2025 FBO Field Trips
The trip list is here! As always, we are so grateful to our trip leaders. Trip capacity is 20 participants for each trip unless the leader requests lower numbers.
We can add attendee information to a waitlist if a trip sells out. For those that register online, we have allowed a refund period of up to one day before the trip. That means you may still sign up for trips ahead of time even if you aren’t sure of your plans and as long as you request a refund through Eventbrite before that time, you will receive your full amount back. But please cancel as soon as you know you won’t be attending. Cancelling your Eventbrite ticket allows us to open your spot on the trip to people who have added themselves to the wait list. If an event is listed as SOLD OUT, you can still register to put yourself on the wait list, and if someone else gives up their spot, we will contact the waitlist to offer the spot(s).
If you have any questions about this process, please feel free to contact the Field Trip Coordination Team at: fbo.trips@gmail.com
Morgan’s Point, Wainfleet
Sat. May 10th – 9:50am. Leader: Albert Garofalo
Registration Link: https://tinyurl.com/FBO-MorgansPoint
We will walk through a Shagbark Hickory - Hop Hornbeam Forest (aka Shagbark Hickory Limestone Woodland), with numerous old growth individuals and compare it with the adjacent and more successional Red Cedar Alvar Woodland, along with a very mature Sugar Maple – Hardwood Calcareous Shallow Deciduous Forest Type. Following this we can walk to the point along the Limestone Pavement Shoreline of Lake Erie and return via the boardwalk over the freshwater sand dunes. Species of interest which we may observe include: Hoptree, Pignut Hickory, Sycamore, Black Maple, Common Juniper, Low Calamint, Early Buttercup, Ebony Spleenwort, Early Saxifrage, and False Mermaid Weed.
Eldridge Nature Reserve -Couchiching Conservancy, Orillia area
Sat. May 10th – 9:50am. Leader: Dale Leadbeater
Registration Link: https://tinyurl.com/FBO-EldridgeNP
The Eldridge Nature Reserve is owned by Couchiching Conservancy. It lies in close proximity to Queen Elizabeth II Wildlands Provincial Park (QE II) and other properties like Reid, Marley Swamp; Taylor nature reserves, making it the perfect location to enhance corridor protection for species along the Black River. The property is highly biodiverse with up to 26 species at risk including Golden-winged Warbler, Nighthawk, and Whip-poor-will. We will work on the plant list for the property to share with the Conservation Biologist, Toby Rowland, who will be developing a management plan for the Reserve. We will start on the granite rock barrens where you’ll spot Sweet Fern, Poverty Oat Grass and Common Juniper. Our quest is to find Low Serviceberry because there is a possibility that it is Shining Serviceberry as discussed by Paul Catling and Brenda Kostiuk. (See Ontario Plant Press 33(1):3-6) Then we’ll hike through a forest and grasslands to the edge of a sedge marsh. There is not an established trail because this property is one of the most recent acquisitions. Terrain is uneven and has some elevation but not difficult. Please wear: long pants, tall boots to minimize the tick threat. Bring your lunch and water. There are no facilities here. There is no green number address, but the property is on Chisholm Trail, approximately 1.8km from Black River Road (the bridge at Chisholm Trail).
Student-led trip – University of Guelph Arboretum & Nature Reserve
Sat. May 17th – 9:50am. Leader: Christa Wise
Registration Link: https://tinyurl.com/FBO-GuelphArboretum
Join Christa Wise for a tour of the University of Guelph Arboretum, and the Nature Reserve lands which are closed to visitors.
Goldie’s Backyard: A botanical tour of the village of Ayr
Sun. May 18th – 9:50am. Leader: Will Van Hemessen
Registration Link: https://tinyurl.com/FBO-GoldiesBackyard
John Goldie was one of the earliest European botanists in Canada. In early adulthood, he collected prolifically throughout eastern North America and even worked as a botanist for several European leaders. Less well known is that he eventually left the field of botany and settled in North Dumfries Township, Ontario, where he established the community of Greenfield, which eventually merged with two other mill communities into the modern village of Ayr. This trip will explore the spring wildflowers and fungi at several locations in Ayr, which we can imagine might have been known to Goldie in his settler days.
Private Forest Management at Kilbride Creek
Sat. May 24th – 9:50am. Leader: Harold Dickert
Registration Link: https://tinyurl.com/FBO-KilbrideCreek
Something a little different from our usual trips - For the past 20+ years Harold has been managing the 6 acre riparian forest on his property along Kilbride Creek above the Niagara Escarpment. Between the ongoing removal of invasive buckthorn, and planting into the gaps left by the felling of mature ash trees by emerald ash borer, the forest is now a who's-who of Carolinian zone trees. Along with the pre-existing trees, many of the supplemented species are now mature enough to produce seeds, which Harold collects for local native tree growers. In a relatively small area, there is a wide diversity of species, owing to this ongoing management, as well as several microclimates of various sun, soil, and moisture conditions. For those interested, Harold can also describe the process of producing bio-char at a small scale.
Saratoga Swamp, near Auburn, Huron County
Sat. May 31st – 9:50am. Leader: Pat Deacon
Registration Link: https://tinyurl.com/FBO-SaratogaSwamp
Come explore the largest wetland in the Maitland River watershed! The Saratoga Swamp Tract is owned and managed by the Maitland Valley Conservation Authority and we will venture along a trail before setting off into areas of diverse swamp interspersed with rises of upland forest. This 500-hectare feature has a running plant list of about 500 species and we'll see if we can add to that through the day. While we will steer clear of deeper water and soft substrate, the hemlock-maple-yellow birch swamp has varied pit and mound terrain and rubber boots or swamp shoes are recommended.
Upland Sedges & Grasses, York Region
Sat. June 7th – 9:50am. Leader: Steve Varga
Registration Link: https://tinyurl.com/FBO-UplandSedgesGrasses
The fantastic graminoid guru Steve Varga is once again offering his expertise to lead this workshop on sedge and grass identification in the York Region Forest. Annotated keys for upland sedges and grasses will be provided ahead of the trip. As this workshop requires the group to examine very small parts of the plant, this trip is limited to 10 participants.
Plants for Wildlife – Trans Canada Trail, Brantford
Sun. June 8th – 9:50am. Leaders: Kayla Bezkorow & Alanna
Registration Link: https://tinyurl.com/FBO-TransCanadaBrantford
Join Kayla & Alanna on this student-led exploration of the Trans Canada Trail in Brantford. This trip will focus on the relationship of local flora and fauna. Additional details to be provided.
Glammis Bog – Walkerton area
Sat. June 28th – 9:50am. Leader: Walter Muma
Registration Link: https://tinyurl.com/FBO-GlammisBog
We will explore the area of Glammis Bog, which is an interesting site of wetlands, forest, and bog. Access to the actual bog itself is uncertain, as it depends on water levels at the time. However, the surrounding area is well worth botanizing. If time permits, we will also visit the fen/bog boardwalk at nearby Schmidt Lake. Due to the sensitive nature of this ecosystem, this trip will be limited to 15 participants.
Cooper Marsh, Cornwall area
Sat. July 5th – 9:50am. Leader: Jakob Mueller
Registration Link: https://tinyurl.com/FBO-CooperMarsh
Cooper Marsh, east of Cornwall, is a very diverse wetland on the St. Lawrence River. Despite being highly accessible with a trail network and boardwalks, it is surprisingly under-documented. The site also features a couple of the botanical highlights of "extreme eastern" Ontario. Canada Lily (Lilium canadense) should be flowering; it is provincially S1, and is only found at a couple other sites in the area. Another plant of interest is Smooth Alder (Alnus serrulata), which was only first recorded in Ontario in 2024, again only at some "extreme east" sites. Beyond these, there will be much to see, as the site is very rich.
Norfolk County Botany
Sun. July 6th – 9:50am. Leaders: Sammy Tangir & Soda Liptrott
Registration Link: https://tinyurl.com/FBO-NorfolkCounty
Join Sammy & Soda on this student-led trip of a TBD location in Norfolk County.
Wetland Sedges, Grasses and Rushes, Durham Region
Sat. July 12th – 9:50am. Leader: Steve Varga
Registration Link: https://tinyurl.com/FBO-WetlandSedgesGrasses
The fantastic graminoid guru Steve Varga is once again offering his expertise to lead this workshop on sedge and grass identification in the Durham Region, near Port Perry. In the morning, we will explore the wetlands of the Nonquon River, while in the afternoon we will move to the Durham Environmental Education Centre. Its time permits, we may visit more wetlands to the northeast on Old Scugog Road. Annotated keys for wetland sedges and grasses will be provided ahead of the trip. As this workshop requires the group to examine very small parts of the plant, this trip is limited to 10 participants.
Return to Cedar Creek, Essex County, Kingsville area
Sat. July 26th – 9:50am. Leaders: Gwyneth Govers & Sarah Mainguy
Registration Link: https://tinyurl.com/FBO-CedarCreek
Graeme Buck led a small group here in October 2024 – Gwyn decided she must return to see what else could be found during the summer! We will start the day on the rail trail at Arner Townline, where pumpkin ash, pin oak, sassafras, and many other rare trees & shrubs abound. There are also some relatively easy to find specimens of climbing prairie-rose, and spoonleaf moss, as well as some of the more obscure tick-trefoils. Time permitting, we will relocate to the north side of Cedar Creek Provincial Park, along 3rd Concession Rd., and/or to Cedar Creek Conservation Area, just south on Arner Townline.
Mystery Tour Botanical Inventory – Greater Toronto Area
Sat. August 9th – 9:50am. Leader: Steve Varga
Registration Link: https://tinyurl.com/FBO-MysteryTour
Meeting place: to be determined. A mystery tour focused on doing a botanical inventory of either a Nature Conservancy property, a Land Trust property, or a Provincial Crown Land Area in the Greater Toronto Area and vicinity. I will pick an interesting area that has been poorly botanized. You get to help do a botanical inventory of a critical natural area. You will be given the location particulars at least a month before the visit date. Please bring a clipboard, pencil, lunch, water and mosquito repellent. We may be walking in wetlands so bring old shoes and old pants that you don’t mind getting wet. In previous years we have inventoried Nature Conservancy properties that support prairies and oak savannahs, and another with forests, kettle wetlands and groundwater-fed conifer swamps on the Oak Ridges Moraine. We have found new records for such interesting species as American Ginseng, Autumn Coralroot, Bearcorn, Polygala polygama and Linum sulcatum among others and our inventory work has helped in the development of management plans for the properties. This trip will be limited to 14 participants.
Alvars – Peatlands – Forests, Bidwell Bog Nature Preserve, Manitoulin Island
Sat. August 16th – 9:50am. Leader: Tyler Miller
Registration Link: https://tinyurl.com/FBO-BidwellBog
Join Tyler on this habitat-diverse trip as we explore an Escarpment Biosphere Conservancy Nature Preserve, home to a fantastic assemblage of interior alvars, calcareous meadows, a poor fen, peatland swamp, deciduous swamps, and conifer forests. The trip will showcase some of the common and rare bryophyte, lichen and vascular plant biodiversity of these habitats while demystifying their rooted ecology and identity. We are likely to encounter multiple species of conservation concern, such as the Cylindrical Blazing Star, Thick Ragged Moss, Woodland Pinedrops, and Jelly Flakes Lichen, among others.
Student-led Trip – Presqu’ile, Northumberland County
Sat. August 30th – 9:00am. Leaders: Baxter Naday & Caroline Biel
Registration Link: https://tinyurl.com/FBO-Presquile
Explore the rare pannes ecosystem at Presqu'ile Provincial Park, as well as wet cedar woods, dunes, wetland, and fen habitats. We will encounter flashy fall wildflowers such as Sphinx's Ladies Tresses, Obedient Plant, Fen Grass-of-Parnassus, Closed Bottle and Greater Fringed Gentians, as well we may encounter more inconspicuous plants such as Bushy Aster, Slim-spike Three-awn Grass, Low Nutrush, Common Arrowgrass, and Slender Spikerush. Trails are generally flat, with no large rocks, but occasional fallen trees or roots. We will try to stay on the trails and roads as much as possible, as we will be walking through sensitive habitats. We will meet by *9 am at the Beach 2 parking lot in Presqu'ile Provincial Park, there are vault toilets at Beach 2, and flush toilets at the Owen Point parking lot, but no potable water refill stations along our route.
What to bring: Shoes you can get wet (although it depends entirely on the type of year), insect repellent/bug clothing, tick-proof clothes, binoculars (optional, there will be migrating birds).
Leader description: I am a young professional ecologist whose first love was birds, and now whose love for the natural world extends to all corners of it. I became seriously interested in botany after taking an intro to botany university field course in 2019. Now, it is an important part of who I am and guides my work life. I'm excited to share about the fascinating biology of a place so close to my heart, connect with other naturalists, and learn from others who are interested in nature either professionally or for pleasure. - Baxter Naday
Restored prairies & sand barrens of the Rice Lake Plains
Sat. September 6th – 9:50am. Leaders: Paul Catling & Brenda Kostiuk & Steve Varga & Ewa Bednarczuk
Registration Link: https://tinyurl.com/FBO-HazelBird
The Hazel Bird Nature Reserve (including the O'Neill addition in 2021 and Massie addition in 2025) is a priority property within the Rice Lake Plains Natural Area. These parcels protect tallgrass prairie, sand barren, oak woodland and black oak savannah habitats that are characteristic of this area. Once a dominant feature in the landscape, these significant ecological systems are now rare in North America. The Nature Conservancy of Canada continues its stewardship work to restore and enhance these habitats including prescribed burns, native plantings, thinning of oak woodlands and removal of non-native woody and herbaceous species.
Moss Walk – Peterborough area
Sun. September 21st – 9:50am. Leader: Jennifer Doubt
Registration Link: https://tinyurl.com/FBO-MossWalk
Autumn is one of the best times of year for exploring bryophytes! We don’t usually have to travel very far to see a good diversity of mosses and liverworts. This means that we can afford to move very slowly and take in tiny details with hand-held magnifiers. We will look out for variety of habitats and substrates in order to see as many different species as possible, and share our finds as we go. Definitive identification often requires a microscope, but we’ll do the best we can with our hand lenses, and talk about the kinds of measures that can boost chances of finding and documenting something unusual. This field trip will take place in Peterborough County or Kawartha Lakes, pending the results of ice storm closures in the region. Wear sturdy footwear, and dress for the conditions. Bring a lunch and – if you have one – a hand lens. There will be lenses available to borrow as well.
Fall Fungi – location tdb
Sat. October 4th – 9:50am. Leader: Blair Rose
Registration Link: https://tinyurl.com/FBO-FallFungi
Join Blair Rose on this expedition to document the many fabulous Fall Fungi. Location and additional details to be provided.