Alvar, Bruce Alvar Nature Reserve © Noah Cole
About
You will discover one of nature’s most spectacular rock gardens at the Bruce Alvar Nature Reserve. In 1993, Ontario Nature purchased this property with funding through a generous bequest from Catherine S. Wishart.
She requested that her gift be used to protect a property with rare and endangered plants and the Bruce Alvar Nature Reserve certainly fits the bill.
Lakeside daisy, Bruce Alvar Nature Reserve © Noah Cole
Characteristics
This 61-hectare (151-acre) nature reserve has two main vegetation communities that gently grade into each other – rock barrens dominated by a ground cover of moss and herbaceous plants such as lakeside daisy and wood grass, and semi-open coniferous forests dominated by jack pine.
The rock barrens, or alvar pavements, have little or no brush cover and no tree cover. In some places, the dolostone bedrock is completely exposed and in other places it is covered by a very thick layer of organic accumulations. Plants that survive on these rock barrens are well adapted to extreme conditions – freezing cold in the winter; searing hot and dry for much of the summer and soaking wet in the spring and after summer rains.
Dwarf lake iris, Bruce Alvar Nature Reserve © Maria Papoulias
Plants and Animals
The rock barren and jack pine communities support a notable array of rare plants and unusual assemblages of vascular and non-vascular plants. Nationally threatened and provincially rare species are lakeside daisy, dwarf lake iris, purple stemmed cliffbrake, Hill’s thistle, roundleaf ragwort and northern dropseed. In addition, many regionally and locally rare plant species and unusual lichens and mosses occur.
Research regarding alvar communities is ongoing and there is still much to discover about the mosses, lichens and algae.
Massassauga rattlesnake, Bruce Alvar Nature Reserve © Tracy Parker
Visiting
Everyone is welcome to the Bruce Alvar Nature Reserve, but it is critical that visitors stay on the marked trail. The rock barrens are extremely vulnerable to foot traffic.
The trail includes a “dry land” boardwalk and small platform overlooking a portion of the alvar pavements.
We do not charge a fee for entrance and there are no operating hours on any of our nature reserves. Properties are monitored by volunteer stewards. We rely on visitors to be safe, minimize their impact on nature and be respectful of others. For more information about visiting the reserves, please read our Permitted Activities Policy.
We welcome donations to support this nature reserve and our system of 26 nature reserves.
Bruce Alvar Nature Reserve © Noah Cole
Directions
The Bruce Alvar Nature Reserve is located on the Upper Bruce Peninsula on the northwest corner of Highway 6 and Dyer’s Bay Road. The trail starts at an opening about 400 meters north of the Dyer’s Bay Road (on the west side of the highway). Look for an informational kiosk and nature reserve sign set back from the highway.
View Bruce Alvar Nature Reserve in a larger map
Prairie-fire and lakeside daisy © Erin Mallon
Bruce Alvar Nature Reserve © Noah Cole
Photo Gallery
