I’ve driven by this 1-year old garden about…fifty times since it first opened last summer, and hadn’t yet stopped to enjoy it.
Today I had a morning to myself (what?!?), so with an iced coffee from Café Le Den on Donegani, and two new camera lenses to try out, I parked on Belmont just across from the small garden and enjoyed the peace.
What is this “peace”? It’s what happens when there are no children around. It’s also a period of time after the toddler years, and before they molt into *gasp*, teenagers.
The Monarch Butterfly Educational Garden features interpretive panels, a stone walkway, as well as a bench and a couple of picnic tables nearby.
I stood very, very quietly and was rewarded with the sight of monarch butterflies as they flittered to milkweed and aster plants; watched honeybees, wasps, hornets, moths, and giant grasshoppers enjoying the tall grasses and flowers.
This would be an interesting little field trip for neighbourhood daycares, or something different to do with your kids one morning. Note that the garden is in full sun (just how the butterflies like it!), but there’s a shady playground just down the street and past the soccer fields, or walk north a couple of steps from the garden and you’re in the lovely shaded Terra Cotta Natural Park with its beautiful trails.
Things to note:
-You can park on Belmont or any of the surrounding streets. I *think* there might be a couple of no parking spots, so just check.
-There are two porta-potties right beside the garden.
-It’s hot.
-You can read more about the garden HERE.
-Another monarch way station is at THIS PARK in Saint-Laurent.
