Since 1932, Ontario Nature has produced an award-winning magazine to inspire people to advocate for and on behalf of nature. Today, 27,500 readers enjoy a quarterly edition of ON Nature magazine, and recently an effort has been made to digitize the collection, with over 280 issues now available online dating back to 1951.
The digitized archive provides a near endless stack of interesting content to browse and discover. Though the name of the publication has changed through the years, it has remained a consistent voice for nature that has inspired and informed nature-lovers for over 90 years.
Sylvia Hahn illustration, The Bulletin, 1950s
The Early Years
The goal of Ontario Nature’s magazine has always been to raise public awareness about environmental issues and connect readers with nature. First named The Circular (1932 – 1936) before becoming The Bulletin (1937 – 1962), this six-inch booklet was filled with detailed articles on naturalist observations which were frequently accompanied by poems and hand-drawn illustrations. Some keen eyes may recognize the artwork of Canadian artist Sylvia Hahn (1911-2001) in several editions in the late 1950s.
In the 1960s, the magazine was reformatted to its current size and renamed The Ontario Naturalist. This iteration took on a more issue-focused identity, highlighting many topics still widely discussed today including bird mortalities and tall buildings, endangered species, fear of snakes, and wetlands.
Commentary on whether Ontario needs a provincial bird can first be read about in 1963. While white-throated sparrow and pileated woodpecker are discussed as options, it would indeed be the common loon adopted as the official bird of Ontario in 1994.
Seasons, Winter 1995
A Time for Growth
The 1980s saw another rebrand, this time renamed Seasons with a broader scope and an ambitious goal to appeal to a wider audience. Articles highlighted diverse natural spaces and featured fascinating in-depth looks into Ontario’s biodiversity. In 1995, the publication received its first awards. The Canadian Society of Magazine Editors named Seasons the best magazine of the year among publications with a circulation under 50,000 and guest author Ben Porchuk won a Canadian Science Writers’ Association award for his article on blue racers. The magazine has received numerous awards ever since that you can read here.
In 2004, the magazine again changed to its current name of ON Nature, ON being the acronym for Ontario. This change coincided with the re-branding of Federation of Ontario Naturalists (FON) to Ontario Nature along with a renewed focus on featuring nature and environmental issues from Ontario.
The Ontario Naturalist, March 1965
A Guide to Nature
Interesting species information and identification guides have always been a prominent feature of the magazine, with readers keen to learn more about Ontario’s biodiversity. Early guides were often accompanied by hand-drawn illustrations as seen for insects on snow (1965) and caddisflies (1970), and have evolved through text-based iterations such as owls (1985) and into detailed descriptions with full colour photos including shells (2001), beetles (2004), and coniferous trees (2007). Readers can browse many Nature Guides on the ON Nature magazine website.
Common tern on Ontario Nature publications – 65 years between
Closing in on a Century
Diving into the past offers a glimpse into how our understanding of the natural world and the opinions of nature-lovers and experts have evolved in Ontario. While language and design have changed, Ontario Nature has been steadfast voice on issues such as wetland protection and species at risk. As we approach Ontario Nature’s centennial anniversary, this digitized archive serves as an important record of the voices and history of nature over the last nearly 100 years.
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