A different harvest

Plop…

Plop…

Plop…

What’s happening here? 

It was the question on some walkers’ minds as they approached an area of the boardwalk in Summerside recently. Cones of a large spruce tree fell every few seconds from the top of the tree onto the boardwalk below. Some people walked around the area of the falling cones and continued along the way, others walked over the fallen cones, oblivious. My husband and I stopped to investigate. 

It didn’t take long to see the source of the falling cones. An industrious Red Squirrel was busy above, nipping off the cones and throwing them from its lofty perch. You can see it here.

Plop…

Plop…

The Red Squirrels along the boardwalk are harvesting the cones for their winter stockpile, just like humans harvest various crops this time of year. Harvest is well underway on all fronts.

I had noticed the area filled with cones the previous day and suspected a squirrel harvest but had no proof. 

Today was my lucky day however. One could have been hit by a falling cone without injury but my husband and I stood out of the way as we watched the proceedings. Later, the furry harvester would store the cones in its stockpile for the long winter ahead. Those of yesterday’s harvest look to have been secured already. Today’s harvest was quickly accumulating.

We laughed as we watched the busy squirrel flick the crop out of its paws. We felt privileged to see this harvest.

A new ride on a changed trail

My new E-bike has arrived finally and I am enjoying the ride. My husband and I rode around our neighbourhood before we headed further afield. It took me some time to adjust to the pedal assist, throttle and gears. It is lots of fun however and the day it arrived I felt like a child at Christmas. 

Then we had high winds, up to 89 km/h, 55 mph, which ruled out cycling for several days. When we were able to ride again, we took to the Confederation Trail. One month ago, when we rode this particular section of the trail, the scene was different.

Remember this old fence and the horses? 

The horses are not in this field as the fence is destroyed, probably a casualty of the wind storm. It was sad to see the old fence this way.

This was the trail last month, 

the green walls reaching skyward as we enjoyed the setting. A month later, 

the green is replaced with autumn colour, predominantly red, as the maples reveal their Canadian identity. The sight makes us stop periodically to take in the fleeting beauty. 

Many of the fields are already harvested and have been replanted for winter to prevent soil erosion. This field was harvested last month 

and seeded with grass which has grown well. 

The sound of water along the trail is unusual and again we stop. 

Ice has started to form on the water, a reminder our days of cycling are numbered for this year. It’s gotten a lot colder this last week.

There is something calming to the spirit about cycling. Although the physical effort can be demanding, riding with the wind in your face, the sound of the birds and the occasional sighting, eyes on the trail ahead and the vegetation all around, are all exhilarating. The spirit absorbs the essence of the experience. You can call it the effect of endorphins, but I like to think the spirit recalls the experience and provides a sense of well being. I can’t wait to go again.

Harvest

It’s harvest time. The potato trucks head to fields or warehouses. Tractors cause Prince Edward Island’s version of traffic jams. Tractors work with diggers

and harvesters in the fields and in tandem with trucks which carry off the starchy tubers.

Field by field, ingathering is underway. The island grows 25% of the potatoes consumed in Canada every year.

Trucks take the product to the warehouses where crews remove any remaining soil and rock from among the vegetables.

Potatoes are stored until they are shipped for processing or to market.

On the fields, feathered friends enjoy the remains of the summer’s efforts. Canada geese enjoy their time in the fields after the harvest but for grasses not potatoes.

Gulls enjoy the newly harvested fields as well for the juicy insects unearthed when the fields are dug.

The last photo shows a field of pumpkins in the distance. There are less pumpkins there than a few weeks ago.

Happy Hallowe’en.