Tree profile: Callery Pear

Walking around the neighbourhood on a grey November day, you can’t help but notice that the Callery pear (Pyrus calleryana) is the only light on the street. Look at that! The rest of the trees are denuded, but this fellow is still glowing. Because I remember when neighbours had one planted in their front yard, […]

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Leaves: A few that got away

Gingko biloba in its lovely clear yellow autumn foliage, crystalled with raindrops. The leaves of this tree have been found fossilized in stone. It was once thought to have been extinct. Yet, here it is in the front yard of a city street in Toronto. I wonder what colour the dinosaurs really were…

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Golden fall foliage: Katsura tree

The fall foliage I uploaded yesterday leaned strongly towards reds. Yet, sometimes yellow can make an equal statement. Especially a yellow intense enough to literally drag me down the street to investigate. Meet the Japanese katsura tree (Cercidiphyllum japonicum), a tree that should be planted more often in Toronto. This picture is just as it […]

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Wordless Almost-Over Wednesday: A leafy one

Purple barberry (Berberis) showing its little red pal how to really do red in fall. In full sun, berberis gets that glowing embers effect; purple, red, orange yellow. Amur maple (Acer tartaricum var. ginnala, formerly Acer ginnala), striking in red. Yes, must get myself one. Too bad the columnar form is harder to find. The […]

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Fall: From Leaside Bridge

No, we don’t want you to take a tumble. However, the view of the Don Valley from the Leaside Bridge is one of my favourite places in the city to enjoy the fall colours. As it’s impossible to stop on the bridge, the best way to get there is by bike, or park your hybrid […]

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