Free Plants and Workshops for Your Shoreline

September 17, 2015

Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis)

Hardened concrete shorelines and grass mowed right to the water’s edge has definitely been the preferred way of landscaping in the past. But keeping it natural is now the way to go for beautiful, wildlife friendly habitat on properties near the water.

Fall is the perfect time to add shrubs to naturalize your shoreline! By adding moisture loving, soil holding shrubs, like dogwoods, willows, and nanny berry, you can stabilize your shoreline and stop erosion in its tracks. By adding a few wetland flowers and grasses, you too can change your shoreline into a beautiful, colourful oasis. This are perfect for providing much needed shoreline habitat to pollinators, butterflies, birds and other wetland creatures. Don’t forget to add a few basking areas for our turtle friends too!

If you are a landowner in the Greater Toronto Area, and would like to participate in a habitat enhancement workshop where you can receive FREE plants to create a natural area near your pond, wetland, lake or stream, please contact us at the Adopt-A-Pond office to learn more about our upcoming habitat workshops. We are available Monday to Friday 8:30am to 4pm at 416-392-5999 or email us anytime at aap@torontozoo.ca.

Why are Buffer Zones Important?

Buffer zones are an important part of any ecosystem. A buffer is a strip of land that safeguards the border of an ecosystem. The type of vegetation in a buffer zone, specifically a riparian zone (area between the water and upland), can directly influence aquatic habitat and affect water quality for aquatic life. Protecting a zone of vegetation does many amazing things for our environment including: regulating temperatures by creating shade; cleaning our water supply by filtering runoff and sediment; safeguarding important feeding and reproductive sites for wildlife; recycling nutrients back into the soil; and contributing to physical habitat features such as fallen woody debris. Vegetated riparian zones also act as linkages and safe eco-highways for many terrestrial animals, and are where terrestrial and aquatic food webs interconnect.