North Miquelon Boardwalk, Beavers, and Blooms

Our first hike in the country this year, and talk about May flowers! It was the perfect day to see blossoms on our native fruit trees and the woodland plants and shrubs.

Here is the list of what the twelve of us saw in bloom today:

early blue violet (see right)early blue violet
wood violet
fairy bell
saskatoon (see above)
pin cherry
red currant
black currant
goose berry
dew berry
bracted honeysuckle
low bush cranberry
sandwort

We also saw a white tailed deer and a frog.

North Miquelon Boardwalk

Here we are on the smart new boardwalk that the trail maintenance team installed last week. The heap of boards at the bottom left is the old walk.

 

 

 

 

Poplar tree, a beaver's work-in-progress

As you know the beavers are very active in this area. This tree will not be standing upright for much longer. Here you see only the base of a really tall poplar tree. We did not linger for long.

Maintenance at Battle River

On Wednesday May 4th 10 of us cleared the trail from A62 east. One group worked from the campground at A62  to the end of the grassland, signing, clipping and mowing. One of the mowers died halfway back and had to be towed by the other.

A second group went in at RR210 through the road allowance to chain, clip and sign to the beginning of the grasslands and back.

A third group was to load up lumber and tools on the cart to fix the stile on the side of Rest and Be Thankful hill, except the wheels on the cart were forgotten so we carried it in only to find the fence gone and no need for a stile!  So like convicts ditch digging in a row, Brad and John picked and dug the side of the hill path to sort out the narrow slant (I mostly supervised), until it was decided to quit because of the heat.We will go back on a cooler day with more equipment and people.

So the two RR210 groups drove over to the campground and cleared trail going west in the cool woods.

We refreshed at McDonald’s in Camrose before heading back to town. Excellent work on a too hot day!

Karen B.