Trail Talk May 27th 2026

There are now many reports recording an increase in Ontario people being bitten by ticks.  Until this year I have never had more than one tick bite in the year, but this year I have had three. The second one was well imbedded so I went to the emergency department and had it removed. I was also given an antibiotic prescription. A few days later I had my third tick bite and, as recommended, I used tweezers to grab the tick and pulled it out and washed the affected area with soap and water and then disinfected my skin and hands with rubbing alcohol.

The few days of very hot weather ensured that even the Black Walnut trees came out in leaf.   There was also a magnificent display of crab apple blossoms on the twenty crab apple trees on Highway 4 near Huronview. They were planted in 1967 as a Millennium project.  Unfortunately the blossoms quickly faded in the hot weather.

Near the Auburn end of the Maitland Trail there was a patch of wild Blue Phlox were in bloom.  These have five petals and are much smaller than the garden variety. Dame’s rocket which has four petals is just starting to blossom, and it is often mistaken for a five petal Phlox.

I have seen many Northern Azures, these small butterflies look pale blue when flying but are white when they land and fold their wings. As I expected some Cabbage Whites are out and about. What I did not expect to see was an Orange Sulphur which I usually don’t see until mid July.  At Hullett I saw a Great Egret, these birds used not to be very common in our area, but now are regularly seen.  I noticed that the Hullett bird checklist had not been recently updated so did not include the Great Egret.

Other interesting sights at Hullett have been some dragonflies. They usually look rather dull until they land.  However, when I take a close up photo of them,  I can see some wonderful colours and patterns. Two new species for me this year were a Spiny-baskettail and a Four-spotted skimmer. Both species are rarely reported in iNaturalist in our area. E.g the skimmer had only been previously reported in Hullett in 2019 and the next closest report was in the Pinery.  The rarity could be for several reasons, such as they don’t often land so it is difficult to photograph them, or not many people photograph dragonflies, or maybe they are genuinely uncommon in our area.

The registration for the Maitland Camino event on September 19^th and 20^th opened on May 16th and by May 21^st over half of the 300 maximum enrolments had been filled.  The options include a two day hike of 30km and 20km , or lesser distances on one of both days.

Saturday May 30^th 11 a.m. Mindfulness Walk and Forest Therapy Meet at the Millenium Trail in Goderich, Nelson Street entrance. Designed for those who want the benefits of meditation but prefer to move. We’ll be moving slowly and silently together for 20 minutes to the first river lookout where we’ll stop to chat about the benefits of mindfulness and forest therapy, enjoy the beautiful vistas of the Maitland River, and head back to the entrance – maybe hug a tree on the way out. Please leave your pets at home; dogs are already very zen. For more information and to confirm your attendance, please contact Tanya at redroofrecovery@gmail.com or text 519-616-3636. This is a level 1, slow paced meditative walk.

Saturday May 30^th 11 a.m. for those who want to meditate closer to Bayfield Join the BRVTA  for a Meditative Hike on the Sawmill Trail. BRVTA are happy to have Jen Pate lead this inaugural hike. Please register by email or phone to Ralph Blasting at rjblastingjr@gmail.com or 519-525-3205. Meet at the entrance to the Sawmill trail at the end of Sawmill Rd.

Saturday May 30^th 1.30p.m -3 p.m. Learn about native trees and shrubs We will start at 77759 London Road and look at 36 native trees and 12 native shrubs as well as some non-native ones. Then go for a brief visit to the Clinton Conservation area and Woodlands Arboretum to view some more plants. For more information and to confirm your attendance, please contact Patrick Capper at pcapper99@gmail.com. This is a level 1, leisurely paced 1.5 hour hike.

Saturday June 6^th 10am – 11.30am cycle the G2G from Auburn to Blyth Start at 113 km to Guelph marker at Auburn. Go to parking area at south end of Hardwood Line. From Main Street (Goderich Street) of Auburn, turn south on Hardwood Line. The road ends at the G2G Trail. The distance is 10 km one way. After a rest, we then head back to the start.. For full details contact Sally Brodie call/text 226-378-1648. This is a level 1 beginner bike ride with crushed gravel trail.

Saturday, June 13, 2026 9am-10.30 a.m, Hike the Maitland Trail and Robertson Tract Trail.  Meet at the bottom of Bridge Road in Auburn. This section does not have any significant hills, but meanders along the Maitland River. For information and to confirm your attendance, please contact Patrick Capper at pcapper99@gmail.com. This is a Level 1, moderately, brisk paced hike.

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

LIFE hikers meet every Friday for a hike of about 1 1 /2 hours, with a choice of pace, striders moving a little faster than the strollers.  The hikes now start at 9a.m. and can be joined through One Care.