Friday, June 19, 2020

High Park Toronto

Black oak trees

Grenadier Pond

Ducks

Grenadier Pond

Hillside garden

Black oak savannah

Black oak savannah with birch trees. Photos taken in October 2017

On Monday October 23, I took the subway to High Park at 9 AM. It was beautiful. I walked across a vast lawn filled with large trees spaced at regular intervals, some with bright, falling leaves. Below that was a large pond filled with natural vegetation & ducks. There was a natural forest on the slope above the pond in an area called the West Ravine Nature Trails. People were walking & jogging along the paths. I walked back up to the slope through the Hillside Gardens. The Japanese garden along the creek was nice enough. But overall, I was not impressed with that area.  The giant maple leaf was tacky. There was a more impressive forest of black oak savannah at the top of the hill.  

That was that all I saw. There is much more to High Park. It is a big urban park covering 400 acres (161 hectares) & a perfect respite. It also has a swimming pool, playground, sports fields, cafe & zoo. High Park opened in 1876. The central section is a large plain that is mostly developed. But a significant portion is a rare, natural black oak savannah. Oak savannah is much more common in the US & Mexico. Black oaks (Quercus velutina) grow throughout High Park & many are more than 150 years old. Forested areas are maintained in a natural condition. The lovely Grenadier Pond covers 35-acres (14.2 hectares) on the western edge of the park. On a section of the hillside east of the pond, there are the various Hillside Gardens.  The giant maple leaf-shaped flower bed is visible from the top of the hill.  It looks better from a distance.

Friday, June 5, 2020

Village of Yorkville Park Toronto





Photos taken in October 2017

On Saturday October 21, we got breakfast from McDonald’s very near our hotel. We stayed near Bloor-Yonge subway station, a convenient place for public transportation, with many shops & restaurants. We walked to the Village of Yorkville Park where we ate our food. The park was very interesting, densely landscaped & divided into sections that followed the property lines of the original houses.  They had been replaced with a parking lot, later made into the park. It was a very pleasant place to rest.  Then we proceeded to the nearby Royal Ontario Museum.

The Village of Yorkville Park was completed in 1994.  By now, the plantings are fairly mature.  Groups of trees cast shade & beds are filled with perennials. Many of the plants are native to Canada & represent plant communities such as wetland, alder & birch groves.  There are 11 garden plots, each within the property lines of the row houses demolished in the 1950s. There is also open space & quite a lot of seating.  The busy design coalesces into a green, tranquil, yet diverse space.

The Village of Yorkville Park lies between the row houses of the old Yorkville neighborhood & the modern high-rises surrounding the intersection of Bloor & Yonge, near the subway station.  The park played an important role in revitalizing this area.  It remains a neighborhood landmark, a destination for residents & tourists alike, in the midst of a high-density residential & retail environment.