provide shade, cover, and food for aquatic species.  Our riparian zones, shoreline and deciduous forests are full of life in July.

Photo Credit SB C+D, from  Elegy
by  Deborah Samuel at the Royal Ontario Museum

Here's what we might see along the Gamiing Centre's lakeshore and wetlands this month.  Butterflies are attracted to wetland plants like Joe Pye Weed's showy pink-violet flowers and the moist loving Cup Plant's yellow bloom, which also attracts hummingbirds.  Before the Swamp Milkweed's pink-violet flower blooms in July, its green fruiting pods can be eaten, and are considered a delicacy.  Watch also for blooming Elderberry, White Water Lily and Jewelweed.

Integral to shoreline stability are Cattails, rushes, sedges and grasses which help establish riparian habitat by providing safe nesting sites and materials for birds, and valuable habitat for fish, frogs and snakes.  You can literally watch summer unfold through the colour of shoreline, which continues to change through to fall. With a distinct aromatic lemon scent, the useful Sweetflag is starting to turn yellow-brown in July.  Its roots are edible (they are used similarly to ginger) and the leaves can be dried for potpourri. You'll also find the tall (up to 12"!) Cranberry -Bush in full sun near the water. In July its stem is white, and you'll see it start turning colour in august to red-black, getting redder as fall gets closer.

All these plants seeds are important food for birds and small mammals who feed on wetland plants through winter. In July you can see Red-Winged Blackbirds, Swamp Sparrows, Tree Swallows, Northern Waterthrush, Yellow Warblers, and the Belted Kingfisher - one of the few bird species in which the female is more brightly coloured than the male. You might also catch Yellow Warblers singing from low trees or shrubs.

There are lots of plants in bloom, birds with their young and animals carousing in July. Try recording your wildlife observations this month!