Help Us Create OURSpace 2 - A New Learning Garden in High Park
In the heart of High Park, tucked behind the Nature Centre, a special space has flourished. A space where native wildflowers sway in the breeze, where butterflies and bees find sanctuary, and where people of all ages can connect with the beauty of nature. This space is OURSpace: the Outdoor Urban Restoration Space.
Since its opening in 2017, OURSpace has been a living testament to the power of community, a shared vision of restoring and protecting High Park’s rare Black Oak Savannah ecosystem. And now, an exciting new chapter is about to begin: we are building a second OURSpace!
What is OURSpace?
OURSpace is more than just a garden. It is a place of learning, restoration, and connection. Situated just south of the High Park Nature Centre’s Forest School building, OURSpace was created in 2017 to mimic the Black Oak Savannah, one of the rarest ecosystems in Canada. Over the years, it has become a thriving space filled with native grasses and wildflowers, a native bee hotel, and even a snake hibernaculum to support local wildlife.
The space features small trails that meander through native plant gardens, a hibernaculum for snakes to tuck themselves away during the winter months, a cabinet for stem nesting bees, and lots of spots to sit and relax in the shade of Sugar Maples on a warm summer’s day.
This living classroom has welcomed countless visitors, from curious children and nature lovers to passionate volunteers and dedicated community scientists. It has shown us that when people come together with a shared purpose, they can create something truly remarkable.
A Home for Native Species
Along with being a welcoming space for people, OURSpace provides vital habitat for many species that depend on the Black Oak Savannah, including:
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Monarch Butterflies: Rely on milkweed planted in the garden to complete their life cycle. Their caterpillars need to munch on the leaves and stems of milkweed for a lifelong protection from predators.
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Long Horned Bees: As their name suggests, the males have extra long antennae. Many long horned bees species are specialists, feeding on only certain types of flowers. The species spotted in OURSpace specialize on sunflowers.
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White-breasted Nuthatches: In the fall, when the plants go to seed, white-breasted nuthatches make speedy trips between the seed heads and the trees, secreting away seeds in the bark for later.
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Eastern Garter Snakes: Not only do eastern garter snakes have a hibernation spot in OURSpace, they can find their favourite foods: earthworms and small rodents.
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Eastern Cottontail Rabbits: The tall wildflowers and grasses not only provide food for rabbits but also provide shelter and hiding spots from predators, especially when raising their babies.
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Black Oak Trees: A keystone species in the Black Oak Savannah ecosystem. The young oaks in OURSpace will one day tower over the garden, providing shade, shelter, and a food source for more than 400 species of invertebrates.
Built by the Community, For the Community
The story of OURSpace is a story of people coming together.
With guidance from the community, Nature Centre staff and board members, and landscaping experts, every plant in OURSpace was carefully chosen to support the intricate web of life that makes High Park so special.
Working closely with partners at the City of Toronto and local native plant growers in Ontario, with funding from the Weston Family Foundation & the Ontario Trillium Foundation, thousands of native plants like big bluestem, wild bergamot, blue vervain, smooth rose, sky blue aster, woodland sunflower, and dozen more species, were brought to the site for planting.
Then the fun began! After all the turf grass was removed, every seedling and sapling was planted by hand. Nature Centre program participants, Adult and Youth Rangers, dedicated garden volunteers and passionate community members worked side by side, digging, planting, and nurturing the space into existence.
While the gardens are the showstoppers, log circles help make OURspace welcoming, creating spaces for gathering and slowing down to connect with nature. Human-made habitat spaces like the snake hibernaculum and the sonic bee cabinet provide homes for wildlife. Signs throughout OURSpace provide lots of neat information for self-directed learning.
Families, students, and community members gave their time and energy to make the vision of a restored savannah a reality. And now, with the plans for OURSpace 2.0 underway, we have the chance to grow this legacy even further.
Why a Second OURSpace?
The success of OURSpace has made it clear that we need more spaces in High Park where people can experience the Black Oak Savannah without entering the endangered habitat.
OURSpace 2.0 will allow even more people to connect with the unique native plants and wildlife in High Park, creating meaningful relationships with the land and non-human neighbours in an urban environment.
With OURSpace 2.0, we’re hoping to:
Expand the restoration of the Black Oak Savannah, bringing more native plants to High Park.
Provide an accessible space for visitors to learn about local biodiversity and conservation.
Offer more opportunities for hands-on community involvement through planting and stewardship events.
Help support declining insect populations and the wildlife who depend on them by increasing the availability of native food sources and shelter.
Imagine a future where even more butterflies and birdsong fill the air, where families gather to spend precious moments together, and where the community once again comes together to build something lasting, meaningfully giving back to nature.
This is the vision for OURSpace 2.0.
We Need Your Voice!
As we embark on this new journey, we want to hear from you. How do you use OURSpace? What do you love about it? What would you like to see in OURSpace 2.0? Your thoughts will help shape this new space and ensure that it meets the needs of both the community and the environment.
Please take a moment to fill out our survey and share your ideas. Together, we can build another beautiful, thriving space in High Park where plants, animals, and people can all flourish.
Let’s grow this legacy, together.
Thank You To Our Funders
OURSpace 2.0 along with many of our stewardship projects in High Park is funded in part by TD Ready Commitment. New and improved signage in OURSpace is also supported by the Rotary Club of Toronto. This project has been made possible thanks to the support and guidance from the City of Toronto. We are truly grateful for their generous support of OURSpace and our stewardship work in High Park.
