Through early November, the skies have often been overcast. Daytime temperatures have been below 10°C. Nighttime temperatures are usually below 5°C, sometimes accompanied by frost. The canopy is fading…November 6 to November 13.
Westminster Ponds Environmentally Significant Area (ESA)
On another gloriously sunny day in late October, we went back to Westminster Ponds ESA with friends. Glenn didn’t take his long lens for photographing birds. Fortunately, our friend managed to photograph most of the birds we came across.
Northern Cardinals depend on fruit and seeds to sustain them through the winter once insects are no longer available.
Some American Robins and Blue Jays stay through the winter. Others migrate farther south. We saw several Hermit Thrushes foraging near the ground. They are late, short-distance migrants that will spend the winter farther south.
We circled Spettigue Pond, one of five large kettle ponds in the ESA. The ponds were formed 13,000 years ago when retreating glaciers left behind large blocks of ice, creating depressions that later filled with water.
The sun shining through the trees made the woods glow.
Even on the ground, the leaves added colour and light.
We were intrigued by a pink shrub that we later learned, thanks to iNaturalist, was Mapleleaf Viburnum (Viburnum acerifolium), native to eastern North America. The Wikipedia entry states that the shrub exhibits a range of autumn colours, from pale yellow to bright yellow, orange, pink, rose, or red-purple, depending on light exposure and weather conditions. Its flowers attract a variety of pollinators in spring. It is a host plant for the larvae of the Spring Azure butterfly. Its berries are consumed by birds and a number of mammals (skunks, rabbits, deer, chipmunks, and mice).
For much of the year, most fungi remain underground as mycelium. Mycelium can decompose organic matter and form symbiotic relationships with plants. The cooler and wetter conditions in fall prompt the emergence of mushrooms, the fruiting bodies of fungi, to emerge above ground. The mushrooms release spores that allow the fungi to reproduce. An exception are Turkey-Tail and other shelf fungi that continue to reproduce throughout the year thanks to their tough, leathery texture.
Scalycap mushrooms, Turkey-Tail and an unidentified fungus.
In the mild weather, plants continued to bloom.
Asters (two photos), goldenrod, fleabane, yarrow, Chickory, Queen Anne’s Lace (aka Wild Carrot)
Bird Humour
These made us smile!
Music from Newfoundland
Signal Hill is a great cover band with an enthusiastic following. Their lead singer does a great job with old rock songs. But let’s start with two East Coast songs.
Signal Hill is a four-man acoustic rock band from St. John’s, NL, currently based out of Halifax, NS, Canada. Signal Hill has been a mainstay in the East Coast music scene for years. Their shows blend traditional Newfoundland, Irish, and Cape Breton music with random pop and rock hits. Everything’s rearranged for acoustic guitars, piano, bass and drums, and super big four-part harmony.