100 Nature Hot Spots in Ontario is a reader-friendly guidebook that explores the remarkable splendor and diversity of the province named after the Iroquois word for "beautiful water." True to form, many of the hot spots feature water.

Organized by region, each hot-spot entry includes a descriptive destination profile, a sidebar of at-a-glance information about special features, location details, and a color photograph. Some of these locations are surprisingly close to towns and cities; some are hidden city treasures; and many are ideal for a day trip.

Here are a few examples:
Southwestern Ontario -- Rock Glen Conservation's fossil beds, trails and Carolinian forest; Luther Marsh Wildlife Management Area's northern flying squirrels, Butler's garter snakes, and spotted turtles; Pelee Island's breeding marsh birds and world-renowned annual songbird migration
Niagara Region -- City of Waterfalls in the Devil's Punch Bowl; passerine bird watching in the Woodend Conservation Area; Niagara Glen Nature Reserve's unique microclimate and plants
South Central Ontario -- the Scarborough Bluffs' rock formations; the Minesing Wetlands' network of sensitive flora and fauna
North Central Ontario -- The towering cedars and cliffs of Bruce Peninsula Park; Flowerpot Island's orchids; Huckleberry Rock, the oldest in the world; the primeval Barron Canyon
Eastern Ontario -- Wintertime sightings of snowy owls, hawks and coyotes on Amherst Island; geological eras collide in Frontenac Provincial Park; the largest known concentration of Aboriginal rock carvings in Canada at Petroglyphs Provincial Park
Northwestern Ontario -- Agate Island Beach, one of Travel and Escape Network's natural wonder beaches; Ouimet Canyon with rare arctic plants growing at its base; spectacular 130 feet (40 m) plummet of Kakabeka Falls.

These family-friendly destinations will appeal to naturalists, budding botanists and biologists, photographers, hikers, campers and paddlers.

Chris Earley is a zoologist and environmental biologist He is the Interpretive Biologist and Education Coordinator at The Arboretum, University of Guelph His previous books include Falcons in the City, Warblers of the Great Lakes Region and Eastern North America, and Birds A to Z He lives in Guelph, Ontario

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by Tracy C. Read

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Maps out the province's best natural sites with details about why they are must-see attractions.

Guelph Mercury Tribune

Recommended.

American Reference Books Annual

A beautiful and useful new volume... Provides inspiring descriptions of our province's best parks natural places and conservation areas... The book is a real pleasure to page through.

London Free Press

You will have fun perusing the photo-filled guide while deciding on your next wilderness adventure... Whether you want to go somewhere local to spend a few hours or travel to a more distant part of the province for a vacation this guide makes it easy as it is divided into six areas of the province: Southwestern Ontario, Central Ontario South, Niagara Region, Eastern Ontario, Central Ontario North, Northern Ontario. For each of the areas there is information about activities you can do there, if it is open year round or not and what makes the nature spot special. Helping you decide where you want to go are numerous, beautiful photographs that are throughout the book (there are more than 250 photos in the 224-page book). Ontario is blessed with an incredible number of wilderness areas and this book highlights 100 of them. 100 Nature Hot Spots in Ontario would make a thoughtful gift for those who enjoy getting out into the natural world.

DurhamRegion.com

Nature Book of the Year

London Free Press