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.

Remember Pogo and Albert? Day 1

Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Folkston, Georgia, April 7, 2017, 4 PM and still gorgeous out!

Arriving in the late afternoon from our winter haunt in Dunnellon, Florida, we were up for a boating jaunt into the wilds of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge.  I had already explored the early April beauty of this 350,000-acre wetland, which lies just north of the Florida-Georgia state line.  Jan was looking forward to her first visit.  Winston, as seen below, was right into it, so to speak.  The rainfall sourced bog and swamp supplies water to the St. Mary's and the Suwannee Rivers.

The tour boats do not allow dogs, so, even though Winston isn't much of a dog, we had to find alternative arrangements for him. Thank goodness he is cute.  The staff in the office were happy to keep him for the duration of our exploration tour. Most of the alligators (there are 20,000 estimated in the Okefenokee), were also quite pleased to dog sit; however we thought that might not be the best approach.

You can see the broad smile on this largish 'gator indicating a Winston welcome. We found the 'gators to be very interested in our presence

As we passed the tall "Spanish Moss" festooned trees along the canal, we enjoyed the clear cool April air, and plentiful wildlife.  More large smilin' 'gators greeted us every few yards, as the sunned amidst the native wetland flora, with birds singing from every corner of the swamp.  The boat makes no noise, and leaves no wake, thereby enhancing the  full sensory experience. In fact, as we wended our way, one large bull alligator let out a hiss and a roar, which caused Steve to say "'guess we were a tad close to that one!". This gave us quite a chuckle.

This time of the day, everyone is quite peaceful and liable to rest and bask, including this Great Blue Heron.....

...notwithstanding another large alligator not far away. The alligators are temperature regulating, not smiling, with their mouths open. However, I still like to think that they are smiling.

Then we left the Canal and entered the bog.  Okefenokee (a word in the local Muskogee or Creek family of Native American languages, the same language group spoken by the Native Americans in the Dunnellon Florida area) means "trembling earth" and refers to the Spaghnum Moss layered "ground" in the bog, which trembles when one walks upon it.

Just like here in Eastern Ontario, where I live during acceptable weather, bogs are typified by a community of plants that can adapt to the nutrient poor wet environment, like this Pitcher plant (bloom below).

Another stunning wetland plant that doesn't quite reach our area is the Orontium aquaticum-Golden Club (below) which I also featured in this blog on my last visit to the Okefenokee.

Steve, our guide (the one here sporting the classic hat, shades and a long white beard) was so very knowledgeable about the history, natural history and ecology of the Okefenokee, as we meandered from the Suwannee Canal into the bog portion of the Refuge. As you can see, only one other person joined us on this "last tour of the day".  This provided us with the opportunity to ask Steve about local biology/ecology.

As we curved and rounded our way along the Suwannee Canal and back to the dock, Steve told us about the early history of the land and its people, who eked out a living in this difficult environment, leaving behind their homesteads when the Government of the USA created the Refuge in 1937. One of those homesteads has been preserved by the Refuge, and interpretation of the history of this land is available. You will be able to learn a little about this aspect of the Refuge in my next blog instalment.

Meanwhile, with the moon rising, it was time to collect Winston from the caring folks at the office and return to our temporary digs at Kingsland,  Georgia.