This past weekend I had the opportunity to check out one of the walking tours organized by LEAF (Local Enhancement and Appreciation of Forests). This green roof edition of the Toronto Tree Tour featured a visit to 401 Richmond and 215 Spadina, and stops at a few notable spots in between.

In addition to visiting the amazing rooftop greenscapes, this 2-hour tour was chalk-full of fun and interesting facts about trees and plants along the way. For instance I learned that the English Ivy that envelopes the exterior of 401 Richmond is likely the oldest tree or plant in the area. Also, even though I thought Toronto was a well-forested city, our tree canopy covers only 17% of the land area, which is paltry in comparison to the 40% tree cover in Washington D.C. Planting our rooftops would certainly go a long way to cooling down our city, improving the air quality, and providing really neat public spaces for us to enjoy.

A photo slideshow of the visual highlights of the tour, after the jump.

The next edition of the Toronto Tree Tour moves to Parkdale and happens on August 22 from 7:00 - 8:30pm. RSVP early as the tours are limited to between 20 and 40 people and they do fill up.