...Through the colours of Thanksgiving (2003)...


October 11, 2003, Thanksgiving Day Family Hike. The weather and views were beautiful with the fall leaves in full bloom.

...In the mist - Thanksgiving (2003)...

...Canada Day (2003)...

...A lake on the mountain...

...High-bush Cranberry...

...Sky, at he end of a perfect day in the forest...

...Cardinal flower...


Lobelia cardinalis grows at the edge of srteams in full sunlight.

...Hemlock seedling...


Hemlock seedlings grow on fallen hemlock logs, which last a very long time (around 100 years for large ones). Hemlock seedlings can't get started in leaf litter because they are so small that they get buried. Hemlock is very, very shade-tolerant and a sapling can be 100 years old.

...Ancient white pine with a large fire scar...


You can tell that this was a fire scar by the tent-shape, usually at the uphill side of a tree, where a lot of litter had collected, and burned in a ground fire. This scar could be from as long as 100 years ago.

...Violet branched coral fungus...

...Strange fruit...


This strange "mushroom" is a fungal fruiting body composed of a mass of very white, narrow tubes that were slightly yellow at the tips, all hanging straight down. Our biologist was able to identify about a hundred mushrooms last summer, but wasn't able to identify this one.

...Blue closed gentians...


They grow on wet, poorly-drained soil. These are surrounded by a tall sedge, on a very sunny hillside.

...Large old white pine stump (aprox. 50 years old)...


Conifer tree stumps last much longer than deciduous tree stumps because they have a lot more resin in the wood.