Blogs

In this year alone, over 7,000 square meters of park land have been naturalized by Richmond Hill community members. Throughout the spring and fall of 2019, LEAF, the City of Richmond Hill and The Regional Municipality of York have hosted five planting events in Meander Park. With the help of 480 community members, we have planted 1,350 native shrubs and trees.

Dale first planted with LEAF in 2017 and then again in 2018. By adding seven trees and a bunch of shrubs to his Toronto property, he is making a wonderful green impact. Our Program Manager, Kim De Lallo, interviews Dale about his enthusiasm for LEAF and his love of his backyard oasis.

Every year, groups of LEAF volunteers tend to six Urban Forest Demonstration Gardens throughout Toronto. These gardens provide an example of the beauty and importance of establishing native plant species in urban areas. One of the benefits of planting these species is that they foster local pollinators, including native bees and butterflies. And, this summer, we were blown away by the number of pollinators we saw at our gardens!

The Junior Urban Forest Rangers (JUFR) program is more than just a fun day with LEAF for visiting day-campers. 2019 JUFR leader, Darya, explains how participating in this two-hour workshop helps children connect to the nature all around us.