Whazzat? Or More Life at the Cottage.

Charlotte Lake, Renfrew County, Ontario July 2017 #2

Perched near the summit of the Algonquin Highlands, not very far from the highest point in the region, Charlotte Lake merges the boreal with the temperate:   conifer dominated forests and mixed forests. The understory is as diverse.

With a penchant for puzzle solving, I tackled a few of the more difficult classifications in the biological system: mushrooms (fungi) and ferns.

Those who have attempted 'Shrooms know the is s lot more to identification than colour and shape. Spore prints, structure,  texture, odor, and, to some extent, taste are also important. It is best to gather target mushrooms and bring them to a lab to identify.  To see how this works, several years ago, I was honoured to cover one of Richard Aaron's field courses at Queen's University Biological Station.

Click here to read about that if you would like more insight to mushroom ID:

https://opinicon.wordpress.com/2016/10/09/fabulous-fall-fungi-with-a-fun-guy/

If you would like ot know more about mushrooms, Richard continues to provide his field course in late September and early October at the Bio Station. Richard is also kindly providing an outing for the Mississippi Madawaska Land Trust at High Lonesome Nature Reserve:

https://mmlt.ca/event/discover-the-fun-in-fungi/

I thought that the mushroom pictured below was a toothed mushroom. Closer inspection of the cut piece at the lower left shows this is a gilled mushroom.  There are two large genera of gilled mushrooms which account for a large propertion of our forest mushrooms: Lactarius and Russula. A young Lactarius will ooze latex when cut.  This one did not, which leads me to belive it is a common Russula.  I await with interest my "mushroom" friends input into this.

Many people want to know if a mushroom is edible or not.  After several experiences with experts like Richard, I prefer to BUY my mushrooms!  Recently, for example, at another High Lonesome Nature Reserve Event, we found a spectacularly beautiful full white gilled mushroom, which I was able to ID immediately: Amanita virosa, the Destroying Angel. It is well named.

Once you have been hooked by the challenges of mushroom ID, ferns don't seem to be quite as difficult. Since I took university niology back in the early 1970's, genetic research enabled by an explosion in technology and ability to parse DNA, has reclassified the ferns away from mosses and closer to flowering plants.

All of that science doesn't help much in the field.  I took the photo above mainly because of the plant in the centre of the frame.  It is flowing (three lobed leaves aboe, flower is in the V formed by the two flower stalks.  This is Jack-in-the-Pulpit, Arisaema triphyllum.  Then the ferns took over my interest.  The one on the right is easy....Sensitive Fern, Onoclea sensibilis. The fern on the left, also pictured below, is one of the many Wood Fern (Dryopteris spp.).  They are more difficult.

The photos below help, because many ferns may be identified by their leaf (pinnae) structure, AND the positioning of the spore sacs (sori) on the UNDERSIDE of the fertile fronds (the fronds that carry sori).  One of our most common Wood Ferns is Dryopteris marginalis, so named because the sori are at the margins of the pinnae. This plant has sori just developing away form the margins.

Here is my field observation.  See if you agree:

"Note the newly formed sori are NOT at the margins. This is NOT marginalis. Likely Goldie's, Dryopteris goldiana,  which is big, dense and has scaly stipes (these look just "hairy" to me.)"

Taking a break from the botanical, insects at the water's edge always attract attention.  I was singing the blues after seeing these two, above Silvery Blue Butterfly, Glaucopsyche lygdamus, one of over a dozen North American species of the Blue tribe Polyommatini. Another genus, the Azures, also reflect blue grey.  The Spring Azure is a very commonly seen small butterfly.

The damselfly below also challenges the intrepid biologist, as there are many Bluets  damselflies.  They are often separated into groups by the amount of blue on the abdomen. Therefore, there are black types showing minimal blue stripes on the abdomen; intermediate types which are about 30-50% blue on the abdomen; and blue types which are about 75-80% blue in the middle part of the abdomen.

Immediately, we see this is one of the blue types of Bluet.  Then it gets difficult! There are 6 species, with small differences among them. Mostly, you tell them apart by the claspers (males) which are the naughty bits at the end (10th segment) of the abdomen.  This IS a male.  Note the eyespots (and yes I checked out the claspers). They are clearly tear-shaped, which is the field mark of the Familiar Bluet, Enallagma civile. Ta daaaaa (marching band).  Mystery is solved. That is until one of the experts points out something else that I missed!

Didja want some cheese with those quackers?  Keeping on the "bleu" track, this Blue-winged Teal, Anas discors,  and her three ducklings drifted past us several times each day. Teal are small ducks.  The close relative to this one, Green-winged Teal are even smaller.  The blue feathers are usually hidden unless the female duck is preening or flying.  At a distance females of both Teal species are difficult to tell apart, and the field guides would have me call this one a Green-winged Teal. So, just to say, it ain't always so!  I saw this duck close up and often enough to identify it by its size and blue feathers

A dragonfly's view of the lake may approximate these shots, with one of the ubiquitous Corporals eyeing me.  Of course, to get the insect view, you have account for the differences in eye shape, location and the differences in colours and shapes in an insect's eye. Yet, occasionally,  a photo from a different perspective provides a very different view of the world.

I love the above photo, as it is very high resolution and you can see very small details. When identifying plants, these small details are important and may elude you in the field. This is a very common (often named a "weed") member of the mint family: Self-heal, Prunella vulgaris. The purple flowers are typical of the mint family. In this case, you can see 4 or five flowers off of the compact spike or head, The mint family species are common in the woodland understory, roadsides, and fields/lawns. Some are native, like this one; many are escaped from gardens.  Familar varieties are used as herbs, such as Thyme, Bergamot, Peppermint, Catnip, Pennyroyal and Marjoram. This one's common name derives from application as a traditional remedy for a variety of ailments, including wounds, burns, insect bites and allergies. Most of its parts are edible, though flavour is questionable! Like so many of our traditional herbs, this one is being studied for a role in treating a variety of diseases:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14595592

Not too far away, just up from the lake shore, were these lovely rose nodding flowers.  A member of the Honeysuckle family, these are Twinflowers,  Linnaea borealis. Like many flowers in the coniferous forest, Twinflowers grow from a creeping long vine, and are therefore quite large plants.  You may not find them in the wildflower section of your guide. Look under shrubs! This is also true for the many members of the Heath family which also grow in our northern woods: cranberries, partidgeberries, bearberries, blueberries and wintergreen.

These are so hard to find. Any snake in the boreal forest is a rare discovery. These are so small and inconspicuous, most people are unaware that they exist. There are two wee brown snakes that eat mostly earhworms and slugs: Dekays Brownsnake and the Red Belly Snake. I think this is the latter. Just to be sure, I sent the photo to an expert for confirmation. And he did confirm! Thanks Nick.

Next time, even more cottage life, including a bird one rarely sees in southern Ontario except in migration.

A Few Stops on the Way to the Highlands and Lake Charlotte

Bits of May and June 2017, our rainiest in memory....

In fact, it was so rainy that most of the container plants in my garden drowned, notwithstanding repeated attempts at draining the containers. Mosquitoes and under-story plants flourished all summer, even in dry areas. On the upside, we rented a cottage at Lake Charlotte for late June and most of July. The rains kept over-sized boats with large motors to a minimum, enabling frequent canoe and kayak fishing outings and quiet nature observation.

Our first stop - Prince Edward County.

Pleasing to see a huge colourful bud of a Shagbark Hickory while exploring “The County”. A May trip to "the County" wouldn't be complete without a visit to the Prince Edward Point Banding Station (covered in my May 30, 2014 blog). We found this Yellow-rumped Warbler hanging around awaiting the banding volunteer. Birds are handled so very carefully by trained volunteers, who pride themselves on their banding talents. Getting to the mist nets early in the morning affords learning bird enthusiasts the opportunity to get some nice close-ups of difficult-to-see birds in their glorious spring plumage. However, beware of some very nasty stares back from the "misted" birds!

I was dealing with a back ailment (you know the drill - physiotherapy, exercises, and tough slogging on most walks) that limited photographic moments. One flower always beckons; its unusual 7 glowing white petals contrast with the shiny green whorled leaves. It is worth the slog and the bend! This is Starflower (well named), Trientalis borealis. Borealis, in a Latin name, refers to the north. Trientalis means a third of a foot, which is about the height of most Starflowers.

I joined the Board of the Mississippi-Madawaska Land Trust in 2017. This is a charitable organization that seeks to conserve and protect land, through agreement and ownership, in the Mississippi and Madawaska River valleys of Eastern Ontario. One of its flagship properties is called High Lonesome, which is in the Pakenham Highlands just to the west of our home in Arnprior, Ontario. I wrote about High Lonesome in my December 2014 blog. You can also learn more about it here:

High Lonesome Nature Reserve

Above is the new Welcome Centre, built mostly through volunteer contribution.  Below is the crowd gathered for the opening of the Centre, including many of my fellow Board members, and volunteers, and Lolly, Shaun and Amelia's loyal pet.

The ceremony is hosted by Mary (Vice President) and Michael (hard-working former Board member).

Next stop - at the Cottage

Gathering our things, we are off to the cottage at Charlotte Lake, where the dragonflies abound at the end of June. Above, a Chalk-fronted Corporal, Ladona julia. Below, the first, if not the finest, of many canoe fishing experiences over the month.

The Ottawa Valley is home to a great diversity of Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies), due to its varied wetland habitats. It is also home to a diversity of ferns. The number of species of both of these organisms creates an identification challenge and also reminds me of the special ecological significance of the place I have chosen to live. Scroll down to sample a few of the living things found around our cottage.

Above is a freshly-minted, just out of the water,  damselfly. Identification of these is a challenge, since this is an immature male Powedered Dancer, Argie svelte which has yet to develop the "powder" that would easily ID him.  Thanks to the WEB, I am able to connect to experts all over North America who helped me.  The Internet CAN be useful!!

This American Toad, (Bufo) Anaxyrus americanus,  rubbed up against something blue.

One of North America's most successful songbirds is the Song Sparrow, Melospiza melodia, which can be found wherever there is a shrub. On a recent trip to Vancouver Island and Yukon, I learned that western populations of this bird are larger and more reddish brown in colour than their eastern counterparts. There are 24 sub-species of this bird on the North American continent. It is well-named, as its song welcome us at dawn in the spring.

Yes, I did mention FERNS. Here are the first two of this cottage stay:  the common Sensitive Fern, Onoclea sensibilis (so named because it browns and withers at the first hint of frost)

and the less common Cut-leaved Grape Fern, Botrychium dissectum, growing happily just centimetres away from the Sensitive Fern.I could just make out the latter uttering weak complaints about its sturdy neighbour.

Two commonly seen related flowers are the Yellow, Hieracium caespitosum,   and Orange, Hieracium aurantiacum,  Hawkweeds.  Both are European invaders which have found a home here and there.  The field guides say that these two plants are found in fields and roadsides.  These were growing happily in a rocky area just up from the shore of the lake.

What is an Ontario cottage without a dock and the impressive Dock or Fishing Spider? There are two species, and even the experts won't try to differentiate them based on a photo: Dolomedes tenebrosus and Dolomedes scriptus.  They are Canada's largest spiders.  

On our recent trip to Yukon, two of our friends recounted their life in Canberra, Australia where Donna had an "incident" with the world's largest spider, the Giant Huntsman, which has a legspan of 30 cms. Indeed, authorities in Canberra, upon viewing this particular spider guessed it to be even larger than 30 cms!  No wonder Donna was a bit nervous seeing it in the window.

Another view of the ubiquitous Chalk-fronted Corporal (there were hundreds of them at lakeside at end of June) and another damselfly which illustrates the fun of being a biologist....identifiying these critters!  The BLUE species of Bluet Damselflies are numerous and they look very much alike. Identification of these species requires a close up of the last few segments of the insect. Males and females are easily distinguished. Males of a half dozen species are only distinguished by the shape of their claspers (the very end of the last segment shown here).  I could not make out enough detail, but the experts could and told me that this (next two photos) is likely a male Hagen's Bluet, Enallagma hageni(quite common around marshes and lakes).

A Lancet Clubtail, Gomphus exilis, below, takes a break from chewing on mosquitoes. One of my FAVOURITE experiences, rivalled only by the OPP taking down that idiot who was tail-gating me, is having a Clubtail or other large dragonfly catching a mosquito, or, even BETTER, a DEER fly, and noisily chomping away at it as it rests on my shoulder.

Finally, two more Chalk-fronted Corporals holding down some granite.

More cottage tales next time.

Crazy Horse and March Highlands-Ephemerals a month later

May 9, 2017 Still cold....flooding everywhere...rains not letting up.

Quite different than Tennessee here, isn't it? A month later, Tennessee was way warmer than Ottawa and surroundings.  You will see Jan's jacket in the last episode. She has it around her waist.  Today, she has it on.

Some ephemerals were making an appearance.  We walked along the Crazy Horse Trail (to be reprised in 2018) until flooding turned us back.  We did see a few flowers:

This one, above and below is common and easily overlooked, as the yellow-green flowers fail to impress.Later the round light blue fruit will appear.  This is Blue Cohosh (Caulophyllum thalictroides).

They look very enticing. From the GoBotany website (New England) we learn:

"Blue cohosh is an attractive wildflower, with an unusual display of the spherical blue fruits held stiffly above the leaf canopy. The roots were widely used my Native Americans as an herbal medicine to treat a range of ailments and as a general tonic."

From the Government of Canada's Biodiversity Information Facility (who comes up with these names??):

"The plant contains chemicals that can cause cell damage. Experiments show that handling powdered root can cause irritation of mucous membranes, with possible dermatitis. No case histories of poisoning were found in the literature, but the plant has poisoning potential. Children should not be allowed to eat the attractive blue fruits of this plant (Muenscher 1975, Lampe and McCann 1985). No references were found of poisoning of livestock."

 

Another "just-about-to-flower-plant-which=would=look=way=better-if-it-was-flowering-and-which-I-almost-overlooked-because-looking-down-the-leaves-appeared-to-be-more-maplish" is an uncommon plant: Two-leafed Toothwort, Cardamine diphylla. It appears to become more common in the southern deciduous forests, but it isn't commonly found west of Ottawa, where the tend is toward more acid soils.

 

Another more common deciduous forest ephemeral is the ubiquitous "Trout Lily" Erythronium americanum, which is found right down to Georgia. Note the young maples on the forest floor dwarfed by the huge (haha) lily.

One of my goals is to be able to identify wild trees and shrubs, especially the more difficult ones.  There are 9 Serviceberry species (Saskatoons out west)in our area, and this is one of the more spectacular ones. Pictured above and below, you will see the fuzziness on the new leaves/flower stocks and the clusters of 5 petaled white flowers. The fuzziness distinguishes this plant during Spring: Downy Juneberry or Downy Serviceberry or Shadbush, Amelanchier arborea. Look out at the forest if you are a car passenger this tie of the year, The clusters of large white blooms do stand out, even from far away. The lovely blueberry-like fruit is excellent eating if you can find them before the birds gorge on them.

Speaking of flowers, the above three are Jan (note the coat, as previously mentioned, and her two blooming friends Glenda (pink) and Sandra, who is ignoring the downy Serviceberry over her right shoulder.We had left the flooded Crazy Horse Trail and continued our hike on the March Highlands Trail, where the beaver lodge looked to be actively used. A developer owns this property, and we fear its loss in the not too distant future unless our city comes to its senses.

Development of suburban subdivisions in North America is driven by money driven local politics.  It has to stop as it is eating up our wilderness in the Great Lakes region and our farmland. It is also reducing habitat for animals like this Great Egret, Ardea alba (top) which has just started to nest in our area since 2005...Climate Change? And this Ruby-crowned Kinglet,  Regulus calendula  (it is often you can SEE the ruby colouring)

Next time, a word about the Mississippi Madawaska Land Trust, then on  to the summer cottage at end of June, with, maybe, perhaps, possibly, a sighting or two along the way.

Turn, Lift and Sparkle.....A Tennessee Walk

April 9, 2017 Sunny and warm Sunday in southern Appalachia.

Jan had not seen or experienced Falls Creek Falls State Park, Therefore, we spent Saturday stuck in Atlanta traffic after leaving the Okefenokee, arriving at the Park and our motel styled accommodation in the Park at a late hour.

We woke up to splendid breakfast at the Park restaurant, though I had feared missing it due to the late hour.  In my seventh year of retirement, many previously vital bits of knowledge are much less vital. One of these bits is the time!  As it turned out, we had crossed into Central Time, and were an hour earlier than thought. Serendipity!

As we left the restaurant, we met and talked to an obviously fashion-conscious visitor who took a photo or two of us. We learned that she had some model/photography experience. We therefore learned to TURN, then LIFT, and then SPARKLE, whereupon the shutter is released.

Janice pictured trying out this new process on one of the Park trails. As in the Ottawa Valley, Spring ephemeral flowers abound before the deciduous trees leaf out (6 weeks earlier here).

Two of these are below, Azure Bluet, Houstonia caerulea, which blooms in June in our area, and the omni- present Viola sororia, the Common Blue Violet, which appears in my garden in late April.

Fall Creek Falls is well named, as you can see from the typical photos taken on the trails.  The mountains are alive with active streams in Spring, bringing in migratory birds to mix with the local residents.  The large park is a favourite in the southeast.  SO if you decide to go, try for April weekdays!

Otherwise, you may experience some crowding on the rope bridge across the gorge.....

Jan sets out and crosses with little difficulty...BUT

on her return two LARGE mountain men trailed a tad close, causing a few moments of anxiety. I crossed the year before. It being a weekday, I was alone, and successfully challenged my panic driven fear of heights.

Signs always intrigue us, especially those that cause wonderment, like this one:

After this experience we traveled back to the Ottawa Valley for a second spring ephemeral experience.

Remember Pogo and Albert? Day 2

Chesser Island Homestead, Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge

Saturday April 8, 2017  More sun and mild temperatures.

All three of us made our way back to the Refuge in the morning. We decided to explore the Chesser Island Homestead, an interpreted 600 acre farm on a dry island in the Okefenokee where the Chesser family eked out a living in the late 1800s, through raising livestock, harvesting the sap of the Slash Pines (turpentine), raising sugar cane, hunting and smoking meat/fish, and working in the Refuge after it was created in the latter part of the Great Depression (1937). Tom Chesser stayed until 1958 with the blessing of the Refuge, only leaving to follow wife Iva to Folkston, where she found the proximity to services somewhat more amenable.

Local history is the subject of several websites, including some Wikipedia entries.  If interested, read on after luxuriating in this blog!:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chesser_Island

You may also read about the industrial history of the "swamp", including the Suwannee Canal (used today as the origin of the eastern-side boat tours, such as the one I featured in the previous blog edition), and the attempted draining of the area in the 1890's, as well as the great fire of 2011, which burned over 75% of the Refuge:

https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/geography-environment/human-history-okefenokee-swamp

Arriving at the Homestead, we were fortunate to find volunteer Gordon Saager, who provided us with a very informative tour.  Gordon knows the Chessers, some of whom also volunteer at the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge(NWR).  Our tour gave us his personal insights, and we shared a lot of our farming knowledge. We learned much more about southern farming from Gordon,  for example, the process for tapping the Slash Pines reminded me very much of our Sugar Maple tapping for maple syrup. Above is a photo of Gordon, Jan and Winston in front of the Chesser home.  Below,  is a full house photo with the same three posing!  Note the white sandy soil.  Growing anything on this sandy substrate was a challenge.

Thanks Gordon, for this photo of your three guests.  Below as the sign says, you see the water well technology....a hollow log.

We then toured the out buildings, amidst Spanish Moss festooned oaks.  Note that the local lumber trade focused on Cypress and Pines. Cypress has many of the same qualities of our local White Cedar (Arbor Vitae) in Eastern Ontario, except that Cypress trees are giants compared to Cedars.

It being early April, a lizard's heart turns to romance. The Homestead was humming with wildlife romance, including the beautiful male Fence Lizard (in the following the two photos) showing off for a nearby female.

 Fence Lizard , Sceloporus undulates (male) above and below

 Fence Lizard (female)-note the "ladder" pattern on her back.

We left the Homestead and took a trail back into the wetlands, where we spotted this lovely turtle:
Florida Red-bellied Cooter, Pseudemys nelsoni, which obviously ranges into the Okefenokee in Georgia. Notwithstanding the name, I had never seen this turtle in Florida.

Thanks to the staff at Okefenokee NWR for putting me into contact with Gordon.

We left the Okefenokee,  and memories of Pogo and Albert,  and ventured into Tennessee for the next chapter of our adventurous route home.