Notes From Junior Naturalists Event On Aug 10th

Thanks to those of you who made it out to the Todmorden Mills Planting event. It was a perfect sunny August day! Thanks also to Paula and Steve, who hosted us and made it such a special time. We are so grateful that you have made Todmorden Mills an amazing place where nature is  restored and protected!! 

We carried mulch, water and 10 Gray-stemmed Dogwood plants into a challenging planting site with a lot of Dog Strangling vine. We could peek through the fence towards the parkway, and see solid DSV on the steep banks going down to the highway. Paula explained that Gray-stemmed Dogwood out-competes DSV and is good for challenging it. She also demonstrated how to dig a hole, and how deep to make it. Steve showed us how to cut the roots so they wouldn’t keep growing in a circle and strangle the plant. While we were digging holes, we found mature cicada nymphs. We could see the little bumps of exoskeleton containing their wings. They were moving their front legs, as if they were ready to climb a tree trunk and shed their exoskeleton!

Keep on learning with the following:

The Toronto Field Naturalists wish to acknowledge this land through which we walk. For thousands of years it has been the traditional land of the Wendat, the Seneca, and most recently, the Mississauga of the Credit River. Today it is still the home to many Indigenous peoples from across Turtle Island and we are grateful to have the opportunity to be on this land.