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

a walk on the Boughton River trail

Saturday was another beautiful fall day. It was windy, but at 12 degrees, we had to get out there and take another walk.

At the eastern end of PEI, the Boughton River trail starts at Bridgetown, about 65 km east of Charlottetown.  The start of the trail is on Highway 4, on the right, just past the firehall in Bridgetown.

The trail follows the Boughten river on both sides.  It is narrow, with lots of ups and downs, exposed roots, and foot bridges.






It is rare to see any wildlife when we travel in a big group, but today we it was just the two of us, and we got really lucky.  I thought I was walking past just one more stick, but Wayne suddenly yelled "don't step on that snake!"  And there it was, about 14 inches long, grey and black, with a long red tongue tipped in black.  It acted like a much bigger snake with a feisty, aggressive attitude - it coiled up and struck at us.  I think it's an Eastern Garter Snake.  I'm glad I'm not a mouse!
.

Lots of foot bridges are kindly covered with old shingles to prevent us old walkers from slipping.

My theory as to why tiny trees in the woods have really big leaves:  The trees in the woods are fighting for the light.  Small trees are shaded out by big trees.  The small trees produce big leaves as a way to catch as much light as possible, which they turn into energy so that they can grow tall too.

big beech leaves on a tiny tree

Larch can't really be called an evergreen:  it produces needles but drops them in the fall.

This hen of the woods fungus is growing around a wild rose.  This mushroom is often found at the base of oak trees.  It has many overlapping brown-colored spoon-shaped caps. The interior flesh is white, and the bottoms of the caps are covered with tiny pores instead of gills. The caps grow on short stems and each stem originates from one common, heavy stalk. Although some hens-of-the-woods appear to be attached to the lower trunk of a tree, they actually sprout from the trees’ root system.  This is an edible mushroom that can be sauteed in butter.

Mountain ash berries drop from neighbouring trees.

this stump is starting to decay in a rounded pattern.

Walking along the trail seems like you are in the middle of the wilderness, but the sounds of civilization are always present.  Looking through the trees to the other side of the river, and there are signs of people everywhere.

a walk at Brookvale

Brookvale isn't just a ski park.  Past the alpine ski park signs is the other Brookvale - this is for cross-country skiiers in the winter, and for walkers the rest of the year.
To get there from Charlottetown, take the Transcanada west to Cornwall.  Turn right at highway 248 and then left at #235, Kingston Road.  Drive about 16 km, turn left on #13, and it's on the left.

The beeches are a vivid yellow, the weather is warm, and there is no better place to be than walking in the woods.

Many trails criss-cross through the park, and you could be there a while if you get confused.

This steep hill would be quite a chore to ski up in the winter.

Witch's butter is a bright yellow jelly fungus. It develops on dead pine trees whose bark has fallen away.  It typically appears after a heavy rain fall.  Although it is flavourless, it is reported to be edible only when cooked, and can be used as a thickener in soups.

According to legend, if witch's butter appears on the gate or door of your home, you have been targeted by the spell of a witch.  The remedy is to pierce the jelly with something sharp until it dies.

These mushrooms look like they were spilled out of a basket.

Tiny mushrooms poke out of a carpet of low-growing plants.

The trail snakes and doubles up onto itself as it winds through the trees.

The frost has reddened these blackberry leaves.

old man's beard