Maples

The trees on Prince Edward Island continue to drop the last of their leaves. In exposed areas many trees are bare. 

In more protected areas, autumn splendour will continue for another few days. Meanwhile, we continue to enjoy the show.

Maple trees are among my favourites. Part of my love of that tree is its connection to the Canadian flag where the maple leaf takes centre stage. However, the main reason is due probably to the display the trees put on this time of year. The Rotary Friendship Trail has such a display.

There are a number of varieties of maple trees. The maple leaf on the Canadian flag is from a Sugar Maple, with its sharp points and rounded notches. These leaves can vary in autumn colour from red 

to yellow 

and orange. 

There are also Red Maple trees. These leaves have pointed notches and turn red in the autumn.

Maple syrup is harvested from Sugar and Red Maples in the spring. It is our favourite topping for pancakes.

The trails and paths are covered in maple leaves in some areas.

I also admire the determination of the maple tree. The top is gone from this one but the trunk sprouted leaves anyway.

Even in old age, this Red Maple tree trunk along the Bonshaw Trail is quite beautiful. 

There is so much to love about these trees.

Tree hugging

The last hurrah of summer with our daughter and our grandchildren was on Labour Day at Cavendish. School started the next day. We had a picnic lunch at Cavendish Grove which was in its late summer beauty. 

The picnic area was busy but we had a great picnic table in the shade where we had a leisurely lunch safely distanced from others.

After lunch my husband and I played hide and seek with the family. The children love this game and we often play it when they visit our house. It is a favourite of our three year old grandson but the girls enjoy it too. This setting was perfect since it gave us space to run. We limited our hiding area to the trees within a certain boundary. The adults had to hug the trunks or kneel behind them to hide. This past spring, I hid behind a tree trunk here in an effort to photograph the birds in the pond below. Now, as usual, the pond is dried up and has been for months. This time the whole family hid and had fun. Everyone ran around including Nanny and Poppy which the kids loved.

I leaned into the trunk of one huge maple as I hid behind it. Hearing the wind in the leaves, I looked up where light illuminated various areas of the trunk. 

Movement to the right caught my eye as a woodpecker hopped upward. I couldn’t capture a good photo. However, it was impossible being that close to a tree without noticing the trunk which provided a home for moss and lichens and who knows what lies beneath.

This tree is a natural wonder.

While we played, our daughter saw a frog jump near one of the girls and told the kids about it. All were interested in the little Wood Frog which their mom captured to show them.

The middle child held the little frog too. She always wants to hold the creatures we find. The other two were curious but not eager to hold it. The brave one placed the little creature on the lower part of a tree trunk where it was camouflaged.

We checked later and it was gone.

Afterwards we went to the beach where the water temperature of 16 C and the wind made it too cold for the children to swim so they played in the sand. Everyone enjoyed the last grains of summer.

New green

Our return visit to the Millman Road was under the new green of the canopy which stretches over the road in many places. This new green makes this time in nature on of my favourite times of the year.

We had lunch under the trees on an old road which has grown-in over the years. 

The old leaves from last autumn crunched under foot while all around us, new maple trees sprang upward out of the red soil.

This area has a green glow which inspires a sense of wonder. On this sunny but cold day, the tops of the trees swayed in the breeze making the shadows dance on the road. 

The birds flew from branch to branch too quickly to photograph but the greetings and songs filled the air. Conversation was superfluous.

The birch, mountain ash, maple and oak leaves were small but provided an ample canopy.

Buds of apple blossoms were on the brink of opening 

and other blooms already open provided a white ceiling to parts of the canopy. 

Ahhh...bliss!