We started that season off by planting Small Yellow Lady’s Slipper Orchids with the Southern Ontario Orchid Society. In early June of this season, one steward hand pollinated one of the flowers and in mid-August it seeded.
As I reflect after completing my seventh season as co-leader of the Brick Works team, I realize that the most memorable moment came this last spring – though it took quite a journey to get there.
In October 1867, inspired by a silver maple tree, Alexander Muir composed “The Maple Leaf Forever” to celebrate the Confederation of Canada. This tree fell during the July 19, 2013 windstorm. As it was old (est. 170 yrs.) and facing the various stressors that go along with being a street tree (i.e. salt, compaction, lack of water etc., as I learned in the Tree Tenders Program), some saplings had previously been started using seed from that tree. One such sapling was donated from the City of Toronto to LEAF for their annual B.F.F. (Best Forest Friends) Social. It was one of the items in the silent auction. I live in an apartment and wondered what I would do with a tree. But then I remembered the Brick Works, where I go to escape from the concrete-on-top-of-concrete world in which I live. I knew my stewardship team would love planting it and I could visit the tree every week. I therefore bid for and won the sapling.
As the spring delivery date approached, I wondered how would this work out, since I live in an apartment and have no place to store a ten foot tall tree. But then remembering that we exist in a community of like-minded organizations, I contacted LEAF, and a few e-mails later, they delivered the tree to Evergreen’s nursery. Evergreen staff cared for that tree until it could be planted with my stewardship team on May 11, 2015.
From Toronto to LEAF to me to Evergreen and back to Toronto – the sapling now lives in the back quarry just a bit south-west of the northern slope, ready to inspire more in greening this city.
The next session of Tree Tenders Training begins on September 29 in Ajax. To learn more about the program or to sign up, click here!
The Tree Tenders Volunteer Training Program is supported by Ontario Power Generation's Biodiversity Program, York Region, City of Mississauga, Town of Ajax, Durham Region, and Toronto and Region Conservation.
Alexander Yoshiki works downtown with computers all day long as a data analyst at Trillium Gift of Life Network. Trying to reconnect with nature, he volunteers with LEAF (St. Clair Station demonstration garden), Toronto’s Community Stewardship Program (Brick Works) and Evergreen (Farmers’ market).