Walking through the Montreal Botanical Garden on a sunny summer day is often a glorious experience, but walking through this summer will be out of this world. This June, Mosaïcultures Internationales Montréal horticultural sculpture competition takes root in Montreal, and with it some of the biggest and best displays of art made entirely of plant life…

Considered the world’s most prestigious competition of horticultural art, Mosaïcultures Internationales Montréal, at last returns after 10 years (having stopped to wow crowds in Shanghai and Hamamatsu) to where it was born in 2000. From June 22 to September 29, the competition will see experts create two- and three-dimensional living artworks made of a variety of plants, blending sculpture, colour theory, horticulture and knowledge of the environment.

For this year’s edition, Mosaïcultures Internationales Montréal teamed up with the Montreal Botanical Garden, the third largest of its kind in the world, finding plenty of fertile ground for creativity at the Garden – two whole kilometres of it, filled with over three million plants. The Botanical Garden will act as outdoor art studio to two hundred experts in the art of mosaiculture, from Canada, Belgium, China, South Korea, Spain, the United States, France, Japan, Mexico, Turkey and across Africa.

Teams will create over 40 plant-life sculptures, some big enough to walk through. Each work will tie into this year’s biodiversity-focused theme – Land of Hope – while reflecting the maker’s nationality and culture. It’s a theme that suits both the art form and today’s social context, touching on “the interdependence of man and nature, positive actions for the environment, endangered or at-risk species or ecosystems, nature in the city, the beauty and fragility of life on earth and peace as the key to planetary survival.”

One of the spectacular horticultural arrangements already previewed in maquette form is a masterwork called The Tree of Birds, depicting 60 different bird species and endangered amphibians. Other planned sculptures can be imagined from their thematically inspired titles: Mother Earth (Patchamama for the indigenous peoples of the Andes), The Man Who Planted Trees, The Forest Spirits. Also in the spirit of this year’s theme and the general inclination of the Space for Life, which includes the Botanical Gardens along with the close-by Biodome, Insectarium and Planetarium, the Mosaïcultures Internationales Montréal program offers eco-friendly educational activities for all ages,  turning a stroll through the gardens into a learning experience for life.

THE DETAILS

Mosaïcultures Internationales Montréal 2013, June 22 to September 29, 2013

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Montreal in the hot months feels like the reason the sun exists – the city shines like a mirage full or music festivals, lively parks and revelers everywhere you turn. You don’t have to ask us twice to stay out of doors, and with these great activities, even the kids will agree. No TV show in the world compares to the fun to be had in the great outdoors…

The gorgeous 245 hectare natural park that is the Morgan Arboretum kicks the party off on May 10 with a hopping evening: Frog Songs: The Symphony of Spring invites you and yours to break out your flashlights and discover the amazing nocturnal life of amphibians from 7 to 9 pm. Join Chris Cloutier as he takes you down to a local swamp in search of our cold-blooded friends. On Saturday, May 18, from 8 am to noon, the arboretum sings spring’s praises with The Birds of Spring, in honour of the peak of the spring migration. The trees are alive with birds all over this beautiful park, and this excursion will introduce you to dozens of species.

Speaking of birds, the Parc des Rapides is a gorgeous natural site at the foot of the Lachine rapids, on the St. Lawrence River, with a tremendously diverse ecological zone. Since 1937 it’s acted as a migratory bird refuge – what’s special is that now’s the time to spot the nests housing the next generation of birdies. The park is home to 225 species of birds, 66 species of fish and 250 types of plants! Plus it’s free to visit.

May 13 kicks off the season of water fun at H2O Adventures, where you can rent any of 50 watercraft, from kayaks to pedal boats to canoes or electric motorboats. Take the kids for a fast ride along the Lachine Canal, or go more mellow and teach them how to canoe like our ancestors did – it’s a good way to give them a history lesson without them even knowing it.

While you’re in that neck of the woods, bike or stroll along the Lachine Canal to the Musée Plein Air de Lachine, an amazing, monumental sculpture garden that’s among the largest open air museums in Canada. The 50 works on view include some by André Fournelle, Michel Goulet, David Moore and Bill Vazan – and for once, this is a museum where kids are allowed to touch the art!

Take the fam sky high with Air Saint-Laurent, Montreal’s own seaplane service from Île Sainte-Hélène, at the foot of the Jacques-Cartier Bridge. Explore the city by helicopter, or aboard their famous Beaver, a seaplane that will take you over the Olympic Stadium, downtown, green spaces and parks galore before landing you back down, amazed.

The Botanical Gardens is natural bliss incarnate, and during the 1000 Days for the Planet, kids get to learn about the planet’s biodiversity every week from Tuesday to Sunday in an exhibition that mashes together science and art. Make sure you keep time to stroll through the picturesque gardens – from the Chinese garden to the rose bushes, it’s all blooming beautiful right now.

And for the simplest, quickest, quintessentially Montreal-est free fun in the sun, go use the swings on President Kennedy and St-Urbain, right in the Quartier des Spectacles. They’ll sing to you.

THE DETAILS

Morgan Arboretum, 150 chemin des Pins, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, (514) 398-7811

Parc des Rapides, corner 6th Avenue and LaSalle Boulevard, (514) 367-6351

H2O Adventures, 2985B St-Patrick, (514) 842-1306

Musée Plein Air de Lachine, Parc René-Lévesque, Lachine, (514) 634-3478

Air Saint-Laurent, departure points depends on the adventure, (514) 447-7950

Botanical Gardens, 4101 Sherbrooke East, (514) 872-1400

The post Out and about with the family this spring and summer appeared first on Tourisme Montréal Blog.

The Zoolympics, happening at the Ecomuseum Zoo on February 2 and 3, will inspire the champion in participants of all ages to sharpen their eagle eye, race like a coyote, listen like a Barn Owl and sniff like a Gray Wolf. The various challenges will educate you all about the hundred-plus species of animals native to Quebec that reside in the Ecomuseum, including the Bald Eagle, the raccoon, the Snowy Owl and the lynx. (A lynx can jump a distance of 6.5 metres – will you beat that record?)

Since 2013 marks the Ecomuseum’s 25th anniversary, there are a whopping 25 prizes to be won at the Zoolympics – including an invitation to come back to share breakfast with the wolves. The anniversary is also the perfect excuse for the coolest of contests, happening between now and February 20, which could see you win a free weekend getaway to Montreal for you and yours! In addition to a hotel stay – with breakfast included – for two adults and two kids, the lucky winner will get a visit to the Ecomuseum zoo and an expedition on Mount Rigaud. Bring your skis for the full wintry experience.

The Ecomuseum Zoo is a non-profit charity located just at the western tip of the Island of Montreal, whose mission it is to protect Quebec’s natural heritage. They’ll be hosting a whole variety of special 25^th anniversary activities throughout 2013 – including a days when kids get in for free, on February 17. Plus, if you “like” them on Facebook, there are prizes to be won on the 25^th of every month this year! So stay tuned…

THE DETAILS

Zoolympics, February 2-3, 2013

Ecomuseum Zoo, 21125 Ste-Marie Road, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, (514) 457-9449

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