Sunset stroll in the Brick Works

The old Brick Works property located in the Lower Don Valley (accessible from the Bayview Ave. extension) has been one of my favourite spots for years. It was a wild and derelict 11.5- hectare site. Now, with the input of dreamers, doers, donors — and millions of dollars — it is becoming a showcase of green living that is drawing international raves.

I took a walk through the property Saturday evening as the sun was already slipping behind the valley walls, leaving only scattered streams of light touching the tops of the trees and the far hills, leaving them looking as if they had been decorated with gold icing.

Upon arriving, it was clear that work on the site is proceeding at a frenzied pace, as contractors hurry to finish the initial built parts of the project by its official grand opening date, Sept. 25/26.

But slipping behind the industrial buildings of the old Brick Works plant itself, the astonishing beauty and peace of the enormous site begins with the first glimpse of the Weston Quarry Garden, where an elegant marble stone marks the foresight and generosity of the Weston Foundation’s contribution to the enterprise. (Toronto Life Magazine recently published a fascinating comprehensive history of the Brick Works project, which you can read by clicking here.)

I only had about an hour in the valley before I knew I would lose the last of the light, so I quickly made my way around the ponds (after stopping to admire a Midland painted turtle coming up for air in the first pond). I was hoping to get a close-up photo of a goldfinch, which are abundant in the open meadows of the valley floor. But I was too late to get the light I needed for the shot, so I decided to just wander around and see what was new.

One thing I noticed got me wondering. In other visits to the Brick Works, I had seen a great blue heron hiding in the tall reeds in the ponds towards the back of the site. The heron would stay perfectly still while it hunted, watching and waiting for a fish to spear. (If you don’t mind a bit of blood, you can click here to see a photo I took at Col. Sam Smith Park in the west end of a great blue heron with its successful catch in its long beak.)

But on this visit to the Brick Works, these same ponds where I had seen the herons were completely covered over by a carpet of thick green algae. Not too surprising, then, that I didn’t see any herons on this visit — how on earth would they be able to fish? I guess they move on to better — or at least easier — fishing grounds when the ponds are coated with algae and they can’t see the fish. I wonder — does anyone know about the comings and goings of the herons here?

It was getting dark as I toured around the last pond and  headed back towards the parking lot and the hum of the city. The goldfinches were still chirruping and flitting through the trees, but they were getting hard to see. Time to go.

Just as I was leaving, I noticed that one of the main industrial buildings was reflected in the first pond, so I stopped long enough to try to capture that.

Evergreen’s Brick Works is a stellar accomplishment. It’s a project that everyone involved can be proud of, a project that lights the way forward for green living in our big smoggy city on the lake.

© BCP 2010