Editing Burlington, Ontario (section)

==Geography==

Burlington is at the southwestern end of [[Lake Ontario]], just to the north east of [[Hamilton, Ontario|Hamilton]] and the [[Niagara Peninsula]], roughly in the geographic centre of the urban corridor known as the [[Golden Horseshoe]]. Burlington has a land area of {{convert|187|km2|abbr=on}}. The main urban area is south of the Parkway Belt and [[Ontario Highway 407|Highway 407]]. The land north of this, and north Aldershot is used primarily for agriculture, rural residential and conservation purposes. The [[Niagara Escarpment]], Lake Ontario and the sloping plain between the escarpment and the lake make up the land area of Burlington. The city is no longer a port; sailing vessels in the area are used for recreational purposes and moor at a 215 slip marina in LaSalle Park.{{wide image|NewBurlingtonPan.jpg|1000px|alt=Burlington at night|Burlington at night}}

===Climate===
Burlington's climate is [[humid continental]] ([[Köppen climate classification]] ''Dfa'') with warm to hot, humid summers and cold, sometimes snowy winters. The climate is moderated somewhat by its proximity to [[Lake Ontario]]. Monthly mean temperatures range from {{convert|22.5|C}} in July to {{convert|−4.4|C}} in January. The average annual precipitation is {{convert|763|mm|abbr=on}} of rain and {{convert|99|cm|abbr=on}} of snow.

Although it shares the continental climate found in Southern Ontario, its proximity to the lake moderates winter temperatures and it also benefits from a sheltering effect of the [[Niagara Escarpment]], allowing the most northerly tracts of [[Carolinian forest]] to thrive on the Escarpment that runs through western sections of city. Several species of flora and fauna usually found only in more southern climes are present in Burlington, including paw-paw (''[[Asimina triloba]]''), green dragon (''[[Arisaema dracontium]]''), tuckahoe (''[[Peltandra virginica]]''), American columbo (''[[Frasera caroliniensis]]''), wall-rue (''[[Asplenium ruta-muraria]]''), plus the [[Louisiana waterthrush]], [[hooded warbler]], [[southern flying squirrel]] and rare [[Tricolored bat|eastern pipistrelle bat]]. Near the visible promontory of [[Mount Nemo Conservation Area|Mount Nemo]] that rises some 200&nbsp;m (650&nbsp;ft) above the lake level, a "vertical forest" of [[Thuja occidentalis|white cedar]] clinging to the Escarpment face includes many small trees that are more than one thousand years old.<ref>{{cite web  | title = Niagara Escarpment Commission: Flora & Fauna  | publisher = Niagara Escarpment Commission  | url = http://www.escarpment.org/about/ecology/flora/index_pf.php  | access-date = 2009-03-21  | url-status = dead  | archive-url = https://archive.today/20120730193927/http://www.escarpment.org/about/ecology/flora/index_pf.php  | archive-date = 30 July 2012  | df = dmy-all  }}</ref>

[[Hamilton Harbour]], the western end of Lake Ontario, is bounded on its western shore by a large sandbar, now called the Beach strip, that was deposited during the last [[ice age]]. A canal bisecting the sandbar allows ships access to the harbour. The [[Burlington Bay James N. Allan Skyway]] (part of the [[Queen Elizabeth Way]]), and the [[Burlington Canal Lift Bridge|Canal Lift Bridge]] allow access over the canal.

{{Burlington weatherbox}}