Still Down in the Swamp

We slowly drove out of the swamp, catching a picture of some  Coltsfoot growing in the wet gravel and leaf litter right at the side of the road.  On up we went until we got that beautiful view out to Blue Mountain.

It's not often that I get to photograph Coltsfoot in full bloom anymore.

As we head up the road I have driven approximately 200 times before, we get the usual view of the western end of Blue Mountain over the fields.  The accommodation for a week-long field course I taught for 25 years is at the end of this road, but now there are two spectacular new homes on the opposite side of the road.  Quite a change!

We turned around in one of those driveways and headed back down into the swamp.

At the corner we turned a sharp left over the  bridge and got a great view of the Beaver River.  I have ended several paddles at this point over past years.  This post is certainly full of memories for me.

And then the reflections began again.

Mrs. F.G. spotted a tree that a beaver had failed to fell last year - but he tried hard!

We drove a wandering mix of roads after that on our way home.  This is a willow shrub right beside the road.

And this is the Thornbury water tower looming over the deep blue waters of Nottawasaga Bay (the south end of Georgian Bay).  The air was exceptionally clear; that far shore is about 50 or 60 km. away!

Down in the Swamp

Every spring Mrs. F.G. enjoys a drive down into the swamp.  The reflections are intriguing before the leaves come out, and you never know, we might find some Skunk Cabbage or Coltsfoot, or see some interesting birds.  There are several places we look, but this one is right down in the centre of the valley, at the half-way point for a popular canoe route.

This is the Epping Sideroad.  It doesn't go quite all the way through the valley, but it almost does.  And it's the only road that actually cuts through the centre of the swamp.

And right down in the bottom we come to the swamp, inundated at this time of year from the high flow in the Beaver River.  You could paddle among the trees.

We turned left at the corner right before the bridge where the canoe put-in point is for those wanting only half a paddle.  As you can see, the river, in the background, meanders a bit, especially at this time of year.

We headed on through the swamp, with the river in the background and Mrs. F.G. pointing out the interesting reflections.

The water was very still, making the reflections pretty clear.

A tangle of fallen willow branches at the side of the road.  More tomorrow.

Finally Some Flowers!

The weather has turned and it's bright, sunny, and warmer than the past few weeks.  It feels like spring is finally here.  So Mrs. F.G., my assistant occasional photographer came and got my phone and headed out back.  This is what she found.

My favourite in full bloom, the dwarf Iris.  These ones are shaded, unlike those out front which are in full sun and bloomed three weeks ago.

We now have several small groups of Crocus.

The one clump of Primrose that has burst into bloom.

I don't know how she got this picture of the Hellebore, but here it is.

And the Peony shoots are rising rapidly.  They will be the first of the big showy flowers here.

We actually have quite a large clump of those royal blue Iris, and the clump is spreading.  Here's to spring!

Spring Storm!

The meteorologists gave us fair warning - possibly several inches of snow, hazardous driving, a last blast of winter!  I think they believe we'll be more alert if they scare us!  But like many spring storms, it all fizzled out, though we did have a lot of high winds on Wednesday.  Otherwise it was just 2 or 3 dull wet and still cold days.

Can you see the results of our spring snow storm?  Note the bit of white on top of last year's leaves at the bottom of the photo.

Since it's such a big storm, let me give you a close-up.  It's the white stuff to the southwest of our Hellebore.  That's the sum total of all the snow I've seen.

But while we're passing by, here's a close look at one of the blooms of that flower, deep purple with a white fringe - if only you could crawl on your tummy and look up at the bloom!

The only thing the storm left was a tree covered in water droplets, and continuing cold temperatures.  But if the forecast turns out to be correct, the next four days will be suddenly warm(er) and I'll have some spring flowers to show you.

Hints of flowers to Come!

Looking out my window I can see several different early spring flowers beginning to come into bloom.  They're more than just green shoots now, which is encouraging and gives hints of the colour to come - though the immediate forecast is for snow!!  However, as I look ahead it's encouraging, temperatures starting to rise on Saturday and sunshine beginning to break through.

The early April garden, often damp from overnight rains like this.  We leave the leaf litter as much as we can to shelter the bugs until warmer temperatures arise.  I think our snowstick has switched its role to be a garden ornament for the next few months.

A terrible picture, but one Primrose has broken out in blossoms earlier than all the rest.

Only one other Primrose blossom can I find, a single blue flower.

But we have at least a dozen other Primrose looking bright and green.  I guess they are waiting for those warm temperatures.

We do still have those Hellebore or Lenten Rose in bloom.  These have survived under a blanket of snow for a few days and shown no ill effects.

There are also several clusters of Crocus, new for us this year, that promise bits of brighter colour.  The world in te garden is suddenly changing.

Sandhill Cranes!

We decided to attend one of the spring lectures at the Grey Roots Museum in Owen Sound last week.  The lecture was good, and we met several old friends, so we're glad we took the trouble to go.  It's so easy to just hibernate!  And we drove the back roads so it was our first opportunity to watch for Sandhill Cranes this year - and we saw a few!

As you can see, the cranes were at quite a distance, on the far side of the field.  Can you spot them?  I don't know how Mrs. F.G. can pick them out, but we pulled to the side of the road and I did get one closer picture.

Sandhill Cranes were hunted almost to extinction in Ontario in the late 19th century, but populations have been growing for 50 years now.  Some would say populations are exploding now!  I never saw them until about 10 years ago.  Now some are arguing for the re-introduction of a controlled hunt, at least in northern Ontario.

The creeks are running high, even after the minimal snowpack we got this winter.  This is a spot I'd love to put the canoe in, but I'm too late now.

 

Waiting for Spring!

Having given us a foretaste of warm weather earlier, spring is now taking its time getting here!  I've been out riding several times earlier this spring, even back in early February, but the temperature is still hovering around the freezing point and won't be consistently up to even 10°C until a week tomorrow.  I may have to bundle up extra warm and get out a little anyway.  

I was hoping that all the bright green leaves of Daffodils, Hyacinths, and Primrose that appeared three weeks ago would start giving me photos to post, but except for the beautiful Dwarf Iris, all those spring flowers have the ability to just wait, so I guess I'll have to wait as well.

In the meantime, there's the fine clay dust problem.  The grit they spread on the roads here includes a background of fine clay dust that does not get picked up by the street sweeper.  It doesn't come off when I brush my tires either.  The result is tracks across the floors, which are dark hardwood.  It means I have to drive 10 or 20 loops on the driveway, leaving my tracks there before I come in.  We need a good heavy rain!

For now, it's still going down well below freezing overnight, as evidenced by the frost on the rooftops across the street.  No snow left anywhere, but we still get morning frost.  Sorry I haven't posted for ages - it's been a busy week!