Naturally Ontario: Exploring the Wealth of Ontario's Wild Places

W.J. Keith is a retired professor of English at the University of Toronto and author A Sense of Style: Studies in the Art of Fiction in English-Speaking Canada.

This is an extraordinarily useful book for anyone who wants to explore
the variety of the natural world and its myriad forms within the
boundaries of Ontario—from the city closeness of Toronto’s Leslie
Street Spit to the remoteness of Wabikini Provincial Park some 300
kilometres north of Thunder Bay.

The book is divided into sections for the convenience of those
interested in birds, flowers, mammals, rocks, beaches, waterfronts,
nocturnal excursions, and so forth. Within each section are chapters
divided into two parts: first, an essay-style account of what can be
seen; second, under the title “First-Hand Experience,” practical
advice about such matters as how to get there, what the opportunities
for camping are, where to hire a guide, and much more. Appendixes
contain the addresses and telephone numbers of various resource
authorities and conservation organizations.

Naturally Ontario is filled to the brim not only with useful,
up-to-date information but also with fascinating gobbets of
out-of-the-way rural lore, and the author communicates it all clearly
and informally with a minimum of the cute attempts at humor that mar so
many books of this kind.

My one regret is that the book contains no maps. The location of each
site is described accurately enough, but even a few rough sketch maps of
different areas indicating the relation of individual sites to each
other would make a valuable addition. Nonetheless, this book can be
recommended heartily to anyone with exploratory impulses and a love of
the wild.