To the west

We were prepared to put our bikes away but a rare November 12 C day enticed us to go cycling again. My husband and I continued westward on Prince Edward Island, beginning at Portage. No need for warm clothing this day. The slight southerly breeze was warm and fall clothes were sufficient. The sun never exposed itself for the day, merely hinted at an appearance.

This section of trail has many flat straight stretches through areas of bog and farmland. The bogs are rimmed by juniper/larch trees which are pretty as their needles respond to the darker days and cooler temperatures. 

The deciduous trees are naked, spent leaves covering the woodland. Grey branches and trunks predominate and contrast with the browns of tall grasses and bulrushes.

White birches stand out in this setting.

The bare branches expose wasp and bird nests, curiosities now that their former residents have moved on. 

A cat stops to watch the two seniors approach on bikes. 

Further along the trail, a Ruffed Grouse follows a companion across the trail. I stopped for the first one, and while I waited for my husband, the second one sauntered across as well.

It was well camouflaged in the vegetation along the trail.

An old house on Jack-a-Point Road has seen better days. The roof could provide a roller coaster ride. The house doesn’t look that old which poses the question as to what caused its current curvaceous shape. 

One also has to wonder about the name of the road. 

On the way back to the car, we stopped for a breather. We had cycled thirty kilometres and were tired as we looked around. The light was typical of November but the stillness of the day was not. It was perfect!

Juniper

Tamarack or larch trees are known as juniper trees on Prince Edward Island. Juniper is present throughout the island in mixed forests like the one we visited recently in Breadalbane. Juniper is a deciduous cone bearing tree or conifer, losing its needles in the autumn after they turn a golden colour. 

 

As we walked under some juniper trees, the needles fell on and around us. The ground in those areas was covered in yellow needles.

 

Juniper is the hardest and strongest of the softwoods. It is also resistant to decay and as such is a popular wood for poles, posts and railway ties. There was a time when shipbuilding was big business on the island and juniper was a preferred wood for use in the industry.

 

Another interesting feature of the juniper tree is its intolerance to shade. The trees can grow up to sixty feet in height and in a mixed forest, they must be in the over story or they die. In keeping with their intolerance to shade, junipers prune themselves.

 

One half to two-thirds of the trunks of the tall trees will have empty branches with the needles only on the top portions. 

It is a unique tree and a versatile wood which gives a mixed forest a glorious crown this time of year.