. . . we start seeing slime mold in the forest! No worries – it’s not about to take over. Here’s where the trail took me a few hundred metres beyond the interesting slimy stuff. This is Silas’ favourite swimming hole, but he chose not to go in for a dip today, which was fine with me. I don’t mind hosing him down after (although he minds being hosed), but I didn’t need the wet-dog smell for the rest of the evening!

It's spring in the forest

Slime mold

This trail starts at Egmont and goes all the way down to Halfmoon Bay; the plan is that it will eventually connect Egmont at the north end of the peninsula with Langdale at the south. The great feature of this trail is that it meets the highway every so often, so hikers can park at different spots along the trail, hike as far as they like, then return to their vehicles.

This is a great addition to our already wonderful trail system. We’ll be checking it out over the next few months and will be glad to direct guests to our favourite parts.

This is Silas in the woods.

This is Silas after a romp in the swamp.

Where's Silas?

Where's Silas?

Where's Silas?

Where's Silas?

Where's Silas?

Swallowtail on the sage

The colours of this butterfly resting on the sage blossoms were so striking this afternoon, and she was kind enough to hold still just long enough to have her picture taken. These are such beautiful creatures, and they’re with us for just a short time in the summer, I’m grateful whenever I can spend a few moments with them.

Owl near the deck

A huge bird flew over the deck the other evening, then settled on a tree not far away. The birds in the area – robins and black-head grosbeaks, mostly – went absolutely crazy, circling it and chattering non-stop, until it flew down the hill and settled on another tree. The birds didn’t stop their noise, so obviously it was still too close to their nests for their comfort.

I’m guessing this was a barred owl, although I wasn’t able to get a good look at its face.

Did you ever notice how many of the early flowers are white? I hadn’t, until a recent evening when I realized I was seeing white flowers everywhere (not pictured: the white blossoms of the blackberry).

Most of these are finished already, but they were just too beautiful to pass up.

Rufous hummingbird

We put up two more feeders this year, making a total of four, causing quite a feeding frenzy for a few weeks. Then literally overnight, the activity slowed to a near halt, which lasted a few days. Their numbers are increasing again; we can only assume the eggs hatched and the females are spending most of their days feeding the little ones and keeping them warm – not unlike what most new mothers of any species are called upon to do!

This feeder is directly outside one of our windows, giving us a perfect angle to catch them at what they like most: eating.

Maple blossom

It’s that time of year again, when the blossoms on the broadleaf maples are just about to open. These are edible; after a recent windstorm, we’ve been finding them everywhere, ready to harvest for adding to salads.

They have a sharp flavour, too sharp to be eaten on their own, but chopped up and added to salads, they taste like the perfect spring tonic.

]]> http://bluffhollow.wordpress.com/2010/04/01/an-addition-to-the-spring-salad/feed/ 0 Mushroom Annie Maple blossom http://bluffhollow.wordpress.com/2010/04/01/were-back-on-the-trail-again/ http://bluffhollow.wordpress.com/2010/04/01/were-back-on-the-trail-again/#comments Fri, 02 Apr 2010 02:32:24 +0000 shroomworks http://bluffhollow.wordpress.com/?p=166 ]]>

Blowdown on the trail

The loggers are almost finished behind us, and their work is far enough away that we feel comfortable directing our guests to the forest trail behind us.

We found a surprise, though, after one of our winter windstorms. The root of this blowdown is smack-dab in the middle of the trail – if we hadn’t known the area, we would have thought the trail ended right there. But if we climb over and around it, we can carry on as before.

This is typical of what our trees have to contend with. They’re essentially growing on rock, with perhaps a foot of soil in which to spread their roots. When a huge wind comes through at the right angle, the tree just doesn’t have anything to cling to, so over it goes.

Grouse near the house

Grouse aren’t known for their smarts – we’ve seen one saunter across our front porch, totally oblivious to the activity within, and Rick once saw one fly into the side of a parked vehicle – but they do know how to blend in with their surroundings.

This one was just outside our deck, unconcerned about the frenzied barking above. We can only hope it chooses to nest somewhere well away from eager canine noses (and that includes coyotes!).