Unionville's downtown is home to a diversity of historic buildings dating from the 1800's housing shops, restaurants, museums and the famed Varley Art Gallery which was the starting point of our tour. From the gallery at Main Street and Carleton we crossed the street to first take a close look at the magnificent golden weeping willows (Salix alba var. vitellina 'Pendula') and silver maples (Acer saccharinum) sweeping the banks of Bruce's Creek. Both these species are water-loving and have extensive root systems spreading up to 2-3x the width of their large canopies.
From here we crossed over the creek into an enclosed forest oasis including a small pond. Although the understory of some of this area is replete with exotic invasive species such as Norway maple, European buckthorn, garlic mustard and dog-strangling vine there are plenty of gorgeous native tree specimens. Sandwiched between a decomposing Manitoba maple (Acer negundo) log, incredibly having new shoots emerging from it, and a Norway maple stood a picture perfect ironwood (Ostrya virginiana) and pagoda dogwood (Cornus alternifolia). These native understory trees provide much needed food for pollinators in the spring and songbirds in summer and autumn. They were very happy in the shade of the surrounding forest!
A highlight for all of us on the tour was examining a large cavity in an eastern white cedar (Thuja occidentalis) that had been completely backfilled with walnuts from the many surrounding black walnut (Juglans nigra) trees and then spotting one of the culprits - a spirited red squirrel that was no doubt anxious with us humans gawking at his winter stash.
Next on the tour we took a close look at a strikingly tall, straight white ash (Fraxinus americana). Sadly, chances are that this majestic ash tree will succumb to the emerald ash borer (EAB). EAB is an introduced insect pest that has hit southern Ontario with full force, spreading like wildfire and killing most species of ash trees in its wake.
After more meandering through parkland and residential streets, we came to our final stop of a towering bur oak (Quercus macrocarpa). This stunning tree was recently boxed into a wooden bench structure with surrounding sidewalk and driveway. The damage to the tree's root system during construction, including severing of roots and soil compaction, and the now lack of available water due to the pavement has put considerable stress on this tree. Fortunately, bur oaks are a very tough and hardy species and this one still looks relatively healthy. Let's hope it continues to do well and live a long life, as this species has the potential to live hundreds of years.
Thank you again to those who came out to enjoy a chilly yet glorious autumn day in a small piece of York Region's urban forest. Looking forward to the next one!