As anyone familiar with the portion of Southern Ontario known as the ‘Golden Horseshoe’ can attest, it has a seemingly endless amount of attractions and activities to see and do. The region, nicknamed thusly due to its geographic shape, snaking around the western edges of Lake Ontario in a manner that resembles a tilted horseshoe and dubbed ‘golden’ because of its status as an economic and industrial powerhouse, is famous for its skyscrapers, steel mills, sports stadiums, and shopping centers. But did you know that this densely populated pocket of land is also a haven for green space and natural conservation? Indeed, nestled within the ‘Golden Horseshoe’ lay many hidden alcoves brimming with beauty and biodiversity. The Ancaster-Hamilton-Burlington area in particular boasts a bevy of serene rural locations that feature rare and majestic trees very much worth exploring.
Ancaster
Ancaster is a historic community renowned for its quaint charm and verdant surroundings, perhaps best characterized as halfway between a rural township and an upper-middle class suburb of the nearby City of Hamilton. But in the midst of the community’s many subdivisions and farms, visitors can discover an array of rare trees adding splendor and character to the landscape.
One such hidden treasure is the Kentucky Coffee Tree, a species native to North America and cherished for its ornamental value and unique foliage. Found in secluded pockets of Ancaster’s woodlands, including the Dundas Conservation Area and along sections of the Bruce Trail, the Kentucky Coffee Tree stands out with its striking compound leaves and distinctive bark.
Another such atypical arboreal aberration in Ancaster is the fact that it’s home to so many trees usually only found in the forests of the American Carolinian region. Species like the Hackberry, a hardy deciduous tree celebrated for its resilience and adaptability, and Tulip Tree, also known as the Yellow Poplar, can be found on grounds both public and private throughout the town. To paraphrase Stephen Gleave, the proprietor of one of the farms that houses these lovely trees, many locals have been won over by the virtues of Carolinian trees because they are beautiful, relatively cheap, and easy to plant.
Hamilton
Roughly 15 km down the road from Stephen Gleave’s farm in Ancaster sits Hamilton, a vibrant city with a reputation as a halcyon of heavy industry. However, amidst its concrete core lie pockets of land where rare trees stand as silent witnesses to the passage of the ages.
On the northern edge of the city, within the grounds of Hamilton’s Royal Botanical Gardens, arboreal aficionados can marvel at the Japanese Umbrella Pine, a tree revered for its ancient lineage and exquisite form. With its whorled foliage and unique silhouette, this conifer is a prime example of the rare species that dot Hamilton’s botanical tapestry.
Hamilton’s rural outskirts also harbor hidden treasures. Among these are the American Chestnut, a once-dominant forest giant now not often found in the wild due to the devastating impact of chestnut blight. Yet, in the woodlands located just outside Hamilton, pockets of American Chestnut trees remain.
Burlington
Located just above Hamilton, Burlington is a dynamic mid-sized city known for its ecologically friendly population and municipal government. It is no wonder then, that amidst its bustling streets and waterfront vistas, Burlington’s many large parks and green spaces offer a sanctuary for a variety of rare trees to flourish.
The city’s Hidden Valley Park is home to the majestic Dawn Redwood, which is something of a relic from a bygone era. Thought to be extinct by botanists until its rediscovery in the 1940s, the Dawn Redwood now graces the landscape of Burlington, captivating visitors with its towering stature and ethereal beauty.
In the heart of Burlington’s rural hinterlands lies the Butternut, a species of walnut tree prized for its rich wood and delectable nuts. Threatened by disease and habitat loss, the Butternut finds refuge in the secluded woodlands of Burlington, where conservation efforts seek to safeguard its future and preserve its legacy for generations to come.
Natural Relics in the Midst of Urban Sprawl
Concluding this exploration into the rare trees of the Ancaster-Hamilton-Burlington area of Ontario’s ‘Golden Horseshoe’, an important lesson presents itself: Although this region is usually stereotyped as hyper-developed, filled mostly with high-density commercial, industrial, and residential zones, it also contains many places of natural splendor, home to trees difficult to find elsewhere. For arboreal enthusiasts, this makes it an ideal destination for serious study, while for more casual tree lovers, this makes it a great place for a long hike. For the rest of us, it means that, at the very least, there is more natural conservation happening in the ‘Golden Horseshoe’ than its reputation as a place of endless urban sprawl would indicate, and maybe we ought not to buy in so easily to that particular narrative.
