Learning Botanical Words with the Toronto Botanical Garden

The Toronto Botanical Garden's Weston Family Library publishes weekly "Botanical Nerd Word" posts to help spruce up your vocabulary.

Each word is defined, and accompanied by a photo to help illustrate the word.  You can check out their website for their postings, or subscribe to the Toronto Botanical Garden's newsletter to receive these postings in your inbox.

This is a great site for the garden enthusiast, or anyone who wants to learn more about botany in bite-size words.

Engaging the Mind with Lectures

Attending lectures is an activity that delights me.  Though I've graduated from post secondary school and graduate school, I continue to attend lectures, because I enjoy learning.

There are many places that organizes talks.

If you are a graduate of a post secondary institution, subscribe to their alumni emails (if you are not already on their listservs) to receive information about upcoming talks for alumni.

The Toronto Public Library hosts a variety of programs within their branches throughout the city.  You can check out upcoming programs on their website, or pick up their quarterly publication What's On, available from their branches.

Depending on your interests, you can check associations and groups to see if they host lectures.

Here are some nature-related lectures you can check out in the city of Toronto, many of which are free:

• Toronto Public Library's Our Fragile Planet
• High Park Stewards
• Toronto Botanical Garden's Lecture Series
• Toronto Entomologists' Association
• Toronto Field Naturalists

Recycling Plastics: Decoding Plastic Symbols

Look at any plastic item, and you will most likely see 3 arrows circling a number, with letters underneath. Have you ever wondered, or rather, been confused by what these symbols are?  These are resin identification codes.  

This code system was developed by the Society of the Plastics Industry to identify the type of plastic from which the item was made, and to help facilitate sorting for recycling.  As these arrows are similar to the mobius loop symbol for recycling, these resin identification codes are commonly mistaken as the item being recyclable.  This is not the case.  Not all plastics are recyclable; they are only recyclable where facilities and markets exist as recycling facilities vary in the types of plastics they accept.

As a consumer, it can be confusing to know what is recyclable or not.   You will have to check with your own municipality's recycling program to determine what is accepted for recycling.  For example, the City of Toronto lists the types of plastic items they accept, rather than by the resin identification code, to make recycling as easy and convenient as possible.

For more information:

• Resin identification code
• Canadian Plastics Industry Association 
• "In your blue box, not all plastics are created equal"

Leaves of Change: Fall Foliage

The changing colours of leaves from the greens of summer to the bright colours of reds, yellows, and oranges, means that fall is coming.

Plants convert water and carbon dioxide into oxygen and sugar through the process of photosynthesis.  Chlorophyll is the pigment that does this, and that is what makes leaves green.  When the days get shorter, as it does going into fall, this pigment breaks down and the underlying colours reveal themselves.  The different shades of red, purple, orange, and yellow from the anthocyanin and carotenoid pigments, make up the beautiful fall foliage.

The leaves changes colour around late September to October, which makes this the best time to go for a road trip to check out this splendor.  The Internet is bursting with articles and sites that report fall foliage, so check them out first before heading out the door.

To get you started, here are a few sites you can check out:

• fall colour report from Ontario Parks
• a guide to the best places to see fall colours in Canada by The Weather Network

Seeing the World, One Street at a Time

In my previous post, I wrote about using Google Street View to explore Parks Canada's parks and historic sites.

You can also use this tool to explore the world.  Google has, and continues to traverse and photograph the globe, bringing the world to your fingertips.  You may be viewing these images already through Google Maps, by entering the location, and then viewing the streets from there.  But you can also browse their collection of photographed sites here.

You can explore natural wonders, cities, cultural sites, and attractions, discovering, or rediscovering new and familiar places through these collections of photos.  You can also check out where Google will be heading to next.

Whether you're looking for inspiration for your next adventure, or want to explore them from the comfort of your own home, Google Street View is a good resource to start.

Exploring Parks Canada Online with Street View

Canadian national parks and historic sites can be explored online, thanks to a partnership between Parks Canada and Google.

This project began in 2013, where staff from Parks Canada and Google travelled across Canada to photograph the country's landscape.  It started out with over 50 sites, and have grown since then.

To explore, enter the name of the Parks Canada site into Google Maps or Google Earth, and then view the panoramic images through Street View, or browse the Parks Canada website for a list of what's currently available, and access the sites from here.

This virtual experience can help you plan your next outdoor adventure.  But it can also bring the experience to those who may not be able to physically visit the sites due to their remoteness or challenging terrain.

Approximately 75 percent of Parks Canada's sites have already been mapped onto Google Street View, and more is being planned.

For more information about the project, check the Parks Canada website. 

Hunting for Treasure with Geocaching

Geocaching is an outdoor, modern day treasure hunting activity.  Instead of a treasure map, Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates are used to locate the treasure. 

These treasures, or geocaches, are hidden containers that typically contain a logbook and pencil, as well as small trinket trade items.  With these trade items, you can leave them or swap one with an item of your own.  So come prepared!

These geocaches are hidden all over the world, and in varying degrees of difficulty of locating them, or terrain.  According to a 2013 statistic, Canada is third in the world for active geocaches. 

Places may have guidelines about caches in their area, such as Parks Canada, or may have activity sheets, such as Banff, so it's best to check their websites first for more information.

Other than that, make sure you have a GPS device or smartphone, register at Geocaching.com, and then hit the trails!