Down on the farm

The Confederation Trail on Prince Edward Island travels mainly through the centre of the island, an area which is farmland. Industrial farms and remaining family farms come into view as we ride the Trail. Fields sometimes appear to go on forever as they stretch over the countryside. Now crops are beginning to emerge from the rich red soil.

Horses and cows/cattle are a common sight along the trail. I always stop to watch and admire the beauty of these animals. On a recent visit to the area of Grand Tracadie, these horses looked so peaceful as they grazed on the family farm. In the distance clover fills the field.

In and around Darlington, PEI, there are several farms with horses. Young foals in the fields were curious as we rode by. The older animals had more pressing needs.

Another day, before I saw cattle, I heard a flock of birds, starlings for sure. Then through a break in the trees, I noticed a herd walking through a field. I stopped to watch and listen to the birds and a young calf stopped to watch me.

The animals we encounter are often as curious about us as we are about them.

Further along, the main herd had settled in around their water source and frenzied starlings visited around them. 

In the pond, a female Mallard and her ducklings swam, unconcerned about the cattle nearby. It was an idyllic setting.

On the way back through the same area, what looked like a cattle trailer cut across the trail from a nearby field. 

Some of the cattle may have been headed to market. The reality of farm life for these animals is not idyllic though these cattle are not raised on a factory farm. They looked content in the pasture.

Country life is one of the reasons I love Prince Edward Island.

Wild and wonderful

The trails this time of year are bordered with wildflowers which always catch my eye. As the weeks go by, the succession of plants makes any trail look new. I always stop and take in the wild beauty along the way which makes any walk slower. However, these moments of beauty give even the most familiar places, an element of surprise and wonder.

Part of the parking lot near the boardwalk has a natural border of Spreading Dogbane now. It is such a welcoming sight.

St. John’s Wort is blooming along the trails now 

and Ox-eye Daisies are always appealing.

Queen Ann’s Lace is beginning its tenure 

as well as wild roses.

Bindweed always surprises me with its pretty bloom but I wouldn’t want it in my garden. It is an invasive species and is notoriously difficult to eliminate.

The areas with combinations of wild beauty competing for position along a trail are among my favourite places.

Vetch and purple clover join many wild floral scenes. 

There are over two months of this wild beauty left along the trails. I look forward to it!

Fields in August

On a recent drive through the countryside on Prince Edward Island, my husband and I stopped to observe the colour and appearance of crops on both sides of the roads. 

Rural Prince Edward Island is farmland, rolling hills or flat land and along the coast, the sea is the backdrop. 

Haying has been underway for some time now

and potato fields are in bloom, 

as are the canola plants.

 Or is it canola? It is hard to tell these days, as farmers are also planting mustard which looks like yellow blooming canola to the untrained eye. 

Mustard plants are a natural fumigant to pests such as wire worm which damage potato crops. Farmers grow the brown mustard plants, then plow them under. During decomposition, the plants release the bio-fumigant into the soil which controls and kills insect pests. Such natural pest control is great for consumers.

We recently saw another unusual plant in the fields as well. This one is buckwheat, 

which has the same effect as the mustard plants. Both buckwheat and mustard plant blossoms are attractive to bees. Honey production is increased in areas where these plants grow. 

Meanwhile, wheat is a dusty straw colour 

and so is barley. 

I find it impossible to identify them from a distance.

Clover, a cover crop used in crop rotation to help restore nutrients to the soil, is in bloom as well. The purple fields line roads and shoreline.

The most curious discovery was a field of peas, a new crop for the island, to supply a new processing plant in western PEI.

These are a fraction of the crops grown on the island. However, the expansion of the industry to include peas and the bio-fumigant properties of and bee preference for mustard and buckwheat plants are all great news. Now if we only had some rain!