Friends of Murphys Point Park

This week’s #SpeciesOfTheWeek is the smallest dragonfly in North America, the Elfin Skimmer (Nannothemis bella). With a body length of 18-20 mm and a wingspan of 10-15 mm, this diminutive dragonfly is smaller than most damselflies. Like all other dragonflies, Elfin Skimmers are sexually dimorphic. Males have a blue-grey body, while females have a black body with yellow stripes on the thorax and yellow bands on the abdomen. Due to their small size, females may be mistaken for wasps. Elfin skimmers reproduce in sphagnum bogs, and adults rarely travel more than a couple of hundred meters from the bog in which they hatched. They will fly at the water’s edge and in nearby vegetation, frequently perching on low shrubs and sedges. In Ontario, the flight season is from May to August. This species was first discovered in the park in 2017, but was not seen again until 2021! A larger population was discovered this June on the Silver Queen Mine Trail. Keep a keen eye out when hiking this area, and you just might see this small skimmer!

For our #SpeciesOfTheWeek this time around, we turn to Canada’s national symbol, the North American Beaver (Castor canadensis). As the largest rodent in Canada, these semi-aquatic herbivores are easily identified. A beaver’s most notable feature is its large, flat, paddle-like tail. It helps to propel them while swimming, but can also be used as an alarm call, making a loud clap when slapped against the surface of the water. Additionally, they have webbed hind feet to help them swim, and unwebbed front paws that are extremely dexterous. As you likely know, beavers are known for chewing down trees and building dams. This is in part because their teeth grow continuously throughout their entire lives, so they must chew on trees to keep their teeth from getting too long. Beavers have also recently been recognized as keystone species because their dams actively change ecosystems and create habitats for many other species. Here at Murphys Point, beavers can commonly be seen in the pond on the Lally loop hiking trail, as well as other bodies of water. Have you ever noticed one of their dams here at the park?