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Oh Canada!
Discovering Canada's Great Outdoors
By Gwen Morrison
When traveling in Canada this fall season, don't miss out on all the natural beauty that the country has to offer. Explore Canada – a country whose residents harbour a natural passion for the outdoors. When you visit, it will be easy to see why.
Located just 50 kilometres southeast of Windsor, Ont., in the most southern tip of Canada, lies this incredible natural oasis. Point Pelee attracts more than 400,000 visitors each year. People travel from far and wide each fall to witness the natural phenomenon that occurs as the monarch butterflies make Point Pelee their a temporary home as they migrate to their final destination in central Mexico.
Point Pelee National Park becomes a stopover for the bright orange and black monarch butterflies because of the availability of the monarch's food plant – the milkweed. The milkweed plant has been said to have its origins in the tropical areas of Mexico, and as both the monarch butterfly and the milkweed plant evolved, the range was extended to the southern regions of Ontario.
Start out early in the morning, and you may be delighted by thousands of butterflies hanging from the trees as they await favourable conditions for their lake crossing.
"Pelee Island is a paradise for naturalists with many species of southern plants rare for Canada found only on the island," says Bob Bowles, president of Bowles Environmental Consultants and Nature Tours, who has been introducing groups to the wonders of Pelee Island for more than 15 years. "Several species of hawks can also be seen moving south in the autumn. It is a special place with something to see during all seasons of the year."
The autumn is a wonderful time for families to come to the park and take in the spectacular fall colours as they travel on the Centennial Trail. This 4-kilometre path provides cyclists with a safe roadway, free from traffic, as they take in the delightful sights of the season.