Summer Memories and Pine Plantations

We got very busy moving at summer's end, so I never got to post some of these observations, but one of my memories is of the flowers blooming in the meadow. They vary over the year, with the yellow kind devil in the late spring, goldenrod in the fall, and these daisies and brown-eyed susan's in mid-summer. We watched with great enjoyment the changing colour of the meadow beside us over the season, as it switched from green to yellow to blue to white to light brown in the fall.

Many of the Hanlon Creek trails pass or go through pine plantations, and another pattern I noticed over and over again was the triangle of light you'd spot at the distant end of the rows of pine trees. Planted in straight lines, and now grown 40-50 feet tall, the pines still had many lower branches that made walking through them difficult; but you could look down the long dark line of white pine and see a bright triangle of light from the meadow at the end.

Moving On..........!

As you may have guessed, we have moved on (to retirement) and no longer visit Hanlon Creek often. We're now located in the Beaver Valley, and my new blog is 'seasonsinthevalley.blogspot.com'. I invite you to take a look if you're interested.

So these will be my last few posts to the Hanlon Creek Journal, highlighting a few things I remember - like the mushroom trees.

A little earlier in the fall, a year ago, I came across several pine and cedar trees along the trail decorated with small mushrooms, tucked in the crotches of branches. It was certainly one of the more surprising things I'd seen while walking the trails. Presumably squirrels were picking the mushrooms, growing nearby, and putting them there to dry, or as a food stash.

I was reminded of this recently when I found apples stashed in the very same way in our own old apple trees in the fencerow. The squirrels have been busy here too. Now that winter's here I wonder how often the squirrels actually go back and retrieve their stash for lunch?

This Year's Fawns

It was late June before I saw a fawn this year, tiny and sticking close to the doe, but clearly covered with white spots. By late July we saw them regularly, usually two together, and once three, off on their own with no sign of adult deer nearby. They are left to grow up quickly, and grow quickly they do! Almost the size of yearlings, but still covered in white spots.

The Deer Herd

What I remember most about the summer in Hanlon Creek is the deer herd. We never saw the huge numbers that we'd occassionally see when we first moved here, but almost every day there were at least two or three, and often a larger herd that moved through the trees behind us and out into the meadow to graze.
They seem increasingly tame. Several times I have passed by one only 10-15 feet away, even when I have the dog with me on a leash. On the other hand, we regularly hear the barks of dogs off-leash, chasing deer through the bush. Not something I appreciate!

Where are all the wildflowers!?

I always love a walk in the woods in May, when the trilliums, violets, spring beauty, and other wildflowers are in bloom. So when May arrived, after the bloodroot bloomed, I started walking the farther corners of Hanlon Creek to watch for wildflowers in the deciduous woods.
May apple.

I was surprised to find virtually none. Although there were plentiful leeks in the northeast woods, I found no other flowers. And in the southwest I found only May apple - nice to see, but not as nice as a woods carpeted with trilliums. In fact, the southwest woods was carpeted with a green woodland sedge, a plant that looks like a short grass in the forest.
Woodland sedge carpeting the forest.

I can only speculate that past grazing has eliminated the wildflowers in Hanlon Creek, and left us with a nice woods to walk through, but one that doesn't have the normal diversity of native species.

Garlic Mustard

Garlic Mustard is becoming one of the most troublesome invasive plants in our deciduous woodlands. It establishes easily, spreads quickly, and is very hard to eradicate once it gets a foothold in the forest habitat. The problem is that it competes with native wildflowers, which decline in favour of this aggressive, non-natural weed.

Much to my dismay I found first a small patch, and then later a large, healthy patch, growing along the trails of Hanlon Creek. Both were just south of the Preservation Park entrance off Kortright Ave. Perhaps the city and conservation authority should consider controlling it now before it spreads too far.

It is best dealth with by pulling the plants in late spring, when they have started to bloom (to help you recognize them), but before they set seed. Of course you have to recognize them to be able to do this, but fortunately, it's distinctive leaves and overall appearance when in flower make it easy to do this.

Catching Up!

Well, it's long past the time when I should have updated this. Four months have gone by, and life has just kept me far too busy. But I do have some notes and pictures, and will try to update a bit retroactively.

What I remember most over the summer (besides the uncomfortably hot weather), are the deer. It seemed they were almost always outside our door, grazing in the meadow. Morning, noon and evening we could look out and see anywhere from 2 or 3 to 6 or 8 working their way slowly out of the trees and across the grass. I will dig up some pictures to post.

Bloodroot

Soon after the leek carpet the forest floor in mid to late April, the bloodroot appear, thrusting their white flower up through their curled leaves. The leaf uncurls and is held flat, in an unusual shape said to resemble a hand. I've only found one patch of bloodroot in the entire Hanlon Creek area, and that is right alongside of the trail.

Falling Behind!!!

Wow, am I ever falling behind on this blog! Spring is too busy; I'd rather be out there walking and watching than blogging about it!
Leek are the first green plants to carpet the forest, appearing in wide patches in the deciduous forest near the Preservation Park entrance, looking almost fluorescent green when they first grow.

Leek are one of the most unusual spring wildflowers, in that the flower itself doesn't appear until fall, long after the leaves have died and disappeared. Some people gather leek to eat, like mild onions, but I think this is inappropriate in an urban, heavily used park like this. If many people do that the leek will disappear!

Spring Wildflowers

Sweet Coltsfoot, the first spring flower in the meadow, is in bloom. Always a beautiful tiny (less than an inch across) sign of warm weather to come.

Coltsfoot is only a weed, sometimes a slightly invasive weed, more often recognized by it's large green patches of leaves in the summer. When it blooms none of the leaves are visible.

But it's the first of a bunch of beautiful spring wildflowers that will be up in the coming weeks - Hepatica, Trilliums, Bloodroot, Leek and many others. Early May is the best single time of the year for a walk in the woods.

Spring Peepers

I can't believe it, but spring peepers are calling from the small marshes in Hanlon Creek. And if you listen carefully, you'll hear the wood frogs too.

Spring peepers just call a strong, loud peep ... peep ... peep, while wood frogs sound like a hidden flock of gabbling ducks - you'd actually swear that they were ducks chattering to each other, until you see the wetland and there are no ducks, but the sound is still coming.

They're especially loud on warm evenings, and they're certainly a few days early this year, thanks to the high temperature. Both species like a marsh with shallow water and 'emergent' vegetation like bulrushes that they can climb up on, and won't be heard much around deeper ponds. But it's the biggest welcoming sound of spring to me.

Birds are calling

It's the time of year for birds, at least the first few that have come back for spring. The next 3 months will be a chorus of birdsong on the trails.

The first migrants back were the blackbirds, who congregate in the tall silver maples down the way every evening, carrying on a raucous conversation - but disappearing during the day.



The geese got active quickly, pairing off and seeking a pond for nesting while the ponds themselves were still frozen. But for some reason they now like to sit on the rooftop and honk loudly at anyone they see.


Now the song sparrow is also back, along with the robins, turkey vultures, and flickers. Woodpeckers, cardinals and chickadees who stayed all winter are also active. The song sparrow sits in the very top of a small tree nearby and sings it's very musical song - easy to recognize with it's beginning strong 3 similar notes.

A Rush of Changes

The world of Hanlon Creek is changing fast at this time of year. In a few short weeks (it seems like a few short days this year!), one season vanishes, and another season arrives.

The spring melt is a quick episode in the seasons, but has a huge impact. Streams rise, the stormwater ponds and meadows fill to overflowing, and water in the swamp is recharged. Without this, the swamp would dry up in late summer.

Birds return, starting with the blackbirds, and followed quickly by the robins, then dozens of other species. Meanwhile, the birds who stayed all winter - the cardinals, chickadees, and of course the geese - are seeking mates and a place to nest. The geese honk madly at us as we set out on the trails.

And daylight savings arrives, allowing walks after dinner without having to go out in the dark. For the next seven months we'll be out enjoying the trails in the evenings.

What Glorious Early Spring Days!

Well, you couldn't ask for anything better than the last few days in early spring. We've turned the corner from winter to warming weather, with longer days, and bright sunshine, at least for now. The cardinal is calling every day, a flash of red in the top of a tree somewhere near, one of the joyful sounds of spring.

The snow has changed from deep fluff to hard and crusty, softening during the day and then refreezing at night. The trails are getting icy, especially in the shade where they're trampled smooth during the day, melt a little, and then freeze.

A Red-breasted Nuthatch is visiting the feeder regularly, along with the small army of chickadees, it's gray back and reddish underside contrasting with the stark black and white of the chickadees.


The first pair of Canada Geese have headed out to find ponds for nesting, even though they will stand on the ice looking puzzled for weeks yet. And the snow is starting to vanish fast - not really 'melting', but simply evaporating into thin air.

Winter in the Woods!

Spring Storm!

Yesterday felt just like an early spring day, the first of the year. A bright blue-sky day, you could feel the heat in the sun, and it was melting the snow in places. One of those late Feb/early March days that make you feel like spring is just around the corner.

On top of that I heard the cardinals calling this morning for the first time, giving their sharp two-tone whistle that is such a distinctive opening note for the spring season. Their bright red colour matches their bright clear whistle, and we'll hear it now from high trees in the woods, for the next several months.

But then .... the snow came back - in fact, it's about the biggest snowstorm we've had all winter, and we're right in the middle of it at the moment. Flurries coming down fast and furious, turning the world white again. Maybe I'll get some good pictures tomorrow.

......... Later, headed out at the peak of the storm to walk the dog. Three or four inches by now, all plastered against the tree trunks and branches, and hanging heavily on the pine, cedar and hemlock. It'll be a winter wonderland tomorrow. These storms are blown through southern Ontario by upper level winds from west to east (southwest to northeast for this one), but at ground level they are circulating in a counter-clockwise direction. This means you may have winds from the east while the storm is coming from the west. Thus the east side of most trees today are plastered with a line of snow from top to bottom.

Four groups of deer wandering, instead of hiding in the swamp; at least 10 or 12, but I may have seen one group twice. And then I heard what distinctly sounded like two SHOTS! Just behind the Edinburgh/Kortright corner. Not what you want to hear in the city.

An Owl in the Dark!

Slipped out the door with the dog late last night, and there was an owl, sitting on the very top of a young maple sapling, about 50 feet away - silhouetted against the night sky!!

Crept back in the house immediately to get the camera and binoculars, while the owl sat obligingly and waited for me. Somehow, I managed to get a picture in which it showed up though it was 10 o'clock at night.



There are only four species of owl around here that would have 'ears' like this one did. It was about crow-size, too big to be a Screech Owl, too small to be a Great Horned Owl. We concluded it was a Short-eared Owl, the first I've ever seen. We regularly hear owls in the woods at night, but haven't seen one here before.

Then suddenly it was gone, gliding away on silent wings to the woods. The owls are probably started nesting by now, another sure sign of spring just around the corner.

Mid-February

Walked the loop down by the stonepiles, across the three creeks and out the meadow, then back through the dense cedars this morning. We usually do that in the morning every day, once I'm awake enough to enjoy it.

Three times this week we've encountered deer still resting on the ground from their night's sleep, and each time they just raised their head to look at us. You find the oval depressions in the snow where they have lain down overnight if you wander off the trails in the woods.

Three other deer, no four, were standing by the open stonepile and spotted us coming. For a moment or two we stopped and they just looked at us. Then suddenly they bounded off to the east, white flags flashing - there were seven, three of which we hadn't even seen.

Trails are busy these days with joggers, dog walkers, skiers and families with kids. Occasionally even someone just out for a walk. Met a cross-country skier yesterday who lives at the far northwest corner of the area, and said that he does a 10km loop several times a week.

Early Signs of Spring!

Well, it's still cold, so cold that all the streams are actually frozen over, which happens only rarely. But already there are numerous signs of spring.

Groundhog Day has come and gone, and groundhogs aren't the only ones who poke their nose out to see if spring is here yet. The porcupines have started to appear, grabbing a snack of bark and twigs high in a tree on a sunny day. And you see their tracks now and then, with its queer twisting gait down the trail.

The days are longer too, staying light out til 6 o'clock. For a dog walker trying to squeeze in a walk between work and dinner, that's a bonus.

The chickadees are starting to give their spring mating call now and then, said to sound like 'hambuuurg', going from high 'ham' to low 'buuurg' in a two-part whistle.

On sunny days you can feel the heat of the sun on one side of your body. And it's strong enough to be melting the snow that faces southwest. The bank of grass outside the gate is now mostly bare.

And I must have encountered 30 people on the trails yesterday! Families with little kids, teenagers building a fort, dog walkers and people just out enjoying the trails. Two girls were waving a dry bulrush seedhead, and trying to photograph the seeds as they blew away in the wind. Last week I saw two groups of little kids - day care age, walking or getting a ride on a toboggan out on the trails - 4 or 5 in one, and 8 in the other. My heart rejoices!

The Trails of Hanlon Creek

The trails running in, through and around Hanlon Creek Conservation Area provide a wonderful way to access a fascinating natural landscape right inside the City of Guelph. Originally laid out nearly 40 years ago by the Guelph Hiking Club, they are now well worn, well used and easy to follow through the forest.

Four major boardwalks have been built over the past 10 years, by a team of volunteers, with support from city staff. These enable the trails to cross the wetter parts of the swamp, and enable the complete network of other trails to be connected. There are about 20 km. of trails to walk. You could walk for several hours without ever retracing your steps!

It's taken me a long time to figure out how to do this; it's not perfect, but at least it works! The area is too large to easily show on one map, so here it is divided into two maps which overlap slightly. Major public access points are shown as yellow stars -

The Northwest Trails of Hanlon Creek

Main entrances from the north and northwest to Hanlon Creek park are from the Dog Park (John Gamble Park) beside the Hanlon Expressway, and on Kortright Ave. at the well known entrance to Preservation Park. There are entrances off Southgate Drive, and off each of the side streets west of Edinburgh Rd.; the main trail off Terraview Cresc. is a popular one.

As the map reveals, a large chunk of the conservation area here is cedar swamp; trails are mainly around the edge. There is one major deciduous patch, southeast of the Preservation Park entrance.

The Southeast Trails of Hanlon Creek

If you live in the subdivisions around the conservation area, you’ll easily recognize these trails. Major public access points include the trail leading west off Clairfields Drive and that leading northwest from Hayward Cresc. as well as the Terraview Cresc. entrance. Boardwalks are indicated in orange dots -

This part of Hanlon Creek is much more diverse, with five patches of reforested pine plantation (the lighter green, more uniform patches, two deciduous forest patches (in the south and northwest), and both a large meadow in the middle, and a smaller meadow between the pine plantations. There are also still large areas of cedar swamp, unbroken by trails.

Hope these maps help some of you enjoy the trails of Hanlon Creek too!

The Hanlon Creek Deer Herd

Headed out for a walk yesterday, along the trail that cuts through a corner of the soft maple swamp. Suddenly, like ghosts emerging from the trees, there were the deer. Had my camera, so I was able to get some pictures - though it was late in the day and cloudy.

Initially you see one or two deer as they move between the trees, and then when you stop and watch, the others, standing still, materialize before your eyes. There were 8 altogether, making their way toward a house that sometimes puts out grain on a table in their yard.


Later, as I followed one of the trails along the creek, deeper into the swamp, suddenly there were the deer again. First one, then three, then suddenly I realized it looked like the same group of 8, their brown winter coats blending into the trees so perfectly that they are nearly invisible only 50 feet away.


Two more were grazing right outside the fence beside the townhouses as I headed home.

Muskrat Tracks?

Found a really unusual animal track along Stonepile Creek on our walk today. It was a rounded trough in the snow, wandering right along the surface of the ice on the creek, much like the track left by an otter when it slides down a bank into the water - except this track was just horizontal, on top of the stream, and followed the stream itself as far as I could see upstream and down. Along the snow trough, about 3 inches deep and 3 inches wide, were small mammal tracks of some sort.

It must have been a muskrat; I can't think of anything else that would leave such a track. It didn't leave the stream, but stayed right on top of the ice. Whatever it was passed under a snow-covered log about 6 inches above the ice, without disturbing it; a muskrat could do that. Looking up to find out more about muskrats, I learned they don't really hibernate, just slow down over the winter. Still, it was a surprising finding; I've never seen evidence of muskrats in the entire area before.

Our walks reveal other details of the winter too. Rabbit tracks and chickadees calling. One evening we heard an owl calling, probably a Great Horned Owl. It's hard to believe when the weather is this cold, but the owls will be starting to nest within a month.

Deer tracks seem to be everywhere, especially when older tracks don't get covered by new fallen snow. Under cedar trees you can see the trampling of their hoofprints where they have stood on their hind legs to reach the remaining green cedar boughs - all the lower branches having long since been stripped clean.

It's Cold!

A winter cold snap has descended, and it's cold walking the trails, just plain cold! Winter mitts, scarves and even long john weather.

It's cold enough that almost all the streams have a frozen skin of thin ice on them -except where there's a corner in the stream channel, or a bit of stronger current. Not enough ice to step on of course; even a lightweight dog would break through the ice into the black frigid water below. But the ice is enough to collect a thin layer of snowflakes on top, sometimes with a shelf of thin ice a few inches higher along the edge, from a higher water level a few days ago.

I often wonder what the deer do to survive in weather like this. I picture them shivering in the cold, but of course they evolved in this climate, so they must have some mechanism that lets them feel comfortable. Other mammals, like our own dog enjoy the snow, jumping in snowdrifts, and just lying in the snow, but I shiver madly when it gets down to 10 below.

Just walked the loop to the meadow this morning. For some reason the last stream you cross on a board someone's placed there is not frozen; it must have a stronger current than the others. We did see deer tracks along the trail by the north edge of the meadow, but no-one else about in these temperatures.

.... Later .... Temperatures have moderated a little, and we walked all the way down to the main Hanlon Creek Spring to see if it was frozen, but it had no ice at all, even around the edges. Neither did the tiny southernmost tributary, which actually had bright green leaves of watercress still growing in it - while the temperature is nearly 10 below!