Ep. 9 Duke St. Drilling

First off, thank goodness the skies opened up last night and the Forest City received its first real rain shower in several weeks time. Much needed, much wanted, goodbye humidity for the time being!

On this misty moisty morning, myself and Mia received information on new work taking place at the "site at the end of Duke Street". This site whose owner I will leave un-named for the time being has been in the process of remediation (basically meaning, environmental recovery) following the take down of the industrial property that once stood there. Over the past few weeks we have seen a few trucks, personnel and survey crews but no evidence of major work being done during summer 2011. This morning however was quite to the contrary.

Upon arriving at the site the noise of generators and machinery was very indicative of the fact that something new was taking place. Multiple work sites on the property were visible from beyond the barbed wire and fenced perimeter with the sound of generators humming and whirring outside trucks and trailers filling the air around the site.

It was very difficult to tell exactly what was going on and one could only speculate based on equipment that we could see from a distance. So after snapping a few photos Mia and I returned back the the FOTC office to make sense of what it was exactly that we saw.  

Photo: C Jones

So here is 1 of the 2 lil beauties we saw running around today. The second of which was farther back onto the property which we were not privileged to enter. My initial speculation on the purpose of the machinery was that it was a drilling rig of some description. Following my return to the office and a few minutes searching through local drilling and geotechnical equipment sites and companies I came across what seems to be a match for this particular unit. To be clear I am no expert in geologic engineering.

What I discovered was that these units are or are similar to a 66 Series Geoprobe drilling rig. See one in action

The purpose of these rigs still remains somewhat of a mystery. The history of the site which was once the location of a paint and coatings factory makes me think that they are taking soil and/or water samples for testing. If we get to see the results anytime soon is the next question.

Although the purpose of these machines is still undetermined it is good to see that something of real substance is taking place at the "site at the end of Duke street" and it is no longer merely just under survey.

Ep. 8 Pollinator Power in Swallowtail Grove

Summertime work has begun in the Grove! Weeding, trimming, mulching and sweating, all taking place yesterday during FOTC's work party in the Swallowtail Grove butterfly garden. With a visit from MaryAnne MacDonald with EcoVox Tv & Rogers Cable and Thames Region Ecological Association it was excitement filled afternoon out in the gardens.

City of London: Thank you very mulch

Having a few moments in front of the camera both myself and FOTCSI's President Thom McClenaghan had an opportunity to talk about the importance of the being involved in the community, the work being done in the grove and the importance of pollinators both to the grove and to the overall community.

Since EcoVox won't be airing for a few weeks (stand by for exact date and time) from what we understand, this makes the perfect opportunity to relay the importance of insect sanctuaries such as Swallowtail Grove adjacent to Greenway park.

Here are two interesting facts regarding pollinating insects:
- Annually pollinators help produce over $1 Billion in fruits and vegetables
- 1 in 3 bites of food we take are the direct result of some form of pollination

Tiger Swallowtail
Photo: EduPic

Pollinators include more then just butterflies however. Bees, hummingbirds, beetles, bats and in some situations reptiles can all fill the role of pollinator in a community. These creatures transfer the plant's pollen, which contains its genetic material necessary to produce fruits and seeds. Almost 75% of the worlds plants rely on some form of pollination. Pollination is not a no-reward relationship for the animals involved. Pollinators feed on the nectar, pollen and oils of the flower which are high in nutrients. Bee's for instance can consume their body weight several times over in a day in nectar as they move from plant to plant pollinating.

Tiger Swallowtail Caterpillar
Photo: Bev Wigney

In Swallowtail Grove the goal is to attract butterflies by planting certain varieties of plants, grasses, shrubs and trees who are favourite perches for different species of butterflies. Much like some of us who are picky eaters, butterflies although capable of extracting nectar and pollen from many different plant species, are very specific about which plants they lay eggs on and their larvae feed on.

For example: Monarch butterflies, one of the best known species in North America is well known for preferring the flowers of milkweed to pollinate and for the females to lay their eggs on.

Spicebush Swallowtail
Photo: Ohio Nature

Swallowtail butterflies, the same species type that the grove is named after are similar in that they prefer certain, but different plant species as their primary targets. For instance: Tiger Swallowtails are most attracted to Tulip Trees, some of which are planted in Swallowtail Grove.

So by extension by looking at a garden and the plant species included in the community you could make a guess at what species of butterfly you could come across.

Spicebush Swallowtail Caterpillar
Photo: Jay Cossey

Insect and pollinator sanctuaries such as Swallowtail Grove are becoming more and more important as naturally occurring pollinator friendly habitats are being lost via pesticides and human impact. Pollinators are a very important part of our natural system and they will cease to persist if no habitat exists. Maintaining these pollinator gardens helps ensure the health of our local ecosystems.

So something to think about when your planning out your garden for next season. Select some of your plants based on pollinators. Big bright flowers will not only add colour to your garden but help attract the pollinators who improve the health and biodiversity of the whole community.  A great way to improve your at home horticulture without having to add any new chemicals or techniques. Select some pollinator friendly plants and watch the success of your garden take flight.

Ep. 7 "Anybody missing a deep fryer?"

On Tues July 12, myself and some other friends of the Coves set out to clean up a ravine in Euston Park, which had become a receptacle for trash and debris. Mia (our project coordinator at Friends of the Coves) and I had discovered this treasure trove of trash on a walk through Euston Park several weeks ago and decided that something needed to be done. 

Some of what had been dumped in the ravine could have filled the list of a bad scavenger hunt:

Mia hard at work!

         

    Deep Fryer

    Most of a BBQ

    Little girls toy pram

    Shopping Cart

    Canadian Flag

    Air Conditioner

    Screwdriver

    Rain Jacket 

    Fireworks

    Traffic cone  

     and the list goes on...

Thanks Gary & Kim

When FOTC arrived on the scene the water and leaf debris had turned a burnt orange color from the old paint cans and other metal objects left rusting in the small stream that that flowed through the bottom of the ravine. That mixed with a combination of the trash, broken off branches and lumber the small ravine was inundated with junk.  This caused the small stream to back-up and form an almost standing pool of water with very minimal flow. Making an ideal breeding ground for pesky insects like mosquitoes. Fortunately a few other Friends of the Coves came through to give us a hand clearing out all this stuff and the before and after photos of the ravine really told the story! By the conclusion of our project the debris had been cleared, glass removed and the stream, which had been pooling at the foot of the ravine began to trickle down unobstructed again, removing the bug breeding ground. All in all the clean up was a great success and I’d like to take a second to thank Gary and Kim for helping Mia and I!

Check out the photos to see the before and after of the Euston Park ravine.

BEFORE 

AFTER 

Ep. 6 Rewind: A River Used to Run Through It

What a crazy week! Share Your Care campaign is in full swing and Restore the Coves has received over 150 votes in less then a week’s time!!! Thank you everyone for supporting, let’s keep it going through till August 14^th and really do something great for London and the Coves. Keep voting everyday and share with everyone how he or she can support the cause and help! To close out the week here at The Cove Life, I felt this would be an appropriate time to provide a brief history (or rather geography, I suppose) lesson in the creation of the special area we now know as the Coves.

So what brought the coves into existence? How did London become graced with this horseshoe shaped collection of three small bodies of water? Today, walking along the banks of any of the coves ponds you can see a collection of wildlife, flowers, insects and various habitats all made possible by this particularly special and unique landform. What, however was the means of its creation?

Made up of the East, West and South ponds, the Coves are the remains of what was a large looping meander in the Thames River. Referred to as oxbow ponds, these 3 small bodies of water were once one oxbow lake, abandoned naturally by the flow of water and left to form the specialized communities that now lie in south London.  

The formation of the oxbow lake that would later form the Coves is the result of erosion and deposition over time by the actions of the water flowing through the Thames. At bends in the rivers course, the effects of erosion on the outside bank and deposition on the inside bank of the curves cause the change in the rivers shape over time.  In the case of the Coves, the loop of the meander over time became wider and wider as the neck narrowed, eventually to where it disappeared all together and the water cut a straight path across what was the neck of the meander.

For a time the land inside the former bend in the river was an island completely surrounded by water. The original meander now connected at the neck then begins its transformation to an oxbow lake.

To become its own independent body of water the central branch of the Thames had to abandon the old course all together from the main flow of water. This was accomplished again by the action of deposition of silt and material by water passing through on the new and more efficient course the river had cut itself.  Silt deposition at the start and exit of the oxbow built up over time, closed off and isolated the U-shaped oxbow lake. Separating it from the main river flow.  This is where we first see the creation of the coves we see today. A U-shaped body of water isolated from the main branch of the Thames.  The further transformation to the 3 ponds we see today is the result of continued silt collection from land run off and human involvement & land development; development for recreational space, homes and roadways.  This process has taken over 200 years to bring the Coves to where they are today, a unique and important part of London both geographically and historically for not only the people of London but for the ecological and environmental community. 

Ep. 5 Share Your Care: Friends of the Coves Shortlisted in FIDO/Evergreen Contest!

       image: shareyourcare.ca

This morning Friends of the Coves received some FANTASTIC news! We have been shortlisted as one of the only 20 groups across the country eligible to compete for funding as voted by you!

Share Your Care, a joint effort between FIDO and Evergreen have selected twenty environmental issues & projects to compete for a part of $100,000. Funding will be determined by number of votes cast for each project. Each project nominated has received $2,500 regardless of results which is great news for all the 20 worthy participants!

Voting will take place between today, July 5 and close on August 14. Funding for the top 3 projects/ issues will be distributed as such:

Most votes - $25,000
2nd place - $15,000
3rd place -  $10,000

Friends of the Cove Subwatershed is incredibly excited about this opportunity and our office is a buzz with enthusiasm! What we are asking you to do is head over to Share Your Care and vote for the Restoration of the Coves. To vote all you need is your Facebook account and 60 seconds. You can vote once a day through August 14th! Any funds we receive from FIDO and Evergreen will be put towards outreach projects, planting and other materials to help restore the Coves to its natural state!

We need the support of everyone we can get! Friends, Family, Social Groups, Teams, anyone enthusiastic about The Coves or even just about our beautiful Forest City of London!!

To vote for Restoration of The Coves CLICK HERE