Spring is pure magic

We were blessed with sunshine on our first Means of Production garden session of the year! With the help of Sharon and David from the MOPARRC, volunteers learned to sheet mulch the pathways with fresh mulch and care for the cherry trees. 

And indeed we noticed the changing of the seasons...

There are few things as magical as spring. Despite the rains, tiny buds and crocuses are popping up all over the place! Underneath this spring magic are strong biological cues, the study of which is called phenology. All living things are subject to the influence of non-living, or abiotic, factors including  air and soil temperature, longer periods of daylight, and precipitation. 

While the study of phenology might not seem relevant in our day to day lives, we all notice these changes in some way or another. For me, I like to pick one or two trees that are on my usual daily route and notice their progress over spring. First, the buds! A magical moment occurs when those first two leaves emerge, or perhaps the first flowers in the case of many fruit trees. Of course, Vancouver is truly transformed when the cherry trees come into bloom. When you open you eyes to this magic, it is hard to forget.

Spreading freshly chipped mulch, still a vibrant red and fragrant like Christmas, was the ultimate manicure for the garden. The red mulch contrasted perfectly with the newly emerged daffodils and velvet crocuses, not to mention the golden shimmer of the wedding willow amphitheater. Sharon treated us with chocolate chip cookies, and the gang swooned in the sunshine.

We dreamed of the upcoming MOP annual Tea Party (more to come!) and imagined sipping tea while listening to live music and admiring the weaving work of the Urban Weavers. 

 At the EYA we are fortunate to have a variety of garden spaces each with a different focus. The Youth Garden space provides learning spaces for youth to hone their gardening and seed saving skills,  and the Copley Community Orchard provides public fruit production and preservation opportunities. 

Our partnership at MOP provides a connection between art, artists, community, and using local fibres. We strive to maintain the original intentions of MOP, which were developed by Oliver Kellhammer.  

He envisioned an " ‘open source’ landscape where people could experiment growing their own botanical materials for art and craft use and for the garden to be a community ‘hub’ where ongoing investigations into art and ecology would take place."

Interested in more MOP summer workshops? Or to find out more about the MOP? Check out their website. 

The EYA youth volunteer sessions will take place at the MOP gardens on the second Saturday of every month.