Sunday Snapshot: Spring Branches

Spring Branches

 

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Sunday Snapshot: Sunset Tree

Sunset Tree

 

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Sunday Snapshot: Ghostly Trees

Ghostly Trees

 

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Sunday Snapshot: Outstanding

Outstanding

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Sunday Snapshot: Spring Evening, Tree

Spring Evening, Tree

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Sunday Snapshot: Winter Whites

Winter Whites

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Sunday Snapshot: Autumn Island

Autumn Island

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Sunday Snapshot: Autumn Maple

Autumn Maple

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Hiking Marble Rock Trail

We haven’t done much hiking this summer. It seemed that it had just rained, was raining, or was about to rain all summer long. But last Friday was a perfect day, too nice to waste on mundane chores, and we headed out to the Marble Rock trail, north of Gananoque, Ontario. This region is part of the Frontenac Arch, an amazing section of the rugged Canadian Shield that dips down through southeastern Ontario and connects the far north bioregions with the Adirondack Mountains in New York state. The Arch marks an entirely different landscape from the surrounding plains. You can learn more about the Frontenac Arch here.

We completed the South Loop, with a side trip to the North Loop Lookout, a total of 4.7 miles (7.5 km). The east side of the South Loop is the most demanding terrain. If you aren’t climbing up a slope, you’re clambering down another, and the rocky ground can be treacherous. But the scenery is gorgeous.

The forest is primarily deciduous, with trees just beginning to take on the hues of autumn. You didn’t have to look up to know that oak trees were well represented in the diversity. The path was littered with acorns for much of its length, a bounty for wildlife.

Oak trees (Quercus spp) can be divided into two groups, red oaks and white oaks. The red oaks have leaves with pointy-tipped lobes, while the white oaks have rounded lobes. Both were represented in the forest.

Acorns weren’t the only nuts to be seen. The shagbark hickory trees (Carya ovata) were also offering up a good crop.

Check out the shaggy bark on this example.

Junipers are most often encountered as low-growing shrubs on rocky ground, but there was a sprinkling of pretty, upright juniper trees (Eastern juniper or Eastern Redcedar Juniperus virginiana) decorated with their bluish seeds.

Around open, damp areas, the white berries of dogwood shrubs stood out on their red twigs.

Still climbing…

I liked the way this millipede, about 2 inches long, blended so well with the colour of an old log.

And here’s a Hickory Tussock Moth (Lophocampa caryae) caterpillar hurrying through the leaves.

This tree has been attacked by Phomopsis galls. The galls appear as a cluster of nodules tightly pressed together. When cut open they consist of woody tissue that is a bit disorganized in comparison to the normal wood. Galls of affected trees may develop for several years then die.

This attractive vine is Partridge Berry (Mitchella repens).

The leaves of this clump of sharp-lobed hepatica (Hepatica nobilis acuta) are attractive even without the pretty flowers that will bloom next spring.

This colony of ground pine clubmoss (Lycopodium obscurum) looks like a stand of tiny, 6-inch tall pine trees. Clubmosses are ancient plants that were once 50-foot giants, but now carpet forest floors.

Rock Polypody (Polypodium virginianum) seems to grow right out of the rock. Their rhizomes and roots trap leaves and other debris to build up a thin layer of soil.

It’s not just ferns that can seem to grow from rock. We came across this very large windfall along the trail.

We were amazed to see that much of the ground that lay under its trunk was rock.

We walked through a little grove of Musclewood, or Blue-Beech trees (Carpinus caroliniana). Their smooth bark has longitudinal ridges that really do seem reminiscent of muscles, making them easy to identify.

Finally, we reached the North Loop Lookout and settled down on the rocky ledge to enjoy the view as we ate our well-earned lunch.

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Every Tree

Every tree

Every Tree
carries the snow with its own grace
bends to the breeze with its own sway
etches the clouds with its own stroke
bows to the ice with its own resolve
rights its trunk clenched by its own roots
drenches itself in its own desire
and creates its own spring.

Lois Levin Roisman

(found in Toms River by Dan Fagin)

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