Pinery Species Highlights

Eastern Hognose Snake

The easiest way to identify this snake is by its distinctive upturned nose and dramatic defensive behaviours. When this harmless snake feels threatened, it coils up, flattens its head and neck to form a cobra-like hood, inflates its body, and strikes with a closed mouth. If this frightening behaviour doesn’t scare the threat away, the snake rolls over and plays dead. The Eastern Hognose Snake is a Threatened species in Ontario and Pinery’s sandy habitats provide a haven for this fascinating snake.

Common Five-Lined Skink

Common Five-lined Skinks are the only lizards native to Ontario and they are Endangered in the province. Juvenile skinks have a distinctive bright blue tail and change colouration as they mature. They have many natural enemies, including foxes, raccoons, snakes, and birds of prey. If a predator catches a skink by the tail, the tail will break off and thrash to distract the predator, which allows the skink to escape. The tail will re-grow over time, but never as long as it was before.

Common Five-lined Skink

Adult female Common Five-lined Skink (Plastiodon fasciatus) basking for warmth

Red Headed Woodpecker

Red-headed Woodpecker

These beautiful birds are seen frequently in Pinery. They are Endangered because of the destruction of suitable habitat for nesting and a decrease in food supply. The Friends of Pinery Park are actively restoring habitat for this species with the Habitat Stewardship Project.

Mottled Duskywing

Once extirpated from the park, this butterfly is Pinery’s latest success story. In 2021, Mottled Duskywings were reintroduced to the Park and are successfully breeding and overwintering once again! The knowledge that the Ontario Butterfly Species at Risk Recovery Team gains from Pinery’s newly released butterflies will be applied to several other planned reintroduction sites. If all goes well, this species will be much more secure in Ontario, and eventually may no longer be considered Endangered

Mottled Duskywing

Northern Barrens Tiger Beetle

Tiger Beetles are the agile hunters of the insect world. While other populations may exist that have not been found, Pinery is the only known location for this species in Canada.

Oak Trees

Pinery’s forest canopy is dominated by seven species of oak trees, interspersed with shrubs, tallgrass prairie, and wildflowers. Oak trees provide a home for an amazing community of living creatures and they can live for hundreds of years.

There are far too many fascinating and rare species in Pinery to describe them all here. Come to Pinery’s Visitor Centre to learn about more of Pinery’s most interesting species!