Shift
Posted: July 6, 2015 Filed under: Ontario, Plant Life, Toronto, Water | Tags: art, Brick Works, merge, nature, pond, Toronto, water lilies 4 CommentsI have two blogs–this one that I now rarely post on and an art blog that I post on more frequently. Being in nature in and out of the city is a large part of what sustains me in life and allows me to create. So I’ve decided to merge both blogs by creating a nature photography section in my art blog. I’m not removing Of Humans and Nature, just not adding to it.
If you’d like to see additional nature photos of mine, do go to Arts of May. And many thanks to those of you who’ve dropped by Of Humans and Nature and who have followed me. All the best to you.
Spring at the Brick Works in Toronto. ©Lily S. May 2015
Sun and Snow
Posted: February 4, 2014 Filed under: Ontario, Sky, Toronto, Water | Tags: Brick Works, Evergreen Brick Works, snow, sun, Toronto Leave a commentWe went to the Brick Works on Sunday after a wet snow on Saturday. We started out under a cloudy sky that gave way to blue patches, then to bright sun. We were among other walkers, a cross country skier and many frolicking dogs.
Clouds and blue sky above sumach at the Brick Works, Toronto, February 2, 2014
Bright sun at the Brick Works, Sunday Feb. 2/2014
Melting snow on branches at the Evergreen Brick Works, Feb. 2/14
Over the Don Valley, Toronto
Posted: January 17, 2014 Filed under: Ontario, Toronto | Tags: Brick Works, city, don valley, expressway, nature, ravine, Toronto, urban Leave a comment
Looking out over the Don Valley, Toronto, January 15, 2014
After the big freeze and the rain and melt, this was all the snow left in Toronto the other day, although last night we had a dusting of snow. Here, I’m looking out at the expressway, the ravines and the Brick Works in the distance. I love this dramatic, though often windy, view showing urban life and nature together.
At the Edge of the Brick Works
Posted: May 20, 2013 Filed under: Ontario, Plant Life, Toronto | Tags: black and white photography, Brick Works, Evergreen Brick Works, landscape, natural setting, nature, nature photography, Ontario, spring, Toronto, trees, Victoria Day, woods 1 Comment
By the Brick Works, Toronto, May 16/13
Several days ago and today, Victoria Day in Canada, I went to one of my favourite haunts–the Evergreen Brick Works. Sometimes the textures and shapes of the landscape call out to me to be photographed in black and white. These were from wooded paths around the perimeter of the Brick Works, some of which lead to ravines that wind through the city.
Path just above the Brick Works, Victoria Day, 2013
Willow Tresses over a path above the Brick Works, Victoria Day 2013, Toronto
Abundance
Posted: May 10, 2013 Filed under: Inspiration, Plant Life, Toronto | Tags: beauty, blossoms, Brick Works, daffodils, Evergreen Brick Works, flowers, gardens, grape hyacinths, May, nature, plants, spring, Todmorden Mills, Toronto, trees, tulips Leave a comment
Spring in Toronto, May 2013
We’ve had a week of sunshine and warm weather in Toronto–like a dream of love. This has given way to rain and cooler temperatures which will make the plants quite happy.
Toronto garden, May 2013
Tulips after rain, Toronto, May 2013
The gardens have been bursting with flowers. Magnolias, redbud trees, flowering plums, tulips, daffodils, grape hyacinths, forget me nots, periwinkles and violets have greeted me throughout the neighbourhood. Two days ago, the yellow green maple flowers began dusting the sidewalks and lawns. And at the Brick Works and Todmorden Mills, the sun and leaves of budding trees have formed canopies of light.
These have been joyful days to be alive amidst birdsong and the return of vibrant colour.
Todmorden Mills, Toronto, May 2013.
Signs of Spring at the Brick Works
Posted: April 7, 2013 Filed under: Animal Life, Ontario, Plant Life, Toronto | Tags: Brick Works, canada geese, colt's foot, Evergreen Brick Works, nature, Ontario, plants, pussy willow trees, pussy willows, red-winged blackbird, spring, Toronto, trees Leave a comment
Pussy Willows at the Brick Works, late March 2013
A week ago Saturday, on a beautiful sunny day in Toronto, we decided to walk to a favourite haunt—Evergreen Brick Works. There, I saw the first colt’s foot flowers I’ve ever seen. Either I’ve been unobservant or they haven’t been that plentiful in the past. Another possibility is that I haven’t been in the right location at the right time. I also saw two large pussy willow trees which I have loved since childhood.
Colt’s Foot at the Brick Works, late March 2013
The call of the red winged blackbirds was a welcome sound as was the sight of two Canada geese. Though they are a plentiful bird whom many regard as nuisances, there they were by a pond, looking quite fine to me.
Red-Winged Blackbird at the Brick Works, Toronto, late March 2013
Canada Geese at Evergreen Brick Works, Toronto, late March 2013
Since then, crocuses have been adorning early gardens and I’ve been hearing the lovely song of the robin.
After the Snowfall at the Evergreen Brick Works
Posted: February 9, 2013 Filed under: Ontario, Toronto | Tags: Brick Works, Evergreen Brick Works, landscape, nature, snow, snowfall, Toronto, weather, winter Leave a comment
Brick Works in the Snow, Feb. 9, 2013
Yesterday and the night before we got 25 – 30 cm of snow in Toronto. This was the most significant snowfall we’ve had this year, and the most we’ve had in the past five. Last year we shockingly had only a dusting here and there.
Evergreen Brick Works, after a snowfall in Toronto, Feb. 9, 2013
I went out walking in the storm yesterday. I loved seeing the fresh snow and felt a sudden sense of loss because snows like this used to be regular occurrences and not the big deal this one seemed. I was then glad I could feel love for snow, something that I didn’t realize I strongly felt. And glad I could feel this before snow becomes even more rare than it is now, as it seems it will.
Shadows and a snow covered pond at the Brick Works, Feb. 9, 2013
Today my husband and I went to the Evergreen Brick Works to take advantage of the beautiful sights I felt awaited us at this former industrial site turned into a sanctuary of sorts. We weren’t disappointed. Here are some of the photos I took.
Blue/purple shadows on the snow, Evergreen Brick Works, Toronto, Feb. 9, 2013.
On a Warm November Day
Posted: November 13, 2012 Filed under: Mineral World, Ontario, Plant Life, Toronto | Tags: Brick Works, Canada, climate, Evergreen Brick Works, grass, Mineral World, nature, science, Toronto, trees Leave a comment
On the Way to the Brick Works, November 11, 2012, Toronto
This past Sunday, Remembrance Day, was an unseasonably warm day of 18 degrees Celsius in Toronto–a record breaker. To take advantage of the warmth, in the afternoon we went to The Evergreen Brick Works. We walked along the railroad tracks, past milkweed and thistles and a disheartening array of tires dumped there.
On the way to the Brick Works, we passed tires dumped near the railroad tracks, Nov. 11, 2012, Toronto
At the Brick Works, we found that many people had the same idea as us and were strolling around the grounds and enjoying the day. The colours are now soft—mostly muted browns, beiges, yellows and greens.
Tall Grass at the Brick Works, Nov. 11, 2012, Toronto
Tall Grass at the Brick Works, Nov. 11, 2012, Toronto
A warm November 11th at the Evergreen Brick Works, Toronto, 2012
At the North Slope of this once quarry was a Toronto Parks and Recreation sign noting the geology of the slope that reveals evidence of several ages of ice alternating with warm periods. The sign reads as follows:
-The North Slope is a geological feature of international significance.
-Professor A. P. Coleman, a world-renowned Toronto geologist, first identified the significance of this slope in 1894.
-This site was one of the first in the world to reveal a rare sequence of climate change. The deposits here indicate a glacial episode, followed by a period of climate slightly warmer than today’s, followed by another glacial episode, and lastly the climate of today.
The North Slope at the Brick Works, Toronto, Nov. 11, 2012
There’s also a drawing on the sign indicating the age of the deposits that make up the North Slope. These range from the bedrock which is 448 million years old, to deposits over 135,000 years old and lastly to the most recent ones in the top layer which accumulated 13,000 – 50,000 years ago. I like to contemplate life from this other perspective—it certainly helps with a feeling a humility.
At the Brick Works, the North Slope by the geology sign, Nov. 11, 2012, Toronto
Companionship
Posted: August 24, 2012 Filed under: Animal Life, Ontario, Plant Life, Toronto, Water | Tags: Brick Works, companionship, frog, green frog, nature, plants and animals, pond, Toronto, water and sky 1 Comment
A green frog at the Brick Works, Toronto, August 2012
When I am in natural settings, even in the city, I often feel a sense of companionship with the trees and other plants and animals. This was the case on a recent afternoon at the Brick Works. I was sitting by one of the ponds in a shaded area when I noticed a green frog nearby in the water at the base of some reeds. Later, I saw a female cardinal and heard and saw several goldfinches. These, plus the flowers, trees, water and sky were with me in healing companionship. This may sound romantic to some, but, in fact, it was the reality and one that remains with me.
Pond at the Brick Works, Toronto, August 2012
Parallel Worlds
Posted: August 22, 2012 Filed under: Animal Life, Ontario, Plant Life, Toronto | Tags: birds, Brick Works, Canada, cicadas, expressway, milkweed, natural setting, natural space, nature, shrubs, thistles, Toronto, trees, wildflowers Leave a comment
The Don Valley Parkway running through green spaces in Toronto, Canada, 2012
I went for more walks on the weekend and mid week to the Brick Works in Toronto, Canada to be in a natural setting. Each time, I took the usual route down a hill, then beside railway tracks. This part of town is very close to the Don Valley Parkway, a busy expressway. Yet there are natural settings all around: trees, parkland and shrubs.
Dried thistles and shrubs by train tracks near the Don Valley Expressway, Toronto, Canada, 2012
I love seeing the flowers and grasses that grow wild along the edges of railway tracks–those discarded places reclaimed by nature. The wildflowers here were profuse, with the yellows and whites now joined by purples. I could hear birds singing above the din of cars and the buzzing of cicadas. I was struck by what seemed to be the parallel worlds I was walking through: the thundering traffic where we are insulated in cars and trucks and the natural setting of plants, birds and insects. This is not a new observation; many people must feel this. However, it struck me more dramatically than it had before. I felt I was walking in a corridor between two worlds.
Wildflowers by the side of train tracks in Toronto, Canada, 2012
- Milkweed growing near train tracks in Toronto, Canada, 2012
of humans and nature 
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