On Saturday, Sept. 17, rain or shine, members of the Toronto Field Naturalists (TFN) will lead a free walking tour of the campus and participants will get an opportunity to learn more about some of the rare plants and trees hidden away there.
The tour will begin at the TTC bus stop at the southeast corner of Bayview and Lawrence avenues at 2pm on Sept. 17. It is expected to last two hours. York alumnus and historian John Court (BA ’63) and Nancy Dengler, a Toronto botanist and professor emerita of the University of Toronto, will take participants on a tour through Glendon’s natural and human history. It will include features of the landscape that date to pre-European settlement, the pioneer farm era, the Glendon Hall Wood family estate and the early development of York’s Glendon College.
The walk will cover the natural forest found on the terrace lands of the campus, ravine slope and Don River floodplain, including Lawrence’s Bush – the woodlot right inside Glendon’s entrance gate that is populated with beech, sugar maple, white pine and basswood.
The TFN suggest bringing a wide-brimmed hat, socks, hiking boots or running shoes, and long sleeves and pants to protect from mosquitoes, poison ivy, thistles and ticks. Depending on the weather forecast, rainwear or sunglasses and sunscreen may be necessary, along with some insect repellent. It’s also a good idea to bring a camera, binoculars, a Thermos or flask and a snack.
Children are welcome when accompanied by an adult, but pets are not.
For more information, visit the Toronto Field Naturalists website.