“While the forest canopy is starting to awaken, it has not yet blocked the sunlight from reaching the forest floor where spring ephemerals such as bloodroot bask in its warmth,” notes Michael Runtz, after walking the trail in late April.
MFNC note:
You’ll see lots of Pussy willows near stop #7.
On a related note, Hummingbirds Canada has a suggestion they shared on Facebook how cattail fibres and the like collected in the spring can be used to benefit hummingbirds.
“Hummingbirds build their nests using soft, fluffy plant fibres from dandelions, poplar and willow catkins, milkweed fluff, and cattails. They choose whatever grows in the area where they are breeding.
These native and natural fibres are much better for hummingbirds than anything you can buy in a store and they are free. In early spring when the cattails are starting to come apart, I collect a couple to put in the yard. If you break the stems near the base, they can be pushed into the soil for free-standing access. Or you can put the fluff into a mesh cage and hang it in the yard. “
Trail maintenance is never ending!
We’ve now got a mountain of woodchips for distribution on the trail.
At the time of writing, there is a large tree down alongside the trail near stop #10. In view of the lockdown and since the tree is only slightly encroaching on the boardwalk but not blocking the path, our trail co-ordinators will wait until we can safely start working on the Goodwin Bay boardwalk and the Lookout Tower boardwalk. However, it may be trimmed by the time you read this! Photo: Betty Michalowski