Elora Environment Centre

Only 7 spots left!

Learn how to “read a tree” 🫆🌳📖

Join Tree Trust for a 3-part workshop series where you’ll learn the fundamentals of tree identification, tree health assessment, and tree inventory techniques.

Understanding these skills helps us better care for our urban forests, identify potential risks, track changes over time, and make informed decisions that protect the trees our communities depend on.

💲 Cost: $15 for all three sessions

Whether you’re a tree enthusiast, community volunteer, student, or professional looking to build your knowledge, this is a great opportunity to gain hands-on experience and connect with fellow tree lovers.

Register today and discover what trees can tell us!

Noxious weeds and invasive plants can harm plants, vegetable gardens, animals, and humans. The Property Standards By-law and the Clean Yards By-law require property owners to maintain their properties to prevent the growth of noxious weeds.

For more information ➡️ https://ow.ly/oVv650Z9unS

I used to pull these without thinking twice 😅 Now I look a little closer first:
🌸 Violets are native wildflowers in many areas, not just “lawn weeds.”
🦋 They support fritillary butterflies, which use violet leaves as host plants.
🌿 They do well in shady spots where grass often struggles.
💧 Once settled, they usually don’t need much attention.
✂️ If they spread too much, I just thin them instead of wiping them out completely.
I don’t let them take over every bed, but I do think they deserve a little more credit.

Brent topped up the wood chips on the pathways. The food forest looks so lush and inviting (with greens and herbs to harvest already). Do swing by and check it out! Behind the tennis courts at the Fergus Sportsplex!

A warm evening in late spring. Everything happening outside the back door right now.

The barred owl is calling from the tree line. The spring peepers are still going — they never actually stopped. The toad is sitting under the porch light eating whatever lands near him.

🌿 Low in the grass, the first fireflies of the season are flashing a J-shaped arc. Underneath them, in the leaf litter, a larva is glowing faintly — she won't fly for another year.

The bats are circling the streetlight. The raccoon family is walking the fence line single file. The opossum is checking the compost.

The night-blooming flowers just opened. The moths already found them.

Everything on this image is happening within fifty feet of a back door on any warm evening this week. The yard doesn't shut down at dark. It changes shift 🐾

See the transformation at the Fergus Dog Park after our garlic mustard pull! Removing invasive species creates more space for native plants, healthier ecosystems, and happier pollinators

Community action in full bloom 🌱 On Saturday, amazing volunteers from Neighbourwoods and the Centre Wellington Native Plant Gardeners came together at the Fergus Dog Park to remove invasive garlic mustard and make space for native plants to thrive.

The invasive plants were carefully bagged and set aside to solarize over the summer, while cardboard and mulch were laid to help prevent regrowth.🌼🐝

Together with the Township of Centre Wellington, these groups are helping restore habitat and support our pollinators.

Want to get involved?
🌿 Native planting: cwnativeplantgardening.com
🌿 Invasive species removal:
[email protected]