Oshawa Second Marsh May 24th, 2015

May almost slipped by without my visiting the marsh... the wrong month for me to miss. A lot appears in May. I think I caught most of what happens, but just.

I can't pass a nice Dryad's Saddle and not take a shot.

The Mayapples are well on their way. Many seem taller than usual this year.

Mayapple blossom—there were a few.

Wild Geranium stand out in their soft pink.

A shy toad.

Most trees have reached full leaf.

On warmer days, I always look for the turtles in the water-channel by the berm. I wasn't disappointed today.

A fishing rod in one hand, a wagon with his son in it in the other, and accompanied by his daughter—nice to see a fisherman bring his kids along. We compared notes on the turtles. The young girl said she had a turtle at home. She was quite happy to see one in the wild.

This one must have picked up the red coloring from something in the water.

I don't see many Puffball mushrooms. These are the small variety, about an inch across. I'd love to see a giant one. Saw one as a kid somewhere, but none since.

A Trumpeter male on guard as the female was feeding. He was sporting two tags.

A spikey hair-do for the water.

Not much of a shot but I think it's something we've all seen—a small bird harassing a large one that is too close to its territory. It always makes me think of war movies where the smaller fighter planes are attacking a bomber.

Foam Flower amongst some Mayapples... thanks Michael.

The section of the boardwalk between the berm and the bridge over Farewell Creek is in a sad state of disrepair. In fact, access to it is blocked off from the bridge side, though not from the berm side.

It's just too much of a battle with nature for the volunteers and donors to keep up with. Each year that Farewell Creek floods just makes things worse.

It'll be a sad day if the authorities feel that they have to limit access to some sections of the marsh due to safety issues.

I was looking closely in the area where the Small Yellow Ladyslipper orchids are usually found. Didn't see a single one. I was disappointed, thinking I'd missed them this year.

Then, on the way back, this grouping of them jumped out at me, not 5 feet from the boardwalk. I sometimes wonder about my powers of observation. I figure I must have been looking left at the time, when I should've looked right. But I thought I was sweeping both sides of the boardwalk. Whatever.

In an earlier post I said Mayapples were probably my favourite wildflower in our area. I forgot about the Ladyslippers. So Mayapples slip to #2.

Their curly, burgundy sepals complement the rich yellow of the slippers.

Flying in formation. The texture and lines of their leaves complement the blossoms. A beautiful wildflower all round. 

Side view: Looking shy, with a sepal draped over the puffy slipper. 

They're a treat to come across. The slipper is about an inch long. The reddish spots inside the slipper add to its beauty.

I do get carried away with shots of them, but they offer such a variety of profiles.

They're not considered rare, but they're not common either. I expect most people have never seen one. If you do come across some, linger and enjoy their beauty. 

June is closing in fast. Where does the time go?

- fini -

The Friends of Second Marsh web site...

http://secondmarsh.ca/

A direct link to a map of the paths/trails in the marsh...

http://secondmarsh.outdoorontario.ca/Recreation.html

A link to a page that has my past posts re the marsh, in one place rather than scattered throughout this blog...

http://rgbell.ca/2/