![]() THE LESLIE STREET SPIT - A unique Urban WildernessTommy Thompson Park, commonly known as the Leslie Street spit, is a wonderful place to enjoy the city's waterfront. A car-free roadway the full length of the spit makes this a great place to walk in any season. Allow about four hours to walk to the end of the spit and back, with some stops along the way. And don't forget your camera and binoculars. The spit offers terrific opportunities for bird watching, as well as stunning views of the Toronto skyline.
Nature has transformed this once barren place into
a unique urban wilderness. Wildflowers flourish here in the warmer months,
attracting dozens of butterflies. The sandy peninsulas, with their thickets
of eastern cottonwood, resemble the Toronto Islands, from where the seeds
of many plants have blown or drifted. Willows are more common near the beaches.
The lowest areas, which are usually flooded in springtime, have an array of
sedges and rushes. ![]() The wetlands, meadows and forests of the Leslie Street spit are home to many birds and other animals. About 300 species of birds have been sighted, making it one of the best places in the province for bird watching.
Winter is a good time for observing waterfowl in the park. On a winter day, it's not unusual to see 25 different species, including long-tail ducks, bufflehead, red-head ducks and scaup. If you're lucky, you might also see an owl. Several varieties, including the snowy, great horned and saw-whet owl, are known to spend the winter in the park.
Dense thickets of cottonwoods and willow shelter black-crowned night herons and double-crested cormorants. It's easy to spot their crude stick nests high in the trees.
The best time to see these crow-sized birds is just before sunset when they fly out to the feeding grounds to fish. Although black-crowned herons are active mostly at night, they do also forage during the day, especially when they have hungry chicks to feed. Refuge for wild life The spit is also among the best butterfly watching locations in the city. About 40 species of butterfly have been seen here. In late summer and early fall the beautiful black and orange monarch butterfly stops to rest and feed, while waiting for favourable winds for its migration to Mexico.
A number of projects are in the works to make the spit more attractive for fish, such as northern pike and largemouth bass, as well as amphibians and reptiles. Landfilling has created snug chambers under the frost line where reptiles such as the eastern garter snake and northern brown snake can spend the winter. Ponds have been created where turtles, frogs and toads can nest and bask in the sun. Turtle species observed in the park include the midland painted and common snapping turtle. Tommy Thompson Park is open to the public year-round on weekends and holidays, except Christmas day, Boxing day and New Year's day. Hours are from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. (April to October) and 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (November to March). Admission and parking are free.
Aknowledgment: Photography and information provided by Toronto and Region Conservation Authority. Please send your comments about our featured articles to info@beachesliving.ca. Also let us know what subject would you like to see in our future issues. |