Urban Adventures: How to Get Close to Nature in Your City’s Wild Spaces
I’ve always been a pretty curious person, and most of my curiosities surround our natural world. Which bird makes that sound? What are those trees called?
As I got older, my brain began to think that the places to connect with and appreciate nature in were in more wild, rural spaces. I got my “fix” when hiking in Iceland or beach combing on Fogo Island in Newfoundland. Those moments will stay with me forever, but why those in particular?
I live in the mid-sized city of Burlington, Ontario. We’ve had peregrine falcon sightings, a coyote invasion and battles against the emerald ash borer. The wild is here, around me. So, what was stopping me from feeling more connected to the nature where I live?
One day, I visited my local library and caught sight of a special book: Secret Life of the City: How Nature Thrives in the Urban Wild by Norwegian biologist Hanna Bjørgaas. I couldn’t sign it out fast enough, but I savoured reading it. Bjørgaas’ book encourages people to “discover who’s living in your own backyard” and explains that understanding urban species can help preserve our connection to nature. She brings readers on her journey of paying attention to the sounds, smells and sights in her urban environment, and invites them to do the same in theirs.
“The idea came when I was working as a tourist guide in Antarctica. I saw how lots of people, even in this spectacular nature, among whales and icebergs, could appear indifferent,” said Bjørgaas. She explained how she questioned what constitutes our relationship with nature. She wondered as well if we need to go to the wildest and most remote places to connect with nature. “Can any piece of nature be a place for wonder if we give it our whole-hearted patience and presence?”
Feeling inspired by her book, I decided, in 2024, rain or shine, I was going to accept her invitation. I would slow down, literally smell some flowers and learn more about the nature around me.
Spying on Squirrels in the Winter
I dream of winter in August. I look forward to snuggling into cardigans that my grandma knits and sitting by the fire. But I know winter can be a hard month for some species. It’s a real test of survival, so how does urban nature handle it?
I decided to study my favourite little mischief makers, the eastern gray squirrels. I noticed the squirrels avoided the deep snow but occasionally ploughed through it. I watched as the same squirrel visited three different spots in our backyard. Sometimes burying something and sometimes turning up with food. It was like clockwork.
I learned that they stash food in locations known as caches and return to them throughout the winter for food. Eastern grays tend to favour scatter hoarding, which eliminates the risk of losing everything if their cache is found. A single squirrel can bury up to 3,000 pieces of food within their caches, but sometimes they forget about them. This made me think about those single tulip growing in a random spot. Now I’ll wonder if it was planted and forgotten by a squirrel!
Is That Really a Tulip?
Tulips have always made me smile, but I reflected on how little I knew about them. Once the last of the winter snow melted away and the temperatures began to rise, I zeroed in on the tulips in my neighbourhood. I’ll be honest, I walked by more than a dozen of them without realizing they were tulips! I learned there are over 15 different groups, such as the Triumph, Darwin Hybrid, Lily-flowered, Fringed, Parrot and Viridiflora. I started lingering near gardens, crouching low and taking a closer look at these diverse flowers. Some looked like they were lined with lace and others had more stripe-like patterns.
At first, I felt like I was in a rush and didn’t stop to study each tulip properly. I wondered how Bjørgaas became so good at doing it. She explained that she was trained as a botanist, who are famous and infamous, as she said, for being slow hikers. She’s even stopped in the middle of traffic to study nature.
“I think the most important thing biology has taught me is to stop and have a closer look,” she said.
I felt comforted when Bjørgaas pointed out that the most important tool is ourselves and that patience and presence are muscles that must be trained. I could learn how to notice the slight differences in each tulip.
“Every time you hear a bird sing, try to escape the impulse of hurrying by. Just stop, take in what you see and hear and let what you experience wake up your curiosity. It will guide you better than any app or expensive gadget,” she explained.
Insects of the Summer
When I think of summer, I think of ladybugs. They’ve always been a favourite for me. One afternoon, I sat in my backyard, flicking aphids off the laundry when I came across a ladybug. This bug was mowing down the aphids at a speed that shocked me. It turns out ladybugs can eat as many as 500 aphids a day and act as agents of pest control in gardens, crops and orchards. Weeks later, I noticed a bug that sort of looked like a ladybug but dismissed it. How wrong of me. It wasn’t until I took a closer look and did a quick Google search to discover that ladybugs are born black and develop their colour and spots in the first few weeks of life.
I used to think bees were creatures to keep your distance from, but I’ve always had a soft spot for them. Their work is so important, but what are bees like to watch? I learned that when you stand still, you can get relatively close to them. After checking with some Bee ID cards, I was confident I was seeing the common eastern bumble bee. They’re social insects who live in colonies of 300 to 500 individuals. Listening to their buzz began to feel almost meditative.
I started to sit very still in our backyard near the coneflowers. Sure enough, bee after bee would stop by for a feed-up. I loved listening to their buzz. So consistent. Sometimes I was treated to a visit by a monarch butterfly. They were silent and a bit more skittish, but I sat like a statue to watch them gracefully land on each flower.
Smells and Colours of Fall
Summer came to a sizzling close and my favourite season, fall, abruptly took over. The first thing I started to do was take nice, deep, refreshing breaths. I love when the air feels and smells so crisp, but why does fall smell so good? The shift in atmospheric conditions causes these smells to be clearer. I kept sniffing around and noticed that the pumpkins, grass and campfires were so distinct.
While the maples, birches and poplars are beautiful, I love the leaves of our Japanese maple tree. One grows right outside our front window, and I took to monitoring its progress each day. It didn’t get the memo to start changing colour compared to all the other trees, but it put on a show when it did. It turns this explosive, bright, crimson colour. Research has taught me that each species of tree has its own reasons for turning red, yellow, orange or nothing at all. I like how our Japanese maple plays by its own rules and changes when it wants.
Reflecting on a Year of Curiosities
By the end of 2024, I reflected on how thankful I was for the reminder to appreciate nature in my own backyard. This was never supposed to be an incredibly profound experience where I would discover a new species or scientific breakthrough. It was supposed to be urban nature and myself, just as we are.
This experience taught me what nature does around us but also reminded me of how we impact nature. What are the consequences of those condos being built on former farm fields? Which birds will lose their nests when those trees are cut down? Which pollinators will like these coneflowers the best?
It was a privilege to hear Bjørgaas talk about urban nature, and it reminded me of how important it is to share our curiosities, observations and even worries about nature. Bjørgaas reminded me that there’s always something new to learn or notice everywhere I go. Concrete jungle or backcountry roads, it doesn’t matter.
“I want people to feel that the world is full of wonders. You don’t have to go to Antarctica, or to any remote area, to experience the joy of connecting with nature. The wonders are all around us.”
