Over 150 years ago this location was the home and location of a mill owned by William Milne. The property passed through several hands until bought in 1944 by businessman Rupert E. Edwards who turned the 27 acres of overgrown land into his summer place.

In 1955 he sold the property to the city and it became “Edwards Gardens” a park for everyone to enjoy. Edwards Gardens and Toronto Botanical Garden now act as a natural and cultural oasis for plants, people and wildlife in the city.

When I arrived, a fellow photographer alerted me to the presence of an “eagle.”

There was an overly friendly raccoon who kept charging towards me.

I kept clapping my hands and shouting for it to keep away which reminded me of my Antarctic cruise ship naturalist days. In certain locations there, fur seals run towards people at a quick pace (flippers can move pretty quickly!). Part of my job was to make loud noises to keep them at bay.

There was an interesting sight at the little waterfall:

A mother mallard was sitting on top:

Splashing below were several almost adult ducklings.

There was clearly a game going on and this photo shows what it was:

None of the literature that I have seen mentions mallards including fish in their diet. This was “catch and discard” and they were having a ball doing it.

Some insects:

Thank-you to Ken Sproule for assistance in identification.

NATURE POETRY

Hot July brings cooling showers,
Apricots, and gillyflowers.              – Sara Coleridge (1802–52)

Miles Hearn