A New Song Celebrating Summer

Dala’s new single 35/115 is out in the world today and I wanted to share a bit about what inspired me to write this song.

A few years ago I was part of a group of volunteers for the Toronto Region Conservation Authority. We were tasked with monitoring plots all around the GTA and my job was to visit one particular 10-hectare site 10 times a year, look for indicator species (plants and animals that indicate the health and diversity of an ecosystem), and record my findings. 

I absolutely loved getting the chance to learn more about Ontario’s native species. Whether I was zooming in to see the jet black underside of a hammered shield lichen, identifying mink tracks in the snow, listening for the basketball bounce of the green frogs, carefully discovering the delicate forest bloom of a foamflower, or (my favourite), uncovering secret patches of purple Joe Pye and swamp milkweed in the tall overgrowth of a hidden marsh. 

Joe Pye illustration by Liz Willson

There are so many beautiful fauna and flora that grew dear to me during this time. Although this particular monitoring program is no longer around, every August I still get to see my old flower friend, Joe Pye weed, blooming by the roadside in highway swales all over Southern Ontario. 

35/115, is a celebration of that special feeling I get each and every time I let myself experience the beauty of Ontario, an ecosystem we are all part of. Let’s not take this wondrous place for granted.