Amanda

I started photographing and using inaturalist to identify the birds passing through my urban yard in downtown Toronto in late 2018. At the time I had a small grass lawn and borders.  Since 2018 I've replaced the lawn (starting with clover and wildflower mixes) and have allowed the yard to rewild (with some light editing). I've been planting berry bearing plants and hardy flowers but have only recently begun to focus on native plants. We are lucky enough to live in a neighbourhood that has a number of mature trees and I have a range of bird feeders and a heated bird bath. Over the past 5 years I've photographed about 80 different species of bird in that small urban space and 50 other creatures (mostly bees and butterflies). A revelation. When I started I didn't know we had anything other than house sparrows and cardinals. I'm here to improve my knowledge so that I can move towards native plants and remove invasives, as well as to think about how to make this kind of urban space work better for the long term for both the humans and the wildlife.