20170625 PFN at KLT Ingleton-Wells
The Peterborough Field Naturalists (PFN) celebrated Canada’s 150th on the Stony Lake Trails. Fourteen members gathered at the Viamede Resort parking lot to get organized into groups. After some discussion it was decided that we go as one group with Evan Thomas explaining the trails and Sue Paradisis leading us to a vernal pool. Luckily we checked our smart phones for weather updates: radar showed an intense band of rain on the way. The group soon appreciated the courtesy of Viamede Resort as we waited and watched in awe while the storm roared by.
When the skies cleared we headed out for the walk. The Kawartha Land Trust (KLT) owns property that was donated in 2011 by Ralph & Carol Ingleton and Chris & Lynda Wells. This property is now a part of the Stony Lakes Trails opened up in 2016: refer to http://www.kawarthalandtrust.org for more info. For our PFN outing we walked the trails on the Ingleton-Wells property. Evan provided an excellent synopsis of the trails and their development and was very helpful in pointing out features along the way. Of course there was lots of stopping and looking for wildlife. As usual, birds topped the list: Cedar Waxwing, Indigo Bunting, Song Sparrow, Ovenbird, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Black-throated Green Warbler, Brown Thrasher, and Wild Turkey. Several more bird species were identified by the morning group. One of the afternoon highlights was the observation of several dragonflies along the trail with Widow Skimmer being the most common.
The wet weather during May to June certainly helped to prolong the life of the local vernal pool. Located a short distance from the KLT trail, this pool hosts a number of herptile species. Sue had been visiting the pool for several weeks and was able to direct our attention to the elusive salamander larvae. More easily seen were the Wood Frog larvae and some adult Green Frogs. After the pool we did the return loop to cap off a great afternoon on the trails.
(Photographed June 25, 2017 Stony Lake Trails near Viamede Resort, Stony Lake, Ontario, Canada)
Read MoreWhen the skies cleared we headed out for the walk. The Kawartha Land Trust (KLT) owns property that was donated in 2011 by Ralph & Carol Ingleton and Chris & Lynda Wells. This property is now a part of the Stony Lakes Trails opened up in 2016: refer to http://www.kawarthalandtrust.org for more info. For our PFN outing we walked the trails on the Ingleton-Wells property. Evan provided an excellent synopsis of the trails and their development and was very helpful in pointing out features along the way. Of course there was lots of stopping and looking for wildlife. As usual, birds topped the list: Cedar Waxwing, Indigo Bunting, Song Sparrow, Ovenbird, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Black-throated Green Warbler, Brown Thrasher, and Wild Turkey. Several more bird species were identified by the morning group. One of the afternoon highlights was the observation of several dragonflies along the trail with Widow Skimmer being the most common.
The wet weather during May to June certainly helped to prolong the life of the local vernal pool. Located a short distance from the KLT trail, this pool hosts a number of herptile species. Sue had been visiting the pool for several weeks and was able to direct our attention to the elusive salamander larvae. More easily seen were the Wood Frog larvae and some adult Green Frogs. After the pool we did the return loop to cap off a great afternoon on the trails.
(Photographed June 25, 2017 Stony Lake Trails near Viamede Resort, Stony Lake, Ontario, Canada)
