I have to apologize for misquoting the time of the May 4th meditative walk as starting at 9.30 instead of the correct time of 9 a.m. Hike notices ask for the person to contact the hike leader to confirm their attendance which is advisable in case of incorrect information or a change of plans. Sometimes hikes are cancelled due to bad weather and sometimes a change in venue may occur. I scheduled one hike at Hullett, but had to change the venue when I found out it was on the day of a pheasant hunt. The BRVTA recommends checking their website in case of a change in plans.
There are more signs of spring with reports of some warblers in the area, Jack-in-the-pulpits are now up, Wild Geraniums are in blossom, False Solomon’s Seal are starting to blossom and some White Trilliums have turned pink.
The Garlic Mustard is also now in abundance, with a slight dent in the population on the GART made by a volunteer crew of seven led by Jen Morris.
On May 8th, I saw my first dragonfly of the year – a female Dot-tailed Whiteface. I have also seen an American Painted Lady and a Comma butterfly.
If your travels take you to the Midwest or Southeast regions of the USA, you may hear some very loud insect noises as cicadas from two different broods have a dual emergence. They are on a 13 and 17 year cycle which only happens every 221 years. Up to a trillion cicadas, each 2.5 cm long, emerge when soil reaches 18 C They live for about a month and are harmless.
Notes
The Bayfield River Flats is closed during construction of a pedestrian bridge, scheduled to be completed by the end of May.
Saturday May 18 9:00 a.m. Hike the Maitland Trail from River line to Sharpes Creek line. Meet at 80918 Sharpes Creek Line to carpool to River Line. Expect to take about 2 hours on this hilly section. For more information and to confirm your attendance, please contact Patrick Capper at pcapper99@ gmail.com. This is a Level 3, brisk pace, expect to take about 2 hours.
Saturday May 25 10:00 a.m. Millennium Trail. This is a Mindfulness Walk on the Millennium trail for approximately 1.5 hours – meet at the church on Mill Road in Goderich. For more information and to confirm your attendance, please contact Tanya MacIntyre at redroofrecovery@gmail. com. This is a Level 1, leisure pace, 1.5 hours.
Sunday May 26th 10 a.m. to noon A BRVTA Hike at the Huronview Demonstration Farm
All participants taking part in the Maitland Trail events should sign the waiver for 2024, preferably the online version.
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 hike for 1 ½ to 2 hours on Wednesdays or Thursdays, contact Patrick Capper.
Both groups meet at 9 a.m. and are open to non-members provided they sign the MTA On-line waiver.
If you have questions or something of interest for Trail Talk email me Patrick Capper at pcapper99@gmail.com.
Comments