Red Admiral

Red Admiral Butterfly (Vanessa atalanta) on Coneflowers. Dorsal and ventral views.

Bicolored Sweat Bees

Bicolored Striped Sweat Bees on Cone and Firewheel flowers.

Colour and Wellbeing on Danforth

"Colour is the language of emotion and a tool powerful enough to help repair spaces and minds."

 Jacquie Comrie

The Mural was created in the summer of 2019 for Golden Pizza, Danforth Avenue.

Outside the Box near Danforth and Westlake

 

Artist: Heidi Berton

Program: Outside the Box, Destination Danforth

Dated: October 2020.

A moving mural

Artist: Kizmet Gabriel (for a local brewery)

Title: Hydrahedron

Year: 2018

This is truly unique and eyecatching. Why don't all delivery services hire artists to decorate their vehicles? This will make the city much more colorful and interesting.

Urban Wildflowers in July

Last month I covered a few wildflowers that I photographed along the Tylor Greek Trail. But these hardy plants are not just limited to the open spaces. There are a lot more of them hiding in plain sight within the city along sidewalks, around car parks, and untended front lawns. They just require a tiny bit of dirt and moisture to secure a foothold and flourish.

This list is not exhaustive. I am sure that many more are lurking around.

Common Chicory or Blue Dandelion

Field Mustard

Cowbells (Bladder Campion)

Field Bindweed

Perennial Sowthistle

Wild Carrots or Queen Anne's Lace

Bouncing-bet or Common Soapwort

Creeping Bellflower

Smooth Brome or Russian Bromegrass

Monarch Butterfly on Viper's bugloss

Fowl Bluegrass

Bull Thistle

100 Years of Moving Toronto

Streetcar Advertising posters from the City of Toronto Archives at the Main Subway station concourse. These posters are part of the TTC celebrating its 100th anniversary on September 1, 2021.

Intersections

Artist(s): Rob Matejka, Emilie Wong, Tara Dorey, Kevin Ye, Tian Chun Shen, Jiawei Chen

Producer: Mural Routes

This mural is made of plywood panels. It was created by student artists as part of their youth summer program in 2011. The mural is titled 'Intersections' and it depicts the relationship between youth and community.

Wexford Restaurant Mural

This is another mural about the famous Wexford Restaurant in the Scarbrough area. I was not able to find the names of the muralist or the year of completion for this mural either.

As I mentioned earlier, the restaurant closed in July 2020 after more than six decades of service.

Feasting on summer flowers

Monarch butterfly on Coneflower

Bumblebee on Cosmos flower

Grasshopper on Coneflower

Japanese Beetle

Everyone feasting on summer flowers.

Immigration Stories

These brick wall murals displays the immigration stories of two of the local entrepreneurs in the Wexford area. These murals are similar to the one at 2057 Lawrence Avenue that portrays the immigration story of Tony Kiriakou.

The mural on the left side is most probably about the owner of Diana's Oyster Bar and Grill restaurant in the area. However, the name on the right mural is now obscured by the new store sign. I was not able to find the names of the muralists or the year of completion for any of these murals on the web.

From Greece to Wexford

This brick wall mural on Lawrence Avenue shows the portrait of Tony Kiriakou and his immigration path to Wexford, Toronto. 

Kiriakou family ran the legendary Wexford Restaurant in the area since 1958. The diner closed down in July 2020 after 63 years of service.

Orienpet Lily

July is the month of Lily flower in Toronto. The most common types you see around are Orange and Tiger Lilies. But there are literally hundreds of lily varieties and hybrids that adorn gardens and parks all over the world.

I spotted this stunning variety near Wakehood Street in Scarborough. I am not sure about its true name but the closest match that I got from the web is of ‘Orienpet Lily’. It is a fragrant variety that is a cross between Oriental and Trumpet Lilies. 

Flamingo Flower

The Flamingo flower (Anthurium andraeanum) is native to Ecuador and Colombia. Like other plants in this family, it produces a brightly colored leaf instead of a typical flower that can last several months.

Although itself toxic, the plant is effective in removing several types of toxins from the air.

Mural near Danforth and Dawes

 

This recent addition to Dawes road's graffiti scene is a blend by several different artists. I can identify two here: BubzArt and Phade (Jessey Pacho). It is titled "Toads Be Cute" by Bubz in his April 10, 2021, Instagram post.

Robin Family Update

Robin’s that I mentioned last month, are now a big happy family. The nest is a bit higher than my balcony, so the chicks are only visible at their feeding time. I can count three very hungry chicks from my vantage point. Their parents seem always busy feeding them with insects and grubs. Sometimes, when parents are not around, a few house sparrows come and visit them. I don’t know whether they are just curious or want to make friends with them. Anyway, they don’t seem to be a threat to the babies. They just sit around and watch them. I would like to believe that they are babysitting. I think that is rather cute. 

July 21st:

The nest is empty and the Robins are gone. I believe they all flew away. I carefully looked under the tree and into the tall grass. There was no sign of them. I don’t think that anything bad happened to them as the nest is still securely attached to the branch.

Yesterday, I saw one chick flexing its wings and trying to come out of the nest. So they were certainly ready for their first flight. But I never thought that they would leave so soon and so suddenly. During the past month and a half, I have become accustomed to watching them every day. I wish them luck and hope that someday they will return to their ancestral home. 

Danforth Village Coin Car Wash Mural

This Coin-Op Car Wash was an old business in the area that closed down during the 2020 Corona Pandemic. The mural is on its southern wall. With the business gone, it may well be painted over in the near future. The mural was rendered in 2012 according to Google Maps.

East Toronto Masonic Temple

Freemasonry is at the center of numerous conspiracy theories and seems to be shrouded in mystery.  However, seeing its temple firsthand, makes it much more real and rather ordinary. I would say that our world is too large, complex, and diverse to be controlled by a single entity.