Carolinian Canada

Middle Island is the southernmost piece of land in Canada, a tiny 22-hectare island in the western Lake Erie archipelago only a few metres from the Canada-US border. Migrating birds and insects use it to rest as they travel across Lake Erie along an island chain from Point Pelee to Ohio. It is also home to many Carolinian species at risk, including the Lake Erie watersnake, the red mulberry tree, and the Miami mist flower. Evidence of human presence on the island spans centuries, from the late Woodland Period (ca. 800-1200 A.D.) to the American Prohibition era, when it was used as a gambling haven. In 1999, the Nature Conservancy of Canada, with support from Parks Canada Agency and many other contributors, purchased the island. Now part of Point Pelee National Park of Canada, Middle Island will remain a refuge for some of Canada's southernmost species of plants and animals for all time.

Ontario · Canada