Want your kids to spend more time outdoors this summer?
Curious campers ages 5 to 17 take on the great outdoors at Humber Arboretum Summer Day Camp! From exploring pond-life to crafting cozy shelters, each week is packed with adventures, games, and hands-on fun.
Ready to learn more? Visit the link in our bio to get all the details, or visit humber.ca/arboretum/camps
🐸🐟🐦🪺🦋
𝗦𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝗖𝗮𝗺𝗽 𝗔𝗴𝗲 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗽𝘀:
𝗦𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗖𝗮𝗺𝗽 | 𝗔𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝟱–𝟭𝟮
Hands-on discoveries and adventures in the great outdoors
𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗿 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝗦𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗖𝗮𝗺𝗽 | 𝗔𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝟭𝟮-𝟭𝟯
An in-depth investigation of the natural world for older campers
𝗟𝗬𝗡𝗫 𝗧𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺 | 𝗔𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝟭𝟰-𝟭𝟳
Grow leadership skills to guide younger campers in nature
#HumberArb #HumberPoly #TorontoNature #TorontoKids #TorontoParents
Where curiosity meets care for the planet ♻️🌎
During our Healthy Planet, Healthy Lives week of camp, we explore what it means to live more sustainably, take action for the environment, and understand how even small choices can grow into something bigger. 🌿
From the ins and outs of recycling to planting native tress and shrubs on "Mount Arb", campers aged 5 to 12 discover how deeply connected the natural world is—and the important role they play within it.
Through hands-on exploration and play, they’ll start to see everyday choices in a new way—learn more and register at humber.ca/arboretum/camps.
#HumberArboretum #HumberPoly #EtobicokeMoms #EtobicokeKids #TorontoKids
Bloom Watch: Victoria Day Edition 🌸
Spring is unfolding just in time for the long weekend.
Visitor Notice: While the Humber Arboretum grounds are open to visit, the Centre for Urban Ecology and Humber Polytechnic will be closed Monday, May 18.
Photos:
1- Magnolia Betty
2- Crabapple Malus Maybride
3- Cherry Tree Prunus Kanzan
4- Lilac
From Spiny Softshell Turtles and Jefferson Salamanders to Barn Owls and Hoary Bats, Ontario’s endangered species include a wide range of wildlife, wildflowers, and old-growth trees.
Many of these species are closely tied to southern Ontario’s Carolinian landscape—one of the most biologically diverse regions in the country. Here, they depend not only on isolated habitats, but also on larger, connected ecosystems to feed, migrate, reproduce, and recover over time.
In the Carolinian zone, where forests, wetlands, meadows, and river systems overlap, these ecosystems can take decades to rebuild once disrupted, with many species relying on long-term habitat stewardship, monitoring, and restoration to persist.
While these species remain under pressure from habitat loss and environmental change, today’s Endangered Species Day is a reminder of what remains and the importance of protecting the ecosystems that support them.
#HumberArb #HumberPoly #EndangeredSpeciesDay #OntarioWildlife #OntarioNature
Spring’s newest brunch spot, but make it ecologically significant 🐝
A spring ephemeral, Cutleaf toothwort bloom during a short window before the forest canopy fills in and shades the forest floor.
As an early spring bloom, they offering an crucial nectar source for emerging pollinators like queen bumblebees, honeybees, and mining bees.
They’re not here for long, but while they are, they’re doing a lot ✨
#HumberArb #HumberPoly #SpringEphemeral #TorontoNature #TorontoRavines
We are thrilled to present this year’s Community Excellence Award to the Humber Arboretum for exceptional dedication and innovation in STEAM education, which proudly reflects the strength and spirit of our community. The Arboretum is a free, 100-hectare protected natural area and botanical garden in North Etobicoke that offers public walking trails and ecological education through a partnership between Humber Polytechnic, the City of Toronto, and the Toronto Region Conservation Authority. They have been part of Science Rendezvous at the University of Guelph-Humber since we started 9 years ago, and we’re grateful for their contributions to our event, and our community.
Every spring, migrating birds fill the sky with movement, colour, and life 🌿
Among the earliest arrivals are Tree Swallow — fast, acrobatic fliers often seen zipping over wetlands and open fields catching insects mid-air.
Their spring return is one of many migration moments people help document through community science apps like @inaturalistorg .
This World Migratory Bird Day highlights how community science helps us better understand and protect migratory birds. Every observation adds another piece to the story unfolding overhead.
You can help add to that story through:
• @inaturalistorg
• @torontobirding
• @highparknaturecentre
• @torontofieldnaturalists
#HumberArb #HumberPoly #TorontoNature #Birding
#WorldMigratoryBirdDay
Coming soon: One of Ontario’s more unusual spring blooms, Eastern Redbuds flower straight from their bark! 🌸
Before leaves emerge, bright pink-purple blooms appear along the branches and trunk, a rare flowering habit called cauliflory.
These early blooms are an important food source for native pollinators when not much else is flowering yet, including bumblebees, mining bees, mason bees, and hoverflies.
#HumberArb #HumberPoly #springbloom
#TorontoNature #TorontoRavines
Imaginations take flight at Humber Arboretum 🐦
During our Brilliant Birds week of Summer Nature Day Camp, campers aged 5 to 12 explore how birds live, adapt, and navigate their world through play, art, and outdoor exploration.🪶🌿🎨
With a special visit from @wild_ontario , campers will meet birds of prey who can't be released to the wild, but can help us learn about how these amazing local species and the challenges they face.
A week filled with feathers, flight, and discovery—learn more and register at humber.ca/arboretum/camps.
#HumberArboretum #HumberPoly #EtobicokeMoms #EtobicokeKids #TorontoKids
Looking for a summer job where you can spend time outside exploring nature? 🌿 How about working with kids?
Good news: there’s still time to join our Summer Nature Day Camp team!
We’re hiring for: • Camp Leaders • Health Care Assistant
These roles are open to candidates eligible for the Canada Summer Jobs program or with Humber Polytechnic / University of Guelph-Humber Work Study approval.
📅 Apply by May 10 🔗 Link in bio
Nature Day Camp runs July–August, with staff training starting June 22
📍Humber Arboretum is at the back of Humber Polytechnic North Campus in North Etobicoke , at 205 Humber College Blvd.
#HumberArboretum #HumberPoly #Etobicoke #TorontoJobs #HumberLife
Look, or you’ll miss them! A sun-loving spring ephemeral, Bloodroot flowers bloom only on warm, sunny spring days when temperatures are perfect for pollinators.
Next up in our deeper look into spring ephemerals, is Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis):
🐝 Why they matter for pollinators
• One of the earliest woodland flowers to provide pollen for flies and native bees, including mining and sweat bees
• Producing only pollen and no nectar, they rely entirely on pollen transfer
• Their flowers open only on warm, sunny days when insects are active
🌱 How they grow
• They emerge early in rich woodland soils, often while the forest floor is still cool and shaded
• Each flower opens for just a few days, closing and dropping their petals after pollination
• Their energy shifts back underground while their leaves continue growing before fading into dormancy
🐜 How their seeds spread
• They rely on ants to help disperse their seeds in a process called myrmecochory • Ants carry seeds to their nests and feed on a nutrient-rich outer coating • The remaining seed is left in protected, fertile conditions within the nest, helping new plants establish and slowly expand across the forest floor
Here only briefly each spring, Bloodroot are short-lived above ground but essential to early-spring pollination and seed dispersal.
#HumberArboretum #HumberPoly #TorontoNature #SpringEphemerals #TorontoRavines
In early spring, small woodland plants scatter pops of colour across the forest floor.
Known as spring ephemerals, they emerge, bloom, and take advantage of a brief window of sunlight before the forest canopy fills in overhead.
As the light fades, they return to dormancy until the cycle begins again next spring.
In that short window, their blooms provide some of the first food sources available to early-spring pollinators, including queen bumblebees.
In honour of these short-lived yet important blooms, we’re taking a deeper look at spring ephemerals and what all the buzz is about—starting with 𝗬𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗧𝗿𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗟𝗶𝗹𝘆 (𝗘𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗶𝘂𝗺 𝗮𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗻𝘂𝗺):
🐝 Why they matters for pollinators
• Yellow Trout Lily is one of the earliest woodland flowers to provide both nectar and pollen in spring
• They support native bees, including queen bumblebees, mining bees, and sweat bees, when few other food sources are available
🌱 How they grow
• They are commonly found in woodland patches and are adapted to the understory of deciduous and mixed forests
• Only mature plants flower, sometimes after several years of growth
• After blooming, they quickly shift energy back underground to prepare for the next season
⏳ A short seasonal window
• They bloom before the forest canopy leafs out, taking advantage of a brief window of sunlight on the forest floor
• Each plant produces a single flower, and the bloom period is short, often just a few weeks
In bloom now, keep an eye out on the trails for these fleeting plants that, while short-lived, play a vital role in sustaining early-emerging pollinators.
#HumberArboretum #HumberPoly #TorontoNature #SpringPlants #TorontoRavibes
