Oshawa 2nd Marsh May 21st, 2014

"I don't like formal gardens. I like wild nature."
                                                 - Walt Disney

Spring is moving along but it almost seems like its pace has slowed. Or is it just back to normal? I expected to see more change at the marsh since my last visit. Maybe I'm rushing things.

There has been change for sure. More growth but only a few species of wildflowers in bloom. I thought I might see some Ladyslippers. Maybe I missed them.

Of the tens of thousands of Trout Lily leaves I saw a couple weeks ago, I only saw these two in bloom.

 

It does take a few years before they flower so maybe most of the others are younger. The others have lost the spots on their leaves. They'll all disappear soon until next spring.

Mayapples are one of my favourites. They grow in large patches and their umbrellas stand out in all stages of their growth. 

Many of them have their 'apples' now. They're not always obvious since they're under the large leaves. Here one is peeking out from below the overlapping, now open, umbrellas.

This one is in deep shadow but you can see how it grows from the y-shaped crotch of the stem.

The leaves are a rich, waxy green in the early stages.

Some vernal pools are still present. This one looks polluted with some kind of scum on its surface. I've seen it in other years as well. I'm wondering though if it might be some natural process. It's not oil. And it's only on one of the pools.

The cattails aren't large enough or showing enough growth to obscure your view of the channel yet. But I didn't spot any waterfowl today.

 

It was sunny so I expected to see several turtles sunbathing... but there were only two. One adult and this youngster. The adult dove quickly but junior was much braver and just watched me.

 

Nature's attack on the boardwalk is relentless. This is the section over the Beaver Pond as it was two weeks ago. No major problems really.

 

And this was today... wavy & wonky enough that I proceeded cautiously.

The supports are giving way, which makes for a much more difficult repair. Plus the fact that workers need to contend with the water here.

I'm so thankful to the volunteers who repair the boardwalk each year, and to the lumberyard that donates the lumber. I was told which lumber yard it is but I can't remember which one.

The boardwalk on the Farewell Creek bridge side of the marsh suffers even more due to spring flooding. Small sections have been completely washed away.

Most of the boardwalk is easily passable and in pretty good shape. I'm definitely not complaining. Quite the opposite. All of us who enjoy the marsh owe the volunteers and donors a great deal.

My real concerns are the expense to the lumberyard (if the amount of lumber required becomes too great) and whether or not the volunteers can continue to invest the required time & effort needed for repairs. As the boardwalk deteriorates, I'm afraid that access to the marsh may become restricted in the future.

Budgets are tight everywhere today it seems and it would be a very sad day if restricted access becomes a reality.

Even now access is denied from the Farewell Creek bridge due to fallen trees (mostly I think) and damaged boardwalk. Approaching from the east as I did, you only discover the restriction when you arrive here.

This is just east of the bridge. The trail is pretty much 'gone' in this stretch. Others before me have created alternate paths.

This was a sad sight to see... a dead beaver near the creek. I tried to choose a less gruesome shot of it. I try to record what happens in the marsh, which is why I included the shot. I hope it was a natural death. The carcass seemed to be undisturbed. Maybe it was very recent.

Ostrich Fern always looks like it 'belongs' on a forest floor. It adds to the feeling of a forest for me.

Wood Violets are plentiful this year at the marsh, on my walking path, and everywhere else it seems.

The 'bottle-brush' stage of Horsetail.

A snail going about his business... at a snail's pace. I know, I know. :-)

Pretty, but I need help on the ID. It's Toothwort. Thanks guys.

Spring is the time for this ... Pheasant's Back fungus. More commonly called Dryad's Saddle, though the former name is more descriptive.

I love its colors.

It can be a foot or more across. This one is about 10 inches. They're tasty when young... so some people say.

Golden hues always catch my eye. This decaying tree is near the collapsing point.

Nature tries to ensure that the next generation thrives. The ground under this spruce was literally covered in cones. I've never seen so many under a tree... a few thousand at least.

'Til next time.

- fini -

Oshawa 2nd Marsh May 6th, 2014

"I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order."

                                                                 - John Burroughs

What a wonderful day at the marsh. With the bright blue skies & the warm sun on my face it felt like spring. But more importantly, through Ghost Road Bush especially, it looked like spring. 

I saw tens of thousands of Trout Lily leaves, thousands of Horsetail and a couple hundred Mayapples. Add to those, the bird trio on the boardwalk... the Chickadees and Nuthatches accepting handouts and the Downies flying about. And much more.

It feels like the floodgates have finally opened and spring has burst through. There's lots of green on the forest floor; not just the moss anymore. In fact the moss has faded and has to settle for playing second fiddle to all the other plants pushing through the leaves, reaching for the sun before the trees leaf out and block it. The kind of day I've been waiting for.

I think the trout lilies have spread compared to last year. There may even be a few hundred thousand scattered about. It's hard to estimate when there are so many of them. Soon, some of them will be sporting their yellow blossoms.

Horsetail is more widespread too. Horsetail goes through a few stages, each one so different that it's easy to mistake each phase for a new plant. This is the 'terraced' stage. Apparently it goes back to the dinosaur era when it grew to 4o ft tall.

Mayapples are one of my favourites. This one hasn't opened its 'umbrella' yet. One of its common names is Umbrella Plant. Another is Wild Lemon, no doubt referring to its yellow apple. Word is that the apple can be eaten when ripe... it's somewhat poisonous when not ripe. Does that mean a stomach ache as opposed to death? Best to not find out.

These ones on the other hand, have their umbrellas open and are on the march.

Each one will produce a single apple, under the umbrella. 

 


 




















As per usual, the chickadees were plentiful, there was one pair of nuthatches and one pair of downies. It's been the same for years.

"Where are my seeds?"

The Downie wasn't interested in handouts today... he preferred finding his own grub.

 




















Saw a few fiddleheads. Most were just poking through the leaves. This one was the exception.

Someone put seeds in this birdhouse. My guess is a squirrel did the renovations.

Did someone bring a very tall stepladder along to put this one up?

I like the tones in this shot... the subtle greens from last year's leaves against the mottled browns & whites of the log.

The vernal pools have lots of water still, giving up some nice reflections.

Some of the pools are teeming with wiggly little critters. Mosquito larvae?

Here's a very short video of their antics.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6VdG6a2kv4

The channel by the berm is visible now but there isn't much activity yet. By the time there is, the shores will be overgrown with cattails and reeds. Good if you're a heron or goose trying to keep hidden.

The berm itself gets lots of sun but it's a bit too soon for most plants that thrive in the sun.

This Dandelion was an exception... my first in the marsh. In fact, it was the only one I saw.

There were a fair number of Coltsfoot on the berm too. They overlap in time with the dandelions for a while, then the blossoms fade and large leaves appear.

With the warm sun I was sure the turtles would be sunbathing in their usual spot. They didn't disappoint. There were a dozen or so spread over a few logs.

Mother and her little one? And Pa and some relatives?

While I was watching the turtles I heard some geese honking loudly behind me.  These two came storming in, low and fast from the west.

My happy surprise of the day. I hadn't seen a Baltimore Oriole for a few years. The last one was in our back yard.  

His brilliant orange looked gorgeous amongst the brown of the trees. I watched him for a few minutes hoping he'd come towards me but it wasn't to be. He slowly went deeper into the woods, flitting from tree to tree.

He stopped long enough to share a log with a Downie.

First time I'd seen this in the marsh. Some kind soul put up some wool... no doubt hoping some birds might use it in their nest building. It was about 10 ft off the ground. The guy with the stepladder must have put it up.

My last sighting for the day at the marsh. My second Ladybug... Ladybird Beetle officially. Saw my first about a week ago in our yard. Another good sign I always like to see.

There will probably be a hiccup or two yet but I announce to all that spring is now here. :-) At last.

- 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/