On Monday, November 18th, the sun shone for most of the day and the temperature went up to 12 C, so just on the off chance, I checked the favourite spots for Clouded Butterflies and, to my surprise, I saw six of them. I had expected that the one I saw on November 14th would have been my last sighting. The Butterflies in My Back Yard Project asked participants to photograph all the butterflies they saw in 2024 and record their activity such as nectering on a plant and also record that plant species. My first sighting was a Mourning Cloak on April 7th but it flew away before I could photograph it, so my first recorded observation was the two Red Admirals on April 9th. Although my total observations was 2788, 1287 of these were Clouded Sulphurs, most of which (955) were seen between September 27th and October 30th, including one day with 61 of which 46 were in a field of clover and alfalfa. The next most common were Cabbage Whites (326), Northern Crescents (148), Monarchs (116), and Orange Sulphurs. The Clouded Sulphurs, like Cabbage Whites, have up to three broods in a year, which is why I observed so many. A total of 43 different species were seen.
On Wednesday Nov 20th eight of us hiked the Bayfield Woodland trail, which now has several maps along the way and some other improvements made by the Bayfield River Valley Trail Association work crew. Altogether, it was a very pleasant hike.
In the afternoon, I went to the Glencoe area where I caught a glimpse of two deer, and found a bird box occupied by a family of deer mice. In the pasture there were some Pleated Inkcap fungi, which are not normally seen this late in the year. On the following day, we watched a deer crossing over Sharpes Creek Line, and on the trail near Bishops Road saw two large birds fly off (probably wild turkeys).
On other recent hikes, we have come across quite a few recent windfalls, some of which were a little awkward to get across.
Notes
Monday December 2nd to Sunday December 8th the Maitland Trail is closed due to deer gun hunting.
Saturday November 30th 10 to 11.30 a.m. Mindfulness Walk This is a meditative walk on the trail – pause and explore mindfulness techniques, walking meditation and forest therapy. For more information and to confirm your attendance, please contact Tanya MacIntyre at redroofrecovery@gmail.com or text 519 616-3636. This is a level 1, slow pace, 1 1/2 hour walk.
Thursday December 26th 1 p.m-2.30 p.m. A Boxing Day hike or snowshoe on the Hullett Sugar Bush trails. Meet at 80602 Wildlife Line. To confirm your attendance email Patrick at pcapper99@gmail.com.
Tuesday Trompers meet at 9 a.m. on Tuesday to hike for about an hour. If you wish to be on this email list, complete the form on the MTA website (Events/Tuesday Trompers).
Midweek hikers meet at 9 a.m. and hike for 1 ½ to 2 hours on Wednesdays or Thursdays. Contact Patrick Capper at pcapper99@gmail.com.
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