Toronto trip - Part 2

Having scouted out the area via the Internet before leaving for Toronto, I found the Ernest Thompson Seton Park was not too far away from my hotel. It turned out to be a 50 minute walk and was well worth it. Ernest Thompson Seton was a renowned naturalist, artist and writer and he travelled the ravines of Toronto sketching and observing the wildlife.

Here is a friendly Torontonian that I met during my walk in the park!

Early morning mist.

A Downy Woodpecker along the trail.

One view of the trail.

This photo is rather "busy" but I liked all the patterns and textures of the water and the duck's feathers.

The hot, humid weather and the over-grown vegetation made me feel like I was in the tropics. I was thinking of Egrets when I suddenly spied this Great Blue Heron. It felt magical.

These graffiti messages struck me as poignant and a good use of chalk on concrete.

Toronto trip - Part 1

On August 27th I ventured off to the big city of Toronto. The main reason was to attend a family wedding but I also hoped to visit areas where wildlife could be found. On the very first night I found the Mount Pleasant Cemetery which turned out to be as much of a treasure trove as the Mount Royal Cemetery in Montreal (and even more so as will be seen further on). This map shows the location of my hotel at the corner of Eglinton and Mount Pleasant and two of the major places I visited (outlined in red). Unfortunately it will not enlarge for some reason.

The next post will be devoted to the Ernest Thompson Seton Park. For now we'll see some of the sites of the Mount Pleasant Cemetery.




The beauty of the area.




One of a small flock of migrating Red-Breasted Nuthatches.

A Monarch Butterfly. These gorgeous creatures were flitting about everywhere.

I have tried to get a good close-up of the berries of the Bittersweet Nightshade for a long, long time. I finally got it!

I found these bees on one of the most colourful flowers in the cemetery!

Aside from the Gray and Black Squirrels, several Red Squirrels were out and about and this one seems ablaze in the late afternoon light.

But here is the sight that I have never seen at the Mount Royal Cemetery!! I was astonished to see a deer come running close to me. It was stressed by a loud grass mower hence the open mouth but afterwards it ran to another area and then just calmly walked.

And lastly, here I am. My reflection is caught in the polished granite of a tombstone. I thought it gave a dreamy image of the foliage and sunshine. Contrary to what people may think, I believe cemeteries are for the living and are poignant reminders to live life as fully as possible.