When heading towards High Park, the surge in traffic is pretty clear. Cars are lined up for blocks and the park roads are jammed. Do yourself a favour - bike, walk, or take public transit to the park this year. With Bloor Street under construction and visitors aplenty, the park is a driver’s nightmare. (Not to mention you can easily avoid all that idling time by leaving your car at home!)
Parks in Toronto are not fully staffed at this time of year, so you may notice that the recycling and garbage bins are full. Please hang on to your refuse until you can find a bin with room. Leaving the park how you found it means that others can enjoy a healthy, clean environment after you’re gone.
Please be mindful of where you’re walking. Spring is an important time for growing plants and stepping off the high-traffic paths could mean trampling small plants and preventing new growth.
Branches of trees make poor souvenirs and should be left where they are - happily attached to the tree. Better to visit them again next year!
One last thing: please reconsider climbing the trees for photo ops. Many trees cannot support your weight, and climbing them may cause damage to the trunk or branches. There has already been one major breakage this year - let’s not have another.
The beauty of the cherry blossoms in High Park should be enjoyed by all and I am forever grateful to have such a wonderful environment in our city. By working together to keep it happy and healthy, we will continue to enjoy it for years to come.
Where do you go to catch the cherry blossoms?
A resident of the area for the last three years and a frequent visitor since the age of four, Amy Fedrigo has a great deal of love for High Park. She volunteers with LEAF and believes our urban forest is incredibly important to the health of our city and us as citizens. “Nothing beats the feeling of planting a new tree!”