FROM THE PAST

Weston Family Library’s Historical Collection offers over 500 fascinating reads

By Jean McCluskey

is an Aztec herbal manuscript and is considered America’s earliest medical book. It ended up in the Vatican Library where it was translated into Latin. This copy was taken from the original manuscript published in 1552.

Theophrastus (371-287 BC), a Greek philosopher, is called the father of botany and an English translation of his De Causis Plantarum is another treasured item.

How some of these books came to be in the Weston Family Library is a mystery, as we seldom know their provenance. For example, another treasure is one of Humphry Repton’s Red Books. Repton was a famous 18th century English landscape designer, who provided his clients with a description and sketches in his Red Books. This is one of the most valuable items in the whole of the library’s collection.

ALITTLE KNOWN but fascinating part of the Weston Family Library is the Historical Collection of over 500 books, folios, magazines and seed catalogues. More than 115 books were published more than 100 years ago.

Canadian items are a priority and while working in the collection I found several treasures such as Canadian Wild Flowers by Catherine Parr Traill. A keen botanist, she wrote in her later years when widowed, and needing funds. It was illustrated by her niece, Agnes Fitzgibbon.

Although Canadian content is a priority, many items are from other countries. One of the oldest books that I have come across, dates from 1552. This is a facsimile of Badianus Manuscript which was bought in 1947 with a Special Memorial Fund. This is a valuable possession because it

Is the Historical Collection useful? Yes, indeed it is. For example, when one of the forts in the Niagara region wanted to plant a garden with herbs, flowers and shrubs of the period, they came to this library for information.

Some Ontario birds, such as the short-eared owl, are a threatened species. To compare the bird population of today with that of over a century ago, an ornithologist would find Canadian Birds and How to Study Them published in 1914, a useful reference.

How diverse are seed catalogues today compared with those more than 100 years ago? Ontario seed catalogues dating from 1875 and 1889 provide that information.

If you wish to see any of the books in the Historical Collection or seek information, please ask the library volunteer who will be happy to help you.

Tbglearnnews

Upcoming programs focus on Climate Change resilience and action-oriented initiatives

JOIN US AS we partner with the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority to offer a series of summer and fall programs that focus on climate change resilience and action-oriented initiatives you can participate in at the Toronto Botanical Garden as well as at home!

Bumble Bee Watch

Discover the diversity of native bees! Learn how to tell a bee from a wasp, and how to identify common bumble bees in the Greater Toronto Area. Then we’ll venture into the Toronto

Botanical Garden to collect and identify local bees and learn how to use Bumble Bee Watch!

July TBD Free TBG

Gardening in a Changing Climate

Climate change is rapidly impacting natural spaces on both a local and global scale, including our yards. This introductory gardening webinar has a focus on climate change resiliency. Our partners at the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority will introduce concepts like rainwater harvesting, native plant gardening, rain gardens and permeable paving. Participants will receive a free e-copy of the Greening Your Grounds

Homeowner’s Guide with detailed instructions on how to implement these projects at home!

Tuesday, July 18, 6 to 8 p.m. Free TBG

Rain Gardens 101

Rain gardens are beautiful outdoor spaces with a lot going on just below the surface. Their special design absorbs excess rainwater, filtering it as it returns to the soil. Be inspired by beautiful rain gardens while learning how to create the right rain garden for your property!

Tuesday, Sept. 19, 6 to 8 p.m.

Public $20 Members $15 Virtual

Saving Seeds: from gathering to sharing Plants create seeds to ensure their next generation thrives, and we can help them along! Learn about how to save seeds from native species and what they need to survive from storage to propagation. Gain hands-on oppor- tunities to harvest seeds in the Toronto Botanical Garden. Share and trade seeds with neighbours and friends to re-wild your whole community!

Saturday, Oct. 14, 2 to 4 p.m.

Public $20, Members $15 TBG

Understanding Urban Rivers Can you name the river watersheds in the Toronto Region? Learn about the challenges facing the water resource system, the species that rely on it and what you can do to help!

Tuesday, Nov. 7, 6 to 8 p. m.

Public $15, Members $10 Virtual

30 Minutes A Day Keeps The Doctor Away

By Sasan Beni Seasonal Horticulturist

ITRY TO SPEND at least 30 minutes in the forest every day. This ritual began as leisurely birdwatching in my college years and quickly evolved into a passion for wildlife photography. I have always been fascinated by the animals in our urban parks and I always have my camera handy, but most days, I don’t even take photographs.

My daily 30-minute dose of nature generally consists of standing on a wooded path or by the water’s edge, immersed in stillness. Sure, a part of my brain is still on the lookout for birds. Whether I hear a woodpecker hammering away in the distance, or a robin turning over leaf litter looking for food, or a pair of rowdy crows cawing overhead, my ears try to capture every sound. My eyes dart all over the place, after every ray of summer sun that trickles through the canopy down to the forest floor. Nature instills in me a broader spectrum of attention and care.

Research shows that time spent in nature–even the simple viewing of natural scenes–has profound impacts on our emotional and physical wellbeing. It reduces blood pressure, heart rate, muscle tension and the production of stress hormones.

IN ONE RECENT study involving 20,000 people, a team of researchers from the European Centre for Environment and Human Health at the University of Exeter, set out to determine how long one would need to be exposed to nature in order to feel healthy and have a strong sense of well-being. They concluded that two hours was the threshold, either spent all at once or spread over the course of a week. According to their calculations, my daily 30-minute dose far exceeds the prescribed weekly amount. Furthermore, working as a horticulturist at TBG means that I spend even more time connecting with the natural world, nurturing it, learning from it, being inspired by it. But what is happening inside my mind when I’m working in the garden, or wandering through Wilket Creek Ravine, watching the rays of summer sun dancing through the canopy? What is the root emotion behind my 30-minute stillness, behind that broad spectrum of attention? I think it is a sense of connectivity.

Everything has its place in nature and by spending time outdoors, by witnessing the sensory theatre of green spaces, I too feel like I have my place in this world. I begin to accept myself. And through this self-acceptance, I reach a quiet and calm that translates into kindness, for myself, my neighbours and the environment. Take this simple example: when you and another hiker cross paths on a trail, there’s an unspoken rule that you acknowledge each other with a smile, a nod, or friendly “Hello”. This is not an instinct we have when we pass each other in busy urban areas. Community cohesion, therefore, is a byproduct of our connection to natural environments.

STARING AT A screen is not natural and can increase one’s anxiety. Having said that, I have been at the office computer all morning and I think it’s time for my medicine. Start the clock!

Mindfulness