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WELCOME Location
and Background Information Sources Ambrose, J., Waldron, G., Rodger, L., Martin D., 2002. An Update Survey and Evaluation of the Life Science Resources of Komoka Provincial Park and Selected Adjacent Areas. Ministry of Natural Resources. London Regional Office. Back
to top There is a north entrance close to Kilworth. It is located off of Commissioners Rd., west of Byron 5 kilometres. Just before Kilworth Bridge on the uplands look for a small white house with a parking area beside it. There are trails that run along the river heights or in the river valley. The Thames River is the most significant landscape feature within the park. Komoka Provincial Park lies within the Eastern Deciduous Forest Region and within the northern extent of the Southern Deciduous Forest Region that is also known as the Carolinian Life Zone. The park was created as a result of the increased need for recreational wilderness areas. The original plan was to have a wilderness core in the Park with a recreational land use (including picnic and camping areas) surrounding the core. The growing urbanization and expansion increased the desire for a Wilderness Park in Middlesex County. In response to the shifting recreation demand a near-urban park was established by the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR). Komoka Park is in a wonderful location, being easily accessible to both a large urban and rural population. This park opportunity helps to raise public awareness of environmental diversity and to prevent future urban development. Today the park covers 198 hectares or 489 acres of wooded land along both sides of the Thames River between Kilworth and Komoka within urbanized Southern Ontario. It is considered unique because it is not located in the northern part of Ontario. Much
of the park is located on former agricultural land that is presently
succeeding to meadows. The river portion of the park is located
within Mature Forested areas.
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| HISTORY
OF KOMOKA PROVINCIAL PARK
USES There are about eight kilometres of trails in Komoka Provincial Park with some signage to guide the use of the park. Today, the park provides free day-use and is predominantly used by bird watchers, hikers, anglers and horseback riders. Keep in mind when visiting the park that there are no visitor facilities located at the park. For more information contact: Port
Burwell Provincial Park LANDSCAPE The unique landscape is mainly the result of the land being covered by a Great Lake earlier in history. The south became land while the north became a delta formed by the Thames River. There are three major geological formations found here:
The area is covered by glacial drift deposited during the Wisconsin glaciation. The Thames River has exposed some limestone and shale. Much of the Park occupies deltaic deposits formed 14,800-12,500 years ago. This happened during the retreat of the Wisconsin ice sheet. The Proglacial Lake Maumee II covered the park area. At this time the Thames River was forming large sand and gravel deltas. The Thames River is a significant landscape feature in Komoka Provincial Park. It has a long and rich cultural heritage and was declared a Canadian Heritage River in 2000. The Thames River is 273 km long and drains about 5,825 km2 of land. This makes it the second largest watershed in Southwestern Ontario. The Komoka portion of the watershed has been managed by the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority (UTRCA) since 1947. The water quality of the river is fairly poor and the Ministry of Environment recommends restrictions on eating fish caught in the river (for example, a restriction of four meals per month of average sized Walleye). ANSI Komoka Park is the best example of a terraced forested river corridor in the southwestern region. It offers a wide diversity of vegetation types and the presence of rare species of flora and fauna. The biological and landform diversity is very uncommon in Southwestern Ontario. RARE
FAUNAL SPECIES FOUND IN KOMOKA
Within Ontario, the spiny softshell turtle is protected under the Ontario Game and Fish Act; it is prohibited to hunt, possess, sell, purchase or take the spiny softshell. This turtle inhabits aquatic environments where the bottom is sandy, has some aquatic vegetation, and sandbars or mud flats. These turtles have been found in a variety of environments including; marshy creeks, swift-flowing rivers, lakes, impoundments, bays, marshy lagoons, ditches or ponds near rivers. Queen
Snake B) Mammals American
Badger C) Butterflies
Back to top
E) Fish
The Rare Vascular Plants in Komoka Provincial Park
Habitats
in Komoka Provincial Park Forest
Habitat Animal
homes in the forest can be large old hollow trees known as den
trees, or standing dead trees called snag trees. These trees
are very important within the forest ecosystem because animals
like raccoons and flying squirrels make their nests in den trees,
while birds such as woodpeckers nest in snag trees. Coniferous trees or “evergreens” are important because they are used as shelter and cover from the snow, wind and rain by many forest animals. Even dead trees have a place in the forest since all of the dead logs and leaves on the forest floor provide habitat for insects and amphibians, which in turn are food for other animals. At Komoka Provincial
Park there is a variety of forested habitat. Along both sides of
the Thames River there is a forested corridor that has been identified
as the provincially significant Komoka Park Reserve. There are two
plantations. They are areas that have been planted by humans. The
trees in the plantation are usually the same species and the same
height. A plantation is similar to a crop of trees. One plantation
at Komoka is white pine, the other is a black walnut-white pine
mixed plantation. There is a large area of upland forest that includes
species such as, sugar maple, white ash, oak, hickory and white
cedar. There are forest species in the Komoka park that represent
the Carolinian Life Zone. Much of Ontario’s rare and endangered species can be found nestled away in the last remaining acres of the Carolinian Forest. Species that can be seen here include trees such as Sassafras, the Tulip Tree, Blue Ash, Flowering Dogwood, Chestnut, Hop Tree, Paw Paw, Black Gum, Cucumber Tree and the Kentucky Coffee Tree. The Green Dragon, the Creeping Fragile Fern, Swamp Rose Mallow, Lizard’s Tail, Yellow Mandarin, Virginia Bluebells and Oswego Tea are a few of Canada’s rare plants existing now only within the Carolinian Zone. Bird species, such as, the Acadian Flycatcher, Summer Tanager, Carolina Wren and the Prothonotary Warbler can be found here. Some mammals are restricted to this area, these include the Badger, Eastern Mole, the Southern Flying Squirrel and the Opossum. Unfortunately this life zone is one of the most threatened landscapes in Ontario, covering less than 1% of Canada, but yet it is home to more rare plants and animals than any other region in the country. This is mainly because the species found here are at the northern most point of their habitat. As well, these species live in developed and settled landscapes, resulting in a minimum amount of habitat remaining. It is found within an extremely busy corridor between Windsor and Toronto. Urbanization, agriculture and industry have destroyed a large portion of this beautiful forest. Because of this the Canadian Carolinian Forest has been a focus for conservation and stewardship. If you would like to learn more about the Carolinian Life Zone, or have any questions please do not hesitate to contact: CAROLINIAN
CANADA
Back to top Forest Species
Back
to top A meadow is an open, treeless area covered by grasses and is usually the result of a disturbance. Meadows are the first stage of forest regeneration. These areas have hundreds of different species of grasses and wildflowers. Grasses make up between 50-75% of all plants found in tall grass prairies. The most common grasses found within a Tall grass Prairie includes: Big Bluestem, Little Bluestem, Indian Grass and Switch grass. Some plants that can be found within this habitat include Wild Lupine, Gray-headed Coneflower, Prairie Smoke, Wild Bergamot, Butterfly Milkweed, Blazing Asters, Goldenrods and Sunflowers. Before European Settlement tall grass prairies were abundant in Southern Ontario. Now, they are endangered. Less than 3% of the original tall grass prairies still exist in Ontario today. The prairies were converted into agricultural fields and pastures. However, restoration projects are underway in Southern Ontario to help save the prairie. Unfortunately, along with the loss of habitat comes the loss of species. Of the plant species considered rare in Ontario, approximately 20% are associated with prairie ecosystems. At the present time Komoka Provincial Park does not have a managed tall grass prairie habitat area. There is a large area of open meadow. This area has grown into meadow from agricultural fields and gravel pits that have been left to naturalize. This meadow area combined with the upland forest provides a diverse habitat for many wildlife species. Old fields provide a very important habitat but are declining due to development, agriculture or reverting back to forest. Certain bird species use old field habitat for nesting on or near the ground. Back
to top
Grassland Species
Back
to top A wetland is
an area that has standing water at or near the surface for most
of the year. Wetlands may be located along shorelines and riverbanks
or can often be found in isolated depressions or hollows. Wetlands
are very important within nature for the following reasons: There are four types of wetlands found in Ontario; marshes, swamps, bogs and fens. MARSHES SWAMPS BOGS FENS At Komoka Provincial Park there are several wetland areas. There is a white cedar coniferous swamp, and a deciduous swamp. LIFE
IN A WETLAND
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to top Aquatic habitats provide a home for many different species of plants, insects, birds and mammals. These areas supply much food and water for wildlife. Many mammals come to drink from the aquatic habitat. Some may be looking for food. Next to aquatic systems you can often find wetland vegetation species. Some examples are cattails, reeds, grasses, willows and dogwood. The Thames River provides an excellent aquatic habitat in Komoka Provincial Park. The river supports many aquatic species. The flood plains also provide habitat for wildlife. The Spiny Softshell Turtle and the Queen Snake are two species that have been found there. The Thames River has one of the most diverse fish populations in Canada. It provides many habitats, has nutrient-rich waters, a long growing season and is connected to the Great Lakes. The Ministry of Natural Resources lists 98 fish species in the Thames River. Some of the sport fish found in the river are Walleye, Small mouth Bass, Coho, and Pink Salmon. AQUATIC
HABITAT
Aquatic
Species
BUTTERFLY CHECKLIST for Komoka Provincial Park 1. Black Swallowtail
31. Red Admiral DRAGONFLY CHECKLIST for Komoka Provincial Park 1. Common Green
Darner
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