Friends of Murphys Point Park

The White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) is our focus for this week’s #SpeciesOfTheWeek. An extremely common mammal at Murphys Point, members of the White-tailed Deer population are often spotted by visitors to the park. Although they make for a cool sighting, the deer population in Ontario has expanded rapidly due to the extirpation of native wolf populations. This expansion has lasting negative effects on the forests due to the deer’s preference for tree saplings and understorey plants in the summer, and bark in the winter. These deer can leap up to 2.5 meters high and 9 meters horizontally, so fencing has little effect. The White-tailed Deer’s coat changes in colour from reddish-brown in the summer to grayish-brown in the winter. The average lifespan of a White-tailed Deer is 6 years in the wild.

This week’s #SpeciesOfTheWeek is the Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata). The Blue Jay is a very recognizable bird with blue plumage on the upper parts and white below. The blue crest on top of the Blue Jay’s head makes it stand out against a backdrop of green foliage. Blue Jays are a common sight in Canadian forests, though they prefer areas with oak trees. In urban areas, they are frequently sighted in backyards where they often come to bird feeders. The diet of the Blue Jay consists mainly of nuts and insects though they may also eat dead and injured small animals. Blue Jays build their nests in the outer branches of coniferous and deciduous trees, typically 10-25 ft above the ground. Clutch sizes are often between 2 and 7 eggs. These highly intelligent birds have complex social systems and will often stay with one mate throughout their lives. Blue Jay populations have declined by 28% between 1966 and 2015. The most common cause of human-associated death is by cats. This species should be well-known to anyone from Prince Edward Island as it is the provincial bird, but here at Murphys Point, they can be found on all the major trails.

This week’s #SpeciesOfTheWeek is the Monarch (Danaus plexippus). The Monarch is one of the most famous and popular species of butterflies, known for their bright orange coloration, with black lines and white spots, as well as their migration from Canada/United States to Southern California/Mexico. It is not uncommon to see thousands of Monarchs lining the tree canopy at their overwintering sites, truly a sight to behold. Impressively, it takes three generations of Monarchs to complete such a lengthy migration. Milkweed plants play an important role in the life of a Monarch as that is the host species for their caterpillars. When the caterpillars eat the toxic milkweed, the toxins build up in their tissues making them unpalatable to predators. Since the 1980s, there has been a 99% decline in the western Monarch population and an 80% decline in the eastern population which has resulted in them being recognized as a species at risk. Major threats to Monarch populations are habitat loss and climate change. Due to their popularity, the decline of Monarch populations has received a lot of attention and efforts to promote habitat conservation and milkweed planting have arisen in the hopes to help this iconic species. At Murphys Point, it is not uncommon to see this beautiful species flying around the meadow at the Lally Homestead.