Landowner Rights & Trail User Responsibilities

The Waskahegan Trail is a unique resource that exists only because of the generosity of landowners. Before you set foot on the trail:

  1. Know the landowner rights and the trail user responsibilities.
  2. Check the trail conditions

Our Beardtongues

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Alberta has at least twelve species of beardtongues (Pentstemon) in various colours, sizes, and range.

The Slender Blue Beardtongue (Pentstemon nitidus) is a 4 to 12 inch plant that features bands of densely-packed tiny flowers bright blue in colour with a tinge of purple at the stem end. Up close, the tubular flowers look like little blue trumpets.

On the trail, you will find Slender Blue Beardtongue growing in colonies along the edge of a woodland or in a damp meadow. They bloom from June through August.

Waskahegan Field Notes

From a distance, a mass of Slender Blue Beardtongues look like sapphires on stems. The brilliant blue with purple always grabs everyone’s attention and curiosity.

We have found the greatest variety of beardtongues on the Stoney Creek trail, including the lilac-coloured flowers below.

Sources

  • Linda Kershaw. Alberta Wayside Flowers.
  • R.G.H. Cormack. Wild Flowers of Alberta.
  • F.R. Vance, J.R. Jowsey, J.S. McLean. Wildflowers Across the Prairies.
Slender Blue – Cloverlawn
Slender Blue – Stoney Creek
Lilac coloured – Stoney Creek
Beardtongues (Pentstemon)

Stoney Creek Hike full of surprises

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In spite of the rain, and to the hike leader’s surprise, nine people came out to hike Stoney Creek. We met at the south access. Many had never hiked it from this point before. We found the grass lush and long, reaching the top of the legs. And it was wet. So, we all drove into Camrose and started the trail from the north end where there isn’t tall grass.

Surprise! The path soon turned into a dirt trail which was muddy and super slippery. (Lesson learned: It’s good to take a walking pole when you go hiking.) 

We managed to get to our destination with no injuries. And by then, the rain had stopped. But we decided that it would be better to continue south through wet grass than return on the slippery, muddy path. The hike leader phoned her husband and he agreed to pick up the drivers at the south end and bring them back to their cars on the north end. With that arrangement settled, we were on our way.

In the Drumheller-like terrain, another surprise—a lot of cactus flowers in bloom! When the trail was scouted a few days earlier, the flowering seemed to be over.

We also saw hawks, two blue herons, deer, and a deer skeleton, and two ruffed grouse flying onto and landing on trees. We ate some ripe saskatoons, dew berries and strawberries.

We finished the day eating ice cream cones from the stand at Mirror Lake in Camrose.

Thanks to everyone who came out and to the landowners for their continuing generous permission. There are no photos this week.

Where we’re going next.