A noun. A verb. A blog.
Beautiful Crothers Woods will now be an official environmentally significant area in Toronto. Our beautiful ravine systems are one of the best things about Toronto, counteracting the concrete and condos, right in the very heart of the city. We are fortunate to have so many stunning, wild areas in Toronto: places where nature does the […]
In High Park, June 2015 – a patch of spontaneously regenerated wild lupines (Lupinus perennis) I’ve seen wild lupines in Iceland and in Nova Scotia. But I had no idea that Ontario was also a habitat for this lovely legume (Lupinus perennis). Then we visited High Park this June with the Toronto Fling and learned […]
Bluestar (Amsonia) and spiky false indigo (Baptisia) at the Toronto Botanical Garden Always grateful to discover unexpected combinations of spectacular plants on my travels. This time, I didn’t have to travel far – only to the Toronto Botanical Garden. Don’t know the specific cultivars here, but Amsonia and Baptisia seem made to go together, don’t […]
No, it isn’t snow. It’s the fluffy seeds of the eastern cottonwood (Populus deltoides). A row of mostly cottonwoods sits on the horizon at Tommy Thompson Park on the Leslie Street Spit. Walking on the Spit last Saturday, my friend Sharon asked, “What is that white fluff, Helen?” I was so glad she did. Because […]
Native echinacea (Purple coneflower) and monarda (Bee Balm) attract all sorts of butterflies and other pollinators. This is one native plants for Ontario database I don’t want to forget, so I’m posting it here. Evergreen Canada is such a marvellous nature and environmental organization, and we are lucky that we have a headquarters here in Toronto, […]
A bee’s-eye view of scarlet bee balm, Monarda didyma I need cheering up, after nearly ten days of being seriously under the weather. What could be cheerier than the bold blast of colour that comes from our native North American bee balm (Monarda spp.) and its hybrid cousins – many of which are blooming right […]
Wow, wow, WOW! The pre-sunset “golden hour” lights up butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa) Stopped in my tracks on the streets of East York. That’s the only way to describe my reaction to this plant just after 7 pm on Wednesday evening, and thank the photo gods for my iPhone. Capturing the last of the sunlight […]
It’s too long since I’ve had the joy of seeing a sea of trilliums brighten up a woodland floor. This is one of my fond memories of childhood, having spent part of our youth living near wooded areas in different parts of Southern Ontario. However, I do have a few in the garden. This year, […]