Plants
Cootes Paradise is home to the highest concentration of plant species in Canada at over 750 native species, however an addition 300 have also been introduced following European settlement of the area, putting strain on the local ecosystems ability to function. Among the trees found in Cootes Paradise are various species of oak, maple, and pine, as well as less common species such as sassafras tree, Kentucky Coffee Tree, and tulip tree. Examples can be found along the native trees walk across from the nature centre. In recent years there has been a noticeable loss of trees due to ongoing anthropogenic stresses on the RBG property surrounding Cootes Paradise, and in 2005, following the death of a child participating on a nature hike, the RBG was forced to cut down numerous dead and dying trees that posed a public-safety concern, and alter the trail system to ensure some of the sensitive habitat could remain undisturbed by these activities.
A recent analysis of the checklist of all plants growing within the various nature sanctuaries of RBG reveals that these properties are among the richest spots in Canada for plant diversity, with 24% of the flora of Canada and 38% of the flora of Ontario present. Among this diversity are multiple nationally and provincially endangered species.
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Famous quotes containing the word plants:
“He who plants a tree
Plants a hope.”
—Lucy Larcom (1826–1893)
“From the time the Englishman’s bones harden into bones at all, he makes his skeleton a flagstaff, and he early plants his feet like one who is to walk the world and the decks of all the seas.”
—Willa Cather (1876–1947)
“So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. The one who plants and the one who waters have a common purpose, and each will receive wages according to the labor of each. For we are God’s servants, working together; you are God’s field, God’s building.”
—Bible: New Testament, 1 Corinthians 3:7-9.