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.