[NatureNS] BNS field trip notes -- Tannery Hollow Nature Trail, Greenwich

Date: Mon, 10 Nov 2008 12:48:16 -0400
From: "James W. Wolford" <jimwolford@eastlink.ca>
To: NatureNS@chebucto.ns.ca
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Here are a few notes from our walk yesterday:

NOV. 9, 2008 - BLOMIDON NATURALISTS SOCIETY FIELD TRIP: TANNERY  
HOLLOW NATURE TRAIL (Doug Hennigar's), led by George E. Forsyth.  We  
had 16 people on this very warm (about 20 C.) afternoon, at  
Greenwich, just southwest of Hennigar's Farm Market.  The trail  
initially follows the south shore of the Tannery Pond, where there  
were about 40 MALLARDS, plus one male BLACK DUCK and one male  
"HYBRID" MALLARD X BLACK DUCK.  Other birds seen or heard were 20+  
AM. ROBINS flying around, a pileated woodpecker, blue jay, black- 
capped chickadee,  etc.

George started by showing us the forest TREES, which now were mostly  
leafless: white ash, white birch, shadbush or Indian pear or  
Juneberry or "saskatoon", maples (sugar vs. Norway)(George showed us  
a nice woodland of large planted sugar maples on a steep slope that  
used to have a natural skating pond at its bottom before Highway 101  
was built locally), cherry sp. (pin cherry, later black cherry),  
balsam fir vs. white spruce, red oak vs. English oak vs. swamp white  
oak (the latter two species still had lots of leaves), beech (still  
with many leaves), larch or tamarack or hackmatack or "juniper", red  
pine vs. Scots pine vs. white pine, glossy or shiny buckthorn vs.  
common buckthorn with dark berries.

Other plants and critters of interest were multiflora rose, a willow  
species with TWIG GALLS caused by unknown insects, GOLDENROD BALL  
GALLS (larva or pupa of the fly seen in one), thistle with a multi- 
compartmented STEM GALL (with insect larvae in cavities), an open  
dandelion-like flower with two very inactive small BEES? in its  
centre, downy alder trunks with WOOLLY ALDER APHIDS that were covered  
with brightly white stringy masses of wax (protection?)(I read that  
these woolly aphids alternate infesting alder with maples, and on the  
latter are the sexual stages of the life cycle), and a single 7-SPOT  
LADY BEETLE (one of our very common alien species that seem to have  
gotten abundant at the same time as the disappearance of native  
ladybug species).

Nancy Nickerson showed us a bright yellow fungus called LEMON DROPS  
on a branch on the ground.  I'm sure that Nancy could provide a list  
of the various other fungi she noticed during the walk, such as  
puffballs that were still shedding their spores when squeezed.

I found dark greenish/brownish/blackish colonies of LIVERWORTS  
(Frullania?) on white ash and another tree trunk.

George walked us through most of the large property, and we ended up  
in an area of apple orchard plus peach orchard plus greenhouses for  
the peaches in winter, plus a mowed "golf course", for which people  
can pay $10 at the market and get a ball and "golf" club.  We helped  
ourselves to various kinds of APPLES (muktu?, gala, red delicious,  
etc.?) while George described the process of grafting for each  
variety and other aspects of apple husbandry.

Cheers from Jim in Wolfville.


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<html><body style=3D"word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; =
-webkit-line-break: after-white-space; ">
<div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; =
margin-left: 0px; "><b>Here are a few notes from our walk =
yesterday:</b></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; =
margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><b><br></b></div><div =
style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; =
margin-left: 0px; "><font face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" style=3D"font: =
12.0px Helvetica"><b>NOV. 9, 2008</b> -=A0<b>BLOMIDON NATURALISTS =
SOCIETY FIELD TRIP: TANNERY HOLLOW NATURE TRAIL</b> (Doug Hennigar's), =
led by George E. Forsyth.=A0 We had 16 people on this very warm (about =
20 C.) afternoon, at Greenwich, just southwest of Hennigar's Farm =
Market.=A0 The trail initially follows the south shore of the Tannery =
Pond, where there were about 40 MALLARDS, plus one male BLACK DUCK and =
one male "HYBRID" MALLARD X BLACK DUCK.=A0 Other birds seen or heard =
were 20+ AM. ROBINS flying around, a pileated woodpecker, blue jay, =
black-capped chickadee,=A0 etc.</font></div><div style=3D"margin-top: =
0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: =
normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; =
"><br></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; =
margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face=3D"Helvetica" =
size=3D"3" style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica">George started by showing us =
the forest TREES, which now were mostly leafless: white ash, white =
birch, shadbush or Indian pear or Juneberry or "saskatoon", maples =
(sugar vs. Norway)(George showed us a nice woodland of large planted =
sugar maples on a steep slope that used to have a natural skating pond =
at its bottom before Highway 101 was built locally), cherry sp. (pin =
cherry, later black cherry), balsam fir vs. white spruce, red oak vs. =
English oak vs. swamp white oak (the latter two species still had lots =
of leaves), beech (still with many leaves), larch or tamarack or =
hackmatack or "juniper", red pine vs. Scots pine vs. white pine, glossy =
or shiny buckthorn vs. common buckthorn with dark =
berries.=A0</font></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: =
0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal =
12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; "><br></div><div =
style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; =
margin-left: 0px; "><font face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" style=3D"font: =
12.0px Helvetica">Other plants and critters of interest were multiflora =
rose, a willow species with TWIG GALLS caused by unknown insects, =
GOLDENROD BALL GALLS (larva or pupa of the fly seen in one), thistle =
with a multi-compartmented STEM GALL (with insect larvae in cavities), =
an open dandelion-like flower with two very inactive small BEES? in its =
centre, downy alder trunks with WOOLLY ALDER APHIDS that were covered =
with brightly white stringy masses of wax (protection?)(I read that =
these woolly aphids alternate infesting alder with maples, and on the =
latter are the sexual stages of the life cycle), and a single 7-SPOT =
LADY BEETLE (one of our very common alien species that seem to have =
gotten abundant at the same time as the disappearance of native ladybug =
species).=A0</font></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: =
0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal =
12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; "><br></div><div =
style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; =
margin-left: 0px; "><font face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" style=3D"font: =
12.0px Helvetica">Nancy Nickerson showed us a bright yellow fungus =
called LEMON DROPS on a branch on the ground.=A0 I'm sure that Nancy =
could provide a list of the various other fungi she noticed during the =
walk, such as puffballs that were still shedding their spores when =
squeezed.</font></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; =
margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal =
12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; "><br></div><div =
style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; =
margin-left: 0px; "><font face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" style=3D"font: =
12.0px Helvetica">I found dark greenish/brownish/blackish colonies of =
LIVERWORTS (Frullania?) on white ash and another tree =
trunk.</font></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; =
margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal =
12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; "><br></div><div =
style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; =
margin-left: 0px; "><font face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" style=3D"font: =
12.0px Helvetica">George walked us through most of the large property, =
and we ended up in an area of apple orchard plus peach orchard plus =
greenhouses for the peaches in winter, plus a mowed "golf course", for =
which people can pay $10 at the market and get a ball and "golf" club.=A0 =
We helped ourselves to various kinds of APPLES (muktu?, gala, red =
delicious, etc.?) while George described the process of grafting for =
each variety and other aspects of apple husbandry.</font></div><div =
style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; =
margin-left: 0px; "><br></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; =
margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Cheers from =
Jim in Wolfville.</div><div><br></div> </body></html>=

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