leaves theory

Every fall, many roadside curbs have 30 or more bags of leaves in front of every house.  That adds up to thousands and thousands of bags going to landfills.

We homeowners rake up piles and piles and piles of leaves, and stuff them into bags, which are eventually trucked away to who knows where.  That is actually quite a waste.  The trees need to constantly find new sources of nutrients to thrive well.  When leaves are left to decompose, their nutrients go back into the soil, to be reused by the trees that shed them.


Of course, the problem is that too many leaves will smother and kill the grass underneath.  So what is the solution?

Some of the leaves can be bagged and saved to add to the compost bin. They provide the brown carbon that needs to be layered with the green nitrogen of kitchen waste to create good compost.  But that only gets rid of a few bags.  What about the rest?

Leaves don't decompose very quickly.  But shredded leaves have much more surface area susceptible to decomposition.  This year, I plan to chop my leaves with the lawn mower, and leave them where they fall.  I'm hoping this will result in tiny pieces that earthworms will be able to pull into the ground and turn into new soil.

And the rest of the leaf shreds will blow into someone else's yard!

a walk at Devil's Punchbowl

This is the most challenging walk so far.
To get there, drive west from Charlottetown on #2 past Hunter River and Fredericton.  Before Kensington at Rattenbury Road, turn right.  When you see the Princeton Road on the left and a herd of pintos on the right, stop at the side of the road.  The trail starts on the right.

Seems a bit contrary, but we didn't follow the directions on the sign.

It's hard to tell from this picture, but this is actually a very deep ravine which slopes down from the walking path.  The story behind the name of this trail:  This used to be a road which connected Malpeque Bay to Charlottetown.  Contraband alcohol was brought along this route by horse and wagon.  One night, the wagon overturned at this spot, and the barrels of rum went tumbling to the bottom.  

The devil was blamed for the accident!

a huge mushroom bigger than my glove

bracket fungus growing on a tree.

this fallen log completely covered with fungus.

this log is a nursery for three different organisms:  grey bracket fungus, yellow witch's butter,
and green lichen.

a pretty bridge over a stream

The clay road goes by the tiny South Granville Prespbyterian Cemetary

A headstone for a child who died in 1826 at 8 months, 8 days old.  What a story it could tell of hardships and struggles during a time when many children died young.

To check out info about the headstones, visit http://southgranvillecemetery.webs.com/mackayheadstones.htm

A mysterious house deep in the woods

I think this may be damage from a sapsucker - a bird that pecks holes in tree trunks in spring and then laps up the sap that flows out.

A trail made muddy by off-road vehicles.

Those riders don't get a whole lot of exercise!

a tree nursery protects the seedlings until they are ready to plant out.

A single yellow flower from a tiny witchhazel tree.

a walk in Dromore

A crossroads in the middle of no where - no houses around, but lots of scenery

This week the walking group drove to Dromore in Eastern PEI.  Take the Trans Canada east across the Hillsboro bridge, turn left at Mt. Albion on route #5.  At #216 turn left.  The road will turn into clay.  Just after #214 is the trail head on the left.

The trail system on PEI is well marked and maintained by Island Trails.

         This sign signifies that this trail is part of the International Appalachian Trail.

This was all over the trees in certain areas of the trail.  It looks like leaves attached to the tree.
It was identified for me by Gary Schneider, from MacPhail's Woods:

"It is a lung lichen, pretty common on red maples, especially.  It is supposedly shaped like a lung, hence the name.  I think it was the Greeks who were naming things as to what part of the body they resembled (thinking that was what they could be used to treat, medically)."  

Ferns are still green and lush.

walk the plank

the last of the bunchberries

the contrast of purple leaves against the green

 Canada Yew growing in the shade of taller trees

blinding white fungus growing from a log

Lots of knarly roots across the path covered by dropped needles means you need to watch your step!

A thumb of moss rises from a log

a stream meanders through the woods

witch's broom is a disease affecting trees.  It's an overgrowth of branches coming from one spot.

sour grapes

I usually have to compete with the racoons to get my fill of the great crop of grapes snaking up the side of the house.  But not this year.  Only one cluster of nice grapes appeared.

The rest look like this:

and like this:

I found some info on
Anthracnose on grapes but no advice on how to avoid it or prevent it from happening again next year.  I think I will just snip off all the affected blighted clusters and get rid of them. 
One source says this:   For organic growers, sulfur and Serenade (+ spreader-sticker) are moderately effective options. Start sprays when shoots are 1 to 3 inches long to protect shoots and leaves and before bloom to protect fruit.

I will try that next year.

magic light

When the sun's rays are slanting in the early morning and in the evening, it throws harsh shadows and makes colours pop.  It's called magic light.  Here is what it looks like in my yard.

It's November 9, and this rose is trying its best to offer one more bloom so late in the season.

After the tiny purple flowers have faded, the wild aster puts out fluff balls of seed heads, and the leaves change to orange.

Queen of the Prarie changed its pink flowers for fluffy white balls.

Backlit seedheads from ornamental grass.

Beams of light turn the seed heads from Carl Foester reed grass to silver.

Blueberries do double duty - berries in summer and scarlet leaves in fall.

The jerusalem artichokes look like triffids.  

I'll be watching for signs they are advancing towards the house.

The red oak lives up to its name.

Butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa) from the milkweed family develops pods that pop open to reveal seed heads that will drift away with the smallest puff of wind.

Thse orange chinese lanterns have grown up through the Solomon's Seal, and it looks like one plant.

Monkshood blooms really late - framed by a "dwarf" burning bush that is huge.

Dark red smoke bush with white "smoke"

bright burgundy blooms of Autumn Joy sedum