Dear Toronto; Time to Really Get Into the Zone

Do you live in Toronto? I am, in fact, your landlord. I am the Carolinian Life Zone. While I'm not about to evict you, your lease may be running out (and it's beyond my control - I'll explain later).

While I may be somewhat childish in writing, I'm quite serious in nature.

Think of me as a unique mix of the right climate, the perfect soils and the connectivity with the plants all the way down to the southern Carolinas. Yes, those nice states in the silly country to the south. For the better part of the last 15,000 years, let's say 99.99%, I was a slab of living soil, teaming with bristled, thick vegetation, with pockets of soupy salamander and turtle-filled waters on the north shore of the lake.

This isn't just any vegetation. This is Carolinian vegetation. I have trees with funny names, incredible fruit and much mystery. Just listen: Paw Paw trees. Black Gum trees. Sassafras trees. Tulip trees. Hickory trees. Hop trees.

I have fun shrubs too like Spicebush, Wahoo, Bladdernut, Ninebark and don't forget my favourite herbaceous plant, the Green Dragon! Here's a couplet to help you remember what you're missing:

"Hickory-Hop with Sassafras, running through the Tulip Trees!Paw Paw! Paw Paw! There goes Green Draa---gon! Waaaahoooo!!!!!

Until about 300 years ago, your people, your buildings, your concrete, your cats, your dogs, your chickens (you illegal owners, you), were my trees, my flowers, my bison, my moose, my cougars, my wolves, my bears, my snakes, my turtles and my frogs (ok, you get it).

Believe me, after 15,000 years, I know that shit happens. I know it's a thing to step on someone's toes. I know that holding a grudge gets you know where. But doesn't a big city ever learn how to get a little self-help? Haven't half of you watched Oprah, read Wayne Dyer, Jane Goodall, or bought into Tony Robbins?

I know, I know, I know. Progress. Jobs. Competition. Development. Culture. Shopping.

But how about just a little more breathing room or at least step a little lighter, and on fewer parts of me? Is that really too much to ask?

How, you ask? Oh, oh, oh! In a very Olaf-ian way, I'm so, so glad you asked.

You just have to get In the Zone (www.inthezonegardens.ca). It helps you maintain your leases for your places for business, homes, sporting, shopping, and cultural events and transportation, while bringing back my lost plants and animals. These are called native plants. Without them, we can't attract the insects - the butterflies and other pollinators that are the backbone of the Carolinian Life Zone ecosystem.

For a short while, you can get along without this ecosystem and all it provides. One ominous sign after another - flooding, drought, heat waves, more dramatic storms, erosion, polluted waters and air - you see your lease coming up for renewal and management isn't so happy these days.

Ok, so you've done a little research. You've learned that Toronto is one of the leading cities in the world in terms of tree cover and greenery. Bravo, indeed! But bluntly, your bubble is burst; it's not quite enough. Tree cover is wonderful, but to really bring nature back, we need the other parts - the plants of the understory (shrubs, young and middle-aged trees) and the ground layer beauties - Trilliums, Mayapples, ferns and wild lilies.

Simply putting native plants back is easy and fun enough to do and there are so many yards and parks literally dying to get their plants back.

Please join In the Zone! It's as easy as planting a single native plant! But of course, you could, and you're welcome to put in a whole native plant garden, a small pond with wetland plants, or even a prairie on a part of me that is nice and sunny! What would be even better (and I know it's hard to get better than all of this!) is to talk this up with your neighbours. Join your gardens. Take down the fences. Write about it. Help somebody else if you don't have any land to work on. Together you will create big impacts, across small spaces.

The Human Translator for this article was Ben Porchuk (he speaks 'Nature'). He is currently on contract as the Zone Ecologist for Carolinian Canada, the best small charitable ENGO in the Universe. In the Zone's other amazing partner is World Wildlife Fund Canada.