High in the meadows...

Yesterday I went into the city to visit my mom in the hospital (hip surgery)
 and since I had Griffin with me, I took him for a walk up to Summit Park.

It's a small patch of land on top of a hill in the core of the city.

There's a radio tower up there and a water reservoir...

...but there's something else here that's quite unique to this area...

A Garry Oak meadow...

4.5 hectares of scrubby, gnarly 'storybook' trees...

I think of Winnie the Pooh or Wind in the Willows or any number of

magical, childhood tales involving the woods...airy and open with just a trace

of things hiding in the shadows...

We are able to call this unique because the Garry Oak only grows in certain parts

of the world. They range from Southwestern British Columbia to Southern California

and Southwest B.C is the only place in Canada where they exist.

The grass is brown and dry now and the leaves are folding up and floating

to the ground, but in the spring there are wild flowers and birdsong everywhere up here.

In fact, these small patches of conserved land are sanctuaries to city birds.

 the Barred owl, who searches out mice and voles for food

under the light of the moon.

Downy woodpeckers, juncos, white crowned sparrows, hawks and nuthatches.

These trees are the stuff of spooky shadows and of limbs which seem to

reach out for you on a blustery night...

It gives city wildlife a quiet place to rest amongst the cars and people and lights and noise...

Garry oak ecosystems are home to more than 90 species that have

 been designated at risk in British Columbia.

Flowers, trees, reptiles, mammals and birds call this home.

But they aren't the only living creatures who depend on such spaces.

On a busy afternoon, it is humans who need to connect on these patches of high meadows.

 To take a breath and touch the earth beneath us.

To reinforce what's fundamental in life.

 To be aware of this fragile ecosystem.

 

"Large streams from little fountains flow, Tall oaks from little acorns grow."