Southern Ontario
Southern Ontario has a very different climate from the rest of the country. It is the only area of Canada that has Carolinian forest. Many trees, plants, and wildlife in Southern Ontario are not found anywhere else in Canada. Some rare trees to Canada in this region include the tulip tree, pawpaw fruit tree and the cucumber tree. The Carolinian forests of Southern Ontario have in large part been destroyed by development sprawl. Very few original growth areas remain.
Mixedwood Plains Ecozone (Canada)
The forests are a part of the temperate deciduous forest that extends from Florida north to eastern Canada. The mixed plains ecozone has the highest plant diversity in Canada, with the Lake Erie lowland having trees species that occur nowhere else in Canada. Within Canada, these forest types are often referred to as the 'Carolinian zone' owing to the many southern plants and animals that reach their northern limits here. Clearing for agriculture and urbanization have reduced natural forest cover to less than ten percent. An overview of the flora and fauna of this distinctive region is available in "The Natural Treasures of Carolinian Canada". A few of the many examples of southern species found here include the hooded warbler, king rail, prothonotary warbler, blue-gray gnatcatcher, American badger, opossum, and eastern spiny softshell turtle. Past work has identified 38 critical natural areas, and an initiative known as The Big Picture aims to restore natural corridors as part of a natural heritage system. Some of the critical core areas in this region include Point Pelee, Long Point, Rondeau Park, Skunk's Misery, Backus Woods and Willoughby Marsh.