Seventeen people came out on a lovely spring day to hike the section of Blackmud Creek in the Ellerslie area. Just like all the creeks in Edmonton, residential development has been growing on each side. This makes the creek accessible to a lot of people, but also vulnerable. Appropriately, the City has posted a lot of signage to educate walkers on the area’s ecology and sensitivity.
The people who live here have much to appreciate in the natural beauty the creek brings. At the same time, the wild creatures are standing their ground. At one house we walked by, there was a male mallard standing on a roof, looking very conspicuous.
And then we saw this coyote at the creek’s edge.
Right now we are in the middle of spring. The larches are starting to “leaf” out, so to speak, and the cones are budding. These are probably the earliest trees to show their green.
Thanks to Martha and her co-leader Mary for scouting the trail and leading the hike. You can see these photos and more on Flickr.
