Trail Talk: Keep your eyes peeled this time of year for all sorts of wonders
By: Patrick Capper
This is the time of year to see all different sorts of fungi along the trails in Huron County. There is a great crop this year of Giant Puffballs, and I saw my first one this year on August 31 but since then I have seen many more; one was 14 inches in diameter.
I did a study of them several years ago and found that they doubled in volume every day.
Many people like to eat them after slicing and baking them with garlic and butter. One other edible mushroom we saw on the trail is a Jackson’s Slender Caesar, which was red with a white coating when it emerged from the ground.
Another interesting sight was an Orange-fruited Horse Gentian, which has small orange berries where the leaves meet the stalk, but these berries are not edible.
Other common sights are grasshoppers. The small Red- legged ones appear to be white when flying. The larger Carolina grasshoppers appear more like a Mourning Cloak butterfly when flying, with black and white wings.
One Pine Tree Spur-throat grasshopper came into our house and settled on a lamp. These grasshoppers usually spend their life in trees, especially Pine, Larch and Junipers, and are most active in the evening.
The other times I saw them, they were in the greenhouse. They are so well disguised that they are rarely spotted when on tree bark.
Katydid’s are also masters of disguise as they blend very well into the grass. When they fly, they appear to be white, similar in appearance to a large Red-legged grasshopper. They are best seen by following their flight and noting where they land.
I have seen both Fork-tailed and Oblong-winged Katydids this year. Katydids have hearing organs on their front legs, just below their knees. Fork-tailed Katydid’s are sometimes pink, orange or yellow due to a genetic variation, but this makes them more susceptible to predators.
There was quite a windstorm on September 2 that caused many windfalls and power outages.
The worst hit area was just south of Highway 8, so there appears to be little damage to the Maitland Trail. I have found several windfalls in the Hullett Sugar Bush, the Clinton Conservation Area and the Front Road trail, but all could be stepped over or bypassed. Both Naftel’s Creek, Bannockburn Tract and Bannockburn Conservation Area trails appear to have suffered little damage.
There is a Maitland Trail Association (MTA) contest if you wish to share your “Maitland Trail Moment”, whether it was a few minutes or perhaps a day. The competition is receiving 100–500-word submissions that should be sent to jmorris@maitlandtrail.com. Describe what brought you to the trail, what you saw or experienced, how the trail made you feel and why the memory stayed with you. Your submission will be shared on the MTA blog. Full details are in the Maitland Trail Newsletter.
There is also a competition by the Maitland Valley Conservation Authority (MVCA) has a 75-minute Hiking Challenge. Details are at mvca.on.ca. If you hike for 75 minutes in a Maitland Valley property, such as at Wawanosh, or Naftel’s and send in an entry, you have a chance at prizes such as Adult Camping Package – sleeping bag, camping voucher, cooler, or a Birding package or a Children’s Nature Explorer package.
EVENTS:
Saturday, September 19 and Sunday, September 20 - The Maitland Camino: Many hikers will be on the Maitland Trail. On Saturday between Auburn and Benmiller and on Sunday between Goderich and Benmiller.
Friday, September 25 to Sunday, September 27 - Hike Ontario Summit at Westport.
Saturday, September 26 at 11 a.m. - Mindfulness Walk and Forest Therapy: Meet at the Millenium Trail in Goderich, Nelson Street entrance. Designed for those who want the benefits of meditation but prefer to move.
We’ll be moving slowly and silently together for 20 minutes to the first river lookout where we’ll stop to chat about the benefits of mindfulness and forest therapy, enjoy the beautiful vistas of the Maitland River, and head back to the entrance - maybe hug a tree on the way out.
Please leave your pets at home; dogs are already very Zen.
For more information and to confirm your attendance, please contact Tanya at redroofrecovery@gmail.com or text 519-616-3636. This is a level 1, slow paced meditative walk.
Saturday, September 26 at 1 p.m. - BRVTA hike at Varna.
Saturday, October 3 at 9 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. (approx.) Migrating Water Birds Hike: Walk the dikes around the ponds while looking for migrating water birds. Meeting Location: Parking lot at 40905 Summerhill Road Difficulty: Level 1 Pace: Moderate Annual Waiver: Complete the MTA Annual waiver Pre-register with Laurel Peever at laurelpeever@gmail.com
Sunday, October 4 at 9 a.m. - 11 a.m. - This hike is scheduled to be at a Dublin Farm through a delightful private farm property near Dublin. However, the windstorm on September 2 caused many windfalls across the trail so the hike may be cancelled if the windfalls are not cleared before October 4. Contact is Anne Melady at jamelady@icloud.com.
NOTES:
The Maitland Trail between Londesboro Road and Little Lakes Road remains closed due to a landslide.
Duck Hunting starts on September 26.
Tuesday Trompers meet at 9 a.m. on Tuesday to hike for about an hour. If you wish to be on this email list, send an email to mta@maitlandtrail.ca
Midweek hikers meet at 9 a.m. and hike for 1.5 to 2 hours on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Contact Patrick Capper at pcapper99@gmail.com
LIFE hikers meet every Friday for a hike of about 1.5 hours, with a choice of pace, striders moving a little faster than the strollers. The hikes now start at 9a.m. and can be joined through ONE CARE.
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