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Point Pelee is located in Essex County; near Leamington. Its tip is the southernmost point in Canada, and is near the same latitude as northern California. It is only 15 km² but is visited by 400,000 people each year. Point Pelee was made a national park in 1918 at the urging of birders and hunters. Commercial fishing continued in the park until 1969. Point Pelee was the only Canadian national park to allow hunting until duck hunting was ended in 1989. This site was named “Pointe-Pelée” or “bare point” by French explorers because the eastern side was rocky and had no trees. Point Pelee is known for attracting over 380 species of birds including many songbirds. The real show is when monarchs gather here between August and October, because it’s the shortest crossing point over Lake Erie during their 3000 km journey to their winter home in the mountains of central Mexico. The Great Lakes are a significant barrier to the monarchs’ migration. As they move south, they search for shorter ways across the lake and the Pelee peninsula provides an excellent start! Point Pelee’s shape funnels the monarchs to the tip. If the weather is cold, they will roost in trees and wait for warmer temperatures and favourable winds to cross the lake. If the weather is warm, they will often go directly across the lake without stopping in the park.

Ancient Native legends have told of waves of monarch butterflies heading southward in the autumn. For thousands of years, their destination was unknown. In 1975, the monarchs’ overwintering grounds were officially discovered by Dr. Fred Urquhart of the University of Toronto. Following reports of butterflies he and others had tagged in Canada, Dr. Urquhart was led to the evergreen forests high in the volcanic mountains of central Mexico. There he discovered the monarch.

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Thiessen Orchards is located in the most southern part of Canada for ideal growing conditions .

In December of 1926, Grandfather Jacob Thiessen came to Canada from the Ukraine (South Russia). He worked as a sharecropper on a farm owned by a Mr. Scott for seven years before he purchased a tobacco farm in 1933. Jacob grew tobacco for many years before he turned his hand to growing cucumbers in a new greenhouse he had built in 1941, and in 1949 he tried his luck with chrysanthemums. Mums bloom naturally in the fall, and as other producers saturated this market, Jacob began using black out systems in order to harvest weekly on a year round basis.

Son Peter came home from schooling at Michigan State University in 1961 and began to help his father on the farm. With new ideas and young energy, Peter decided to trial some rose plants in 1965.

Grandfather Jacob had planted 10 acres of apple trees prior to Peter’s return from school. These trees were harvested in 1969. At this time, the wholesale market for apples was less than desirable, so Gloria (who married Peter in September of 1966) decided to sell apples at the road. She placed a little wagon with apples at the roadside, and a year later, Pick Your Own Apples at Thiessen Orchards was open. The first year was very slow, and has since grown to an apple picking season of 7 days a week, 6 weeks a year, with numerous other amenities available.

Family helped Peter and Gloria in the beginning years – making pies, selling apples, helping in the “Kountry Kitchen”. After several years, the business became self-sustaining, and is now operated with very reliable staff and friends who help in making the business successful. The founders, Peter and Gloria, are still very active in the business, and are happy that the next generation is showing an interest in the operation.

“An apple a day keeps the doctor away”?

But why? Do you really know what makes an apple so special? Why is it that we never hear an orange or a banana a day keeps the doctor away? Apples have properties that no other fruits have and its benefits have been proven overtime. You will be able to get the benefits of these properties individually with other fruits, but an apple combines everything and makes it simpler. It has been shown over and over that if it’s not simple, easy and fast, people won’t take care of their health.

Please feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section below.

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A tropical wonderland of exotic birds and gardens, domestic and miniature animals, flowers and plants. Situated on 35 acres, 3.5 acres which is indoors in Ruthven, Ontario, Canada, between the town of Leamington and Kingsville, Ontario Canada.

For more pictures, please visit our Photo Gallery and look for the Colasanti 2010 album here.