Wild hyacinth (Camassia scilloides) COSEWIC assessment and status report: chapter 5

Habitat

Habitat requirements

In Canada, wild hyacinth occurs in open deciduous forests and hawthorn scrub in areas where the limestone bedrock in near the surface, but with rich clay to organic soils. The climate is moderated by Lake Erie with a long growing season and typically a dry summer.

Trends

Suitable habitat is experiencing only minor losses in the last 10-20 years, mostly on Pelee Island. However, habitat on islands with nesting Double Crested Cormorants (East Sister and Middle ) are experiencing severe degradation and resultant population losses, from complete extirpation on East Sister Island to declines down to about 15% on Middle Island, and here only suppressed vegetative plants remain where it had been recorded previously. The habitat of one unquantified population at Mosquito Point (North end of Fish Point) is no longer present in an area being cleared for cottage development. Other habitats and their populations appear to be holding well, compared to previous rough estimates during the 1980s.

Protection/Ownership

Middle Island is under the management of Point Pelee National Park, East Sister Island and Fish Point are provincial nature reserves. Stone Road Alvar is a nature reserve with various parts owned by the Federation of Ontario Naturalists, the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) and the Essex Region Conservation Authority. Some adjacent lands are owned by conservation minded landowners, including one site with an NCC conservation easement. Hen Island is owned by the Quinnebog Fishing Club (Ohio). Other sites are privately owned.

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