Indoor Atriums in the City (Ottawa)

Here is a list of great atriums to visit in the winter to get your kick of green and light (especially if it's a sunny day!):

(Temporarily Closed) Sunlife Financial building (99 Bank Street)

There are many entrances to this atrium: through the Starbucks, from all street sides including O'Conner and from its official address on 99 Bank.  Depending on where you enter head towards the center where you'll find a large courtyard area including an elevated spot with a waterfall which gives visitors a great respite from the usual city experience (noise, grey, packed sidewalks).  Great retreat in the winter but it does get busy during lunch hours.

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Minto Place atrium (407 Laurier Avenue W.)

This indoor spot is well-known for its green living wall.  A popular place with the downtown lunch crowd (so again it can be quite busy mid-day) who likely come for the light and airy peaceful space.  Come on a sunny day as you will get the maximum benefit from the vast glass ceiling and enjoy the large tropical trees placed strategically around the courtyard.  There is access from all sides of the buildings and the atrium is found in the west end.

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C.D. Howe building (240 Sparks Street)

Inside this popular seventies mall (who remembers shopping at "240 Sparks" and/or going to the movie theatre here?) you can find a small courtyard downstairs with tables nestled beside living trees.  It has undergone a renovation in the past couple of years but still includes both the "Bright" Tree Court and a "Relaxing" Waterfall court.  Some of the anchor stores have moved out including L.C.B.O. and Holtz.  There is access from all sides including Queen Street, Bank Street and even along the Sparks Street mall.  It also has a green roof that has been opened to the public on past Doors Open events.

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What other favourite green spots do you have in Ottawa to visit in the winter?

Greenhouses in Ottawa (to get your plant fix this winter)

As the weather turns colder and winter starts whispering about its arrival, thoughts turn to warmer climes and tropical getaways!  If you can't get away this winter, here are a couple of places to visit to warm yourself inside and out.  The tropical floral scents alone can elevate your mood:

Tropical Greenhouse (Arboretum) - Free Admission
Maple Drive

This greenhouse "has been recently renewed and replanted with a larger, more diverse collection. The elegant octagonal structure was originally built at Major's Hill Park in downtown Ottawa and moved to the Farm in 1938 to be used for horticultural research. Now a heritage building, it became a tropical garden open to the public in the 1970s."

Open Monday to Friday, 9 am to 4 pm; Sunday 10 am to 4 pm; closed Saturday.


Carleton Greenhouses - Free Admission
Nesbitt Biology Building

This facility is used for research, teaching and display to the general public. The greenhouses hold comprehensive plant collection of several thousand specimens ranging from popular crop species such as corn, soybean, papaya, banana and sugarcane to some quite unusual desert specimens.

Open Monday to Friday, 9 am to 4 pm

Oldest plant: Ponderosa Lemon (California hybrid), 33 years old
Biggest flower: Sun and Sand Hibiscus (Australia): 22 cm wide
Tallest plant: Chorisia speciosa (floss silk tree): 7 metres


Rideau Hall Greenhouses - Free Admission (when open to the public)

The Governor General's greenhouses are occasionally open to the public during special events (not during regular tours).  They were open as part of the Savour Fall event this year (2015) and in 2013 they were open as part of a Garden Gathering event.  Perhaps they might see the benefit of offering a weekend "doors open" to the public in the dead of winter?  ;  )


I'll also be adding to the blog some great indoor atrium recommendations that are accessible to the public - stay tuned!

Two Cool online resources by Nature Canada!

Found these online resources last month on Nature Canada website:

Nature Hood virtual tour:

This resource highlights all the great spots for bird viewing in the Lac Deschenes area including waterbirds, shorebirds, aerial insectivores and passerines. It provides indepth information on all the popular spots on both sides including Bates island, Baie Simard and Mud Lake!  Check it out here.

Nature Hood App:

Nature Canada is also encouraging Ottawa residents to become citizen scientists by mapping sightings of wildlife in public spaces!  This includes birds, mammals, herptiles and even insects.  It has a great glossary to help when reporting a sighting and there is also the opportunity to virtually explore the entries that are already there on the map.  This would be fun for a family outing.  Learn more by visiting the website.

And speaking about the Ottawa River - Ottawa Riverkeeper has created a virtual tour for the Voyageur Pathway.

Urban Ecology Lectures (Ottawa)

This year the Friends of the Farm offered various Tree Walks in the Arboretum.  I was really thrilled to hear how popular these free tours were - with up to 100 people attending!  Some of the walks planned this year were on traditional topics including Flowering Trees, Tree Identification, Maple Tree Species and Fruit Trees while others introduced newer "urban ecology" topics such as:

BIRDS AND THE URBAN FOREST - Sunday, May 17, 2015
Tour leaders: Rachelle Lapensee and Owen Clarkin

From the website: "Birds and Trees are inextricably connected. Trees provide food and shelter to many species of birds, while birds act as agents for seed dispersal and greatly influence the relationship of trees with their insect and fungal pests. Come for a tour of the majestic trees at the Dominion Arboretum during the busy spring birding season, and learn more about Ottawa's birds, trees, and their relationships with each other."

TREE FORMS AND SHAPES IN WINTER - Sunday, November 15, 2015
Tour leaders: Owen Clarkin and Bettina Henkelman

From the website: "When the leaves fall, serious tree-watching can begin. Firstly, trees that were often obscured behind the leaves of others suddenly are visible; this is especially true of evergreens. Secondly, individual tree species tend to grow in recognizable patterns, and for deciduous trees this is best observed in winter. Techniques for how to learn tree recognition from a distance will be explained."

Image from Friends of the Farm newsletter

Eco education in the City

There are many opportunities for youth to reconnect with nature.  This movement has grown in leaps and bounds!  Here are some that I have found in my city, with short description taken from their "about" pages:

Forest School (Ottawa): Forest Schools provide nature-based education where children have the opportunities to build an on-going relationship with the land by learning outdoors in a natural environment for at least a half of their day

SEED Educators: (See Environmental Education Differently) helping teachers incorporate environmental education into their classrooms

Ottawa Nature Collaborative: Facebook group organized by the Early Childhood Professional Learning Community to showcase how to integrate nature into learning based on the Take Me Outside principles

EcoLeadership Program: a Catalyst Mind initiative that helps young people connect with the outdoors for learning, restoration and wellbeing.  They design and lead programs for schools and youth groups.

Nature Canada's Nature Hood events: which are organized to help connect people of all ages to nature right where they live — which, in Canada, increasingly means urban centres.

Photos from: Catalyst Mind, ECPLC and Nature Canada