The joy of summer

Prince Edward Island is a windy place though in the heat and humidity of summer, the island breeze makes it bearable. Two days this past week however, we had winds approaching 70 kilometres an hour. It was hard to keep a hat on unless it was tied down. We walked early those days, as usual, glad for the breeze in spite of its velocity.

It was interesting to watch the birds on such days. On the way to the boardwalk, one would know from the flock of landed gulls that the wind was high. They stand into the wind as did the two Black Ducks 

and two Yellowlegs in the salt marsh that day. One female Green-winged Teal was too hungry to care about the wind.

On a calmer day, a Great Blue Heron was feeding just outside the marsh in the bay, in the same area as in the first photo. 

Quite a difference in conditions those two days!

Later that same morning I saw five other Herons along the north shore of Bedeque Bay. One was particularly beautiful, 

standing on its own, watching for its breakfast to swim past. Two others were preening as a gull flew over.

While the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker chicks appear to have fledged this past week, squirrels have been entertaining us. I have watched them among the trees in the same area 

and have seen them carrying peanuts away from the nearby bridge where walkers leave them. One squirrel was barely visible along the forest floor, carrying a nutty treasure.

By the time I arrived at the bridge myself, a man was passing out peanuts to the Blue Jays and other birds in the area. I watched as a squirrel came along to take a peanut and head back to the same area I had come from. 

Our golden grand-dog has spent an extra long weekend with us this past week and will be leaving for home later today. We will miss her.

If a senior wants to stay active, a dog is one way to do it. Some days we did two walks, trying to use up some of that young dog energy. As I’ve written before, Daisy will keep retrieving a thrown ball, stick, or frisbee until your arm drops off. 

We always walk the Confederation Trail with Daisy, letting her off lead when we can.

The section of trail we frequent doesn’t have as many apple trees as other parts of the trail. However, this crabapple tree is loaded with apples already though we haven’t tried them.

The wildflowers along the trail always catch my eye.

Also, the buckwheat growing in several fields along the route is in full bloom 

and looks so beautiful through a hedge of wildflowers. 

The wheat, rich in colour now is easily recognizable from the trail.

Finally this week, after spending so much time with Daisy, I realize how much joy she finds in the simple things. 

I wish you such joy!

Welcome June!

This past week was a busy one as we cleaned windows inside and out, started work in the garden and visited the garden centre. Fewer walks were the consequence but the days we walked were exceptional. We witnessed the beauty of the leaves opening over a few days and the new green of late spring took hold.

This was the scene along a trail in the Rotary Friendship Park in Summerside on last Friday, May 30.

On Monday, May 26, this was the same scene. 

The area looked bare in comparison on Wednesday, May 21st.

Witnessing the change in the leaves over nine days has been a privilege as the new green of nature awakens for another growing season.

On the forest floor, a sighting of a Painted Trillium is a rare treat. I have only ever seen two others in my years on the island.

Also on the forest floor, thousands of Star Flowers are blooming between tufts of grass. 

Canada Mayflower is beginning to bloom and will look beautiful when the buds are all open. 

False Solomon’s Seal may bloom this coming week.

Early last week, Serviceberry shrubs were in full bloom in the understory of the forest. The blooms may not have survived the high winds of this past weekend. We shall see later this week. 

A Hairy Woodpecker appeared in a tree along a trail one day, and I watched with interest, wondering if the hole was the entrance to Woody’s nest.

Male Mallards are spending time alone these days as the females are nesting.

Along the boardwalk, new Red Squirrels are out and about, not afraid to approach people, like their parents before them.

Finally, we were fortunate this past weekend the torrential rain of Saturday and the high winds of Sunday didn’t happen on the same day.

On Sunday, the white caps on the muddy sea indicate high winds.

Enjoy the first week of June!

Ducky days

The weather turned cold this past week and for several days the wind was high. For a second week, the absence of Great Blue Herons is noticeable. However my husband and I walked the boardwalk as usual and had a ducky week there watching the Mallards and Black Ducks. 

The salt marsh is home to a flock of mixed ducks these days, since the water is slow to drain out of the marsh due to the dam of seaweed at the mouth of the stream. 

Mallards add the most colour to the marsh, the males with their green heads and the females with their beautiful markings.

A pair of Black Ducks have been long term residents of the marsh, but this past few months, they have increased in number as the marsh has flooded.

This smaller duck is not a common sight this late in the season. 

Another rare sight here is this hybrid duck, with green marking on the sides of its head and combination of Mallard and Black Duck markings on its body.

The scene from the nearby bridge can look different depending on the cloud cover, the wind and the tide. 

These two photos were taken just over a week apart at the same location.

Winter jackets have been moved to the front of the closet this past week. Temperatures in the low single digits now take some getting used to, as the hats and gloves make walking more comfortable. Snow one morning didn’t accumulate but was a reminder of what lies ahead.

Meanwhile, a nearby street which two weeks ago was golden,

has lost much of its glow but kept its character. 

Along the boardwalk, many of the trees are leafless now. Only the Tamarack/Larch has any golden colour these days, always later to change than the deciduous leaf-filled trees.

One day this past week, the temperature rose to 16 degrees Celsius among days of 5 degrees. That afternoon my friend Liz and I went for a walk along the beach in the Evangeline area not far from Summerside. Afterward we sat in our chairs on the beach and enjoyed our pumpkin spice coffee, brought in our thermos from home.

We sat near a stream that trickled into the sea which lapped the shoreline. A piece of driftwood was a reminder of the power of the sea. Such a day so late in the season was a pure gift of nature.

And on a colder morning, a Red Squirrel was busy collecting seeds from an evergreen along the way as we walked the boardwalk. Winter preparation is upon all of us!

Have a wonderful week! 

Early June

We’ve had another week close to home working in the garden. Between trips to the garden centre, when weeding filled the day, sore muscles made the next day a chore. The vegetable plants will go in the garden this week.

On lists of healthy dietary must haves these days, kale often makes the cut. I planted kale last June and left it in the garden late fall. Well, fall became winter and those six kale plants weathered the worst Prince Edward Island could throw at them. This spring, when I expected mush where the plants were located, healthy plants greeted me. I swear, kale will be the last plant on earth after the apocalypse.

Garlic, planted late October, will be ready next month 

and rhubarb is plentiful, enough to share with friends. Rhubarb contributed to a great birthday cake recently.

In the flower bed, the nine bunches of peonies we are tending are in bud, waiting for a wind storm to bloom, at least that’s what always happens. They are our favourite blooms though they only last a few days every year.

Under the patio deck, a new generation of robins learned the sad truth about crows raiding nests in the area. The robins abandoned this beautiful nest after the crows ate their eggs.

When we did walk the boardwalk this past week, Dame’s Rockets had popped up along the shoreline. 

Ferns are unfurled now and are a welcome addition to the greenery. Chokecherry trees are in bloom and the trail is lined with them.

Meanwhile, a mama Red Squirrel was in a feeder, taking time to eat before returning to her babies.

It was a busy week but a lovely one in June.