While we look forward to the coming of Spring and the emergence of our native spring ephemerals like skunk cabbage, spring beauties, trout lilies and trilliums, there lurks a sinister presence in many of our woods. Invasive garlic mustard, (Alliaria petiolata) has moved in and is pushing out our native flora. Those second year rosettes hidden under layers of snow and ice are just itching to burst free of their confines, ready to steal more nutrients and exude more growth inhibitors. Get the low down on this pervasive invasive at the final talk in the Barbara Fallis Memorial Lecture Series which invades The Iris Speaker Series (Institute for Research and Innovation in Sustainability).

Lassonde Building LSA map 120 Campus Walk (formerly Computer Science & Engineering Building) Accessible Washroom (Women): Rm 1019 Accessible Washroom (Men): Rm 1021 Accessible, Gender Neutral Barrier Free single stall washrooms: Rm 2038, 3038 Transit directions

Ontario Place Park and Trail Meeting
Wednesday, March 19, 2014 , 6 - 9 p.m.
Metro Toronto Convention Centre
South Building , Room 701, 222 Bremner Boulevard

Your park? Your ideas? Speak up for native plant inclusion! They're moving into the next phase of planning the new urban park and waterfront trail at Ontario Place. Come out and view the more developed design - it supposedly has been refined based on your ideas. They continue to seek your valued input as they move toward unveiling the final design this summer. It's not too late to plug native plants!

Seedy Saturday/Sunday:
Sat. March 1 - Vaughan (Vaughan City Hall, 2141 Major Mackenzie Dr.)
Sat. March 8 - Evergreen Brick Works (550 Bayview Ave.)
Sat. March 15 - Scadding Court Community Centre (707 Dundas St. W.)
Sat. March 22 - Scarborough (Blessed Cardinal Newman H.S., 100 Brimley Rd. S.)
Sun. March 30 - North York (Lawrence Heights Community Centre, 5 Replin Rd.)
Details on the NANPS calendar and the Scoop calendar

NANPS at Canada Blooms
NANPS Booth, Direct Energy Centre, Exhibition Place, 100 Princes' Blvd., Toronto
March 14 - 18, 10 a.m. - 9 p.m. (Sun. 10 - 5 p.m.)

It's natural that NANPS would have a presence at Canada Blooms every year, but even more so this year since the theme for 2014 is Wild! Connecting People to Nature. Volunteers get free admission (2 volunteers per 3 hr. shift). Contact Here's more incentive to come out:

Wildly interesting talks at Canada Blooms
Foundation of a Healthy Garden - The Wild Soil Inhabitants Astrid Muschalla, PHEc, Etobicoke Master Gardener Friday March 14, 12 p.m. - Garden Solutions Theatre, Salon 102, Hall A

Go Wild! Make Your Garden a Habitat
Pat de Valence, Lake Simcoe South Master Gardener
Friday March 14, 4 p.m. - Garden Solutions Theatre, Salon 102, Hall A

Dancing with Wildflowers- A wildly floriferous user's manual
Miriam Goldberger, Wildflower Farm, author
Saturday March 15, 3 p.m. - Garden Solutions Theatre, Salon 102, Hall A

Growing Our Future
Ken Beattie, Manager of Habitat Programs, Canadian Wildlife Federation
Sunday March 16, 12 p.m. - Unilock Celebrity Stage

Taming Wildflowers reading and book signing
Miriam Goldberger, co-owner of Wildflower Farm
Sunday March 16 - Reading at 2 p.m. in Parklane Reading Garden; Book signing at 3 p.m. at Toronto Botanical Garden booth

How to Raise Monarch Butterflies
Carol Pasternak, The Monarch Crusader, author
Monday March 17, 12 p.m. - Garden Solutions Theatre, Salon 102, Hall A

Native Plants: Beautiful, Important Threatened
Speaker: John Oyston, former NANPS V.P.
Wednesday March 19, 11 a.m. - Garden Solutions Theatre, Salon 102, Hall A

Plants Bugs Die For
J. Paul Lamarche, avid gardener, landscape designer, Horticultural Consultant Wednesday March, 19, 1 p.m. - Garden Solutions Theatre, Salon 102, Hall A

If You Build It, They Will Come: Providing Pollinator Habitat in Your Garden
Maureen Hulbert, Toronto Master Gardener, Down to Earth Gardens & Design Thursday March 20, 12 p.m. - Garden Solutions Theatre, Salon 102, Hall A

Grow Great Plants - Understand Your Soil
Mary Beerman/John Montague
Saturday March 22, 1 p.m. - Garden Solutions Theatre, Salon 102, Hall A

A Backyard Habitat
Ken Beattie, Manager of Habitat Programs, Canadian Wildlife Federation
Saturday March 22, 1:30 p.m. - Learning Stage - A28

Helping Your Trees Recover After the Ice Storm
Cathy Kozma, avid gardener, Toronto Master Gardener, founder of Garden for Good Saturday March 22, 3 p.m. - Garden Solutions Theatre, Salon 102, Hall A

Beaverton Historical Society AGM
Thursday March 27, 7:30 - 9 p.m.
St Paul's Anglican Church, 383 Osborne St., Beaverton
Come and listen to our former President, Paul LaPorte as he delivers a talk about native plants and their important role they play.

OHA District 5 AGM - Natural Gardening - Back to Basics
April 26, 9 - 3:30 p.m.
Toronto Botanical Garden, 777 Lawrence Avenue E., Toronto
Host: North York Garden Club. Speakers: Paul LaPorte, former NANPS President - "No-Fuss Native Plants" - learn how to have a no-fuss native plant garden with minimal effort and no chemicals and how to attract good insects and pollinators to your own garden with native plants. Second speaker: Steven Biggs, author, journalist and speaker on farming, food and gardening - "No-Guff Vegetable Gardening". Includes flower show, the opportunity to meet other gardeners, and a tasty lunch. $30. Deadline to register: April 1 (not fooling).

Winter Tree Identification Tour
March 1, 1- 3 p.m.
Trinity Community Recreation Centre (Trinity Bellwoods Park), 155 Crawford St., Toronto
Host: LEAF. Tour Leader: Mark Sherman, ISA Certified Arborist, LEAF. Discover the way twigs, buds and bark (not to mention needles and cones!) can help you identify a tree. Learn some quick tricks that will help you spot some common urban trees. $5.00 suggested donation.

Botanical Artists of Canada 2014 Juried Exhibition (March 26 - April 6)
Opening Reception: March 29th, 1 - 4 p.m.
The Papermill Gallery, Todmorden Mills Heritage Site, 67 Pottery Rd., Toronto Theme: The Four Seasons

The Invasive Species Act was just introduced. It would support the prevention, early detection, rapid response and eradication of invasive species in the province.

If passed, the legislation would position Ontario as the first and only jurisdiction in Canada to introduce stand alone invasive species legislation.

This legislation would:

-	Give Ontario the tools to ban activities such as possessing and transporting certain invasive species,
-	Allow the government to intervene earlier and enable rapid response actions, including working with partners to stop an invasive species from spreading - for example by preventing the movement of contaminated firewood,
-	Help ensure compliance through modernized inspection and enforcement measures.

Lots of events are going on in the natural world. Please check the Scoop Calendar for the latest.

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