Postcards from the Field: Andrew Ryckman

Shell Conservation Intern Andrew Ryckman

Greetings from Central Ontario,

I’ve been ankle deep in mud, waist deep in poison ivy, and I love every minute of it. This summer has given me amazing opportunities to expand my flora identification skills and learn a lot of Latin!!

Working as a Summer Field Technician in the Central Ontario region has given me experience in mapping out communities using Ecological Land Classification, compiling species lists, and putting all of it together into management plans. I’ve also been fortunate enough to be able to help run a Volunteer for Nature Butterfly Count Event, meeting and working with many local naturalists and butterfly enthusiasts.

Wild Lupine Photo by Rick Beaver

It’s been amazing seeing some of the hidden treasures that Ontario has to offer. One of the most interesting sites I’ve visited has been the Rice Lake Plains, found at the eastern edge of the Oak Ridges Moraine. This area is home to globally rare communities like Tallgrass Prairie and Black Oak savanna. These habitats are home to the provincially rare Wild Lupine (Lupinus perennis) and vulnerable Eastern Hognose Snake (Heterodon platirhinos ). Historically, the Rice Lake savannas were also home to the now extripated Karner Blue butterfly (Lycaeides melissa). Some of my time has also been spent in Happy Valley (just north of my hometown of Toronto ), and in a unique threatened habitat called alvar (a limestone-plain ecosystem) near Napanee. Soon I’ll be heading by canoe to Dewey’s Island, north of Lindsay, to do plant and wildlife inventories.

As a recent Zoology graduate from the University of Guelph, it’s been great to test and expand my knowledge in the field. Every day is an adventure, whether it’s finding the elusive Spring Peeper or surprise Wild Turkey encounters; you never really know what each day will bring.

Keep in touch,

Andrew Ryckman

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