Trail Talk 376 - August 13, 2025

On Tuesday Auguust 5^th I joined 21 other Trompers at the Wawanosh Valley Conservation Area trails.  Along the trail there is the best group of wildflowers I have ever seen which is where I took a photo of the group.  At 9.15 a.m. there was a hummingbird clearwing but only one butterfly in the distance.  I returned at 10 o’clock to this patch of wildflowers and there were six butterflies in the area. On the way back, a Northern pearly eye landed on my trousers. I assume it thought I was a tree. Even after I touched it, it re-landed on my trousers, which was still too close to photograph. This was the first time that a butterfly has ever landed on me. Further down the trail two deer came down the trail, but quickly disappeared.  When I got home and went to the bottom of our property a mourning cloak landed on my short sleeve, again too close to photograph.

I have seen several hummingbird moths this year. Other interesting moths include the polyphemus moth which we saw on a hike on the Millennium Trail. There is a similar large cecropia moth which I have never seen.

I see large numbers of moths, which are more common than butterflies. Moths are common even when the sun is not shining and the weather is cool.  I most often see small ones that quickly disappear under a leaf so are difficult or impossible to photograph.  Some people set up infrared lights and nets and record hundreds of moths. Moths unlike butterflies never fold their wings, and most of them flutter more than butterflies when flying.  Even so, I still sometimes think the black Virginia ctenucha moth is a butterfly until it lands.

I love the names of some of the moths including the clover looper moth, the confused haploa moth, the small magpie moth, the red-headed inchworm moth, the common metarrathis moth, and the white-spotted brown. You might see some caterpillars, the best known are the “tent caterpillars” Malacosoma americanum, also common are the ones with spikes such as the hickory tussock moth (white with black dots) and the isabella tiger moth (black and orange).   Recently, if you have tomato plants, you might come across the tomato hornworm, which turns into a five-spotted hawk moth. Caterpillars are one of the main sources of food for many birds, especially when there are hungry young ones to feed. According to a study by Douglas Tallamy, chickadee parents need to find 350 to 570 caterpillars every day, depending on the number of chicks. Multiply that by the 16 to 18 days it takes to fledge, and that’s a total of 6,000 to 9,000 caterpillars to bring a clutch of chickadees to maturity.

Notes:

The Maitland Trail entrance at 80918 Sharpes Creek Line is now closed due to work on the planned southwards expansion of a gravel pit. A reroute has been completed which heads south soon after the trail crosses Bishop’s Road and comes out on Sharpes Creek Line about 1.7 km further south, which increases the length of the Maitland Trail to 53.3 km.

 The Menesetung Bridge across the Maitland River in Goderich is now closed to pedestrians and cyclists until an expected completion date in November. Registration for the Maitland Camino Sept 20-21 is closed.

Sharpes Creek Line is now reopened to traffic.

Upcoming Events:

Saturday August 23^rd 10 am -12.30 pm bicycle ride at Inverhuron. For more information and to confirm your attendance, please contact Donald Andrew at 519-530-9019 by calling or texting. This is a level 2, easy paced bike ride.

Saturday August 23^rd 10 am BRVTA hike at Naftel’s Creek Conservation Area trails

Saturday, August 30, 2025 11am-12.30pm Mindfulness Walk & Forest Therapy Meet at the Millennium Trail in Goderich,

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 paced meditative hike.

Hike the Maitland Trail in Four days: These hikes are at level 2-3. For car shuttle arrangements and to confirm your attendance, please contact Patrick Capper at pcapper99@gmail.com.

1) Friday, August 29, 2025, 6 -8 pm  - 7 km Mill Road to Jenkins. Meet at Jenkins at 6 PM to car pool to the end of Mill Road and hike a short distance on the Sifto Loop to the main trail - finish at 8 PM (sunset is 8:07 PM). This is a moderate fast pace hike. This is a Level 1 hike.

 2) Saturday, August 30, 2025 9 am-3 pm - 22 km Jenkins to Sharpes Creek Line. Meet at Sharpes Creek Line near the solar panel opposite Fernhurst Glen Road. Bring a lunch to this hike. This is a moderate fast pace hike.

3) Sunday, August 1, 2025 9 am-12.30 pm - 9 km Sharpes Creek Line to Boundary (Robert Edgar) bridge. Meet on the south side Londesboro west of the guard rails at the Robert Edgar bridge to carpool to Sharpes Creek Line. This is a moderate fast pace hike. Scheduled Hikes for Period | August 1 - November 30, 2025 Scheduled Hikes continued.

 4) Monday, September 1, 2025 9 am-noon - 13 km Boundary (Robert Edgar) Bridge to Auburn. Meet at the end of the bridge road in Auburn to carpool to Boundary Bridge. This part has the most road walking.

Tuesday Trompers meet at 9 a.m. on Tuesday to hike for about an hour. If you wish to be on this email list, see the Tuesday Trompers page (under events) on the MTA website.

Midweek hikers meet at 9 a.m. and hike for 1 ½ to 2 hours on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Contact Patrick Capper at pcapper99@gmail.com