Hamilton Wetlands and Forest

  Even when warm, August can have a hint of the autumn to come.  There were signs in the Forest this visit.  Patches of bracken fern are turning gold. Salal berries are ripe and tasty. The water level in the Marsh continues to sink.   Despite the warm morning, the dock remained a fine place to sit, admire the view, and enjoy a cheese sandwich and coffee.  Arrowsmith is now all but completely bare of snow. Leaving the dock, I took the loop trail, counter-clockwise.  The foliage is often quite different from that along the main trail. Birds will enjoy the fruit that is ripening in the cascara near the Marsh.  Along the trail, foliage is lush and mossy. A relatively uncommon (in this forest) licorice fern has sprouted from an also relatively uncommon sitka spruce. Since the forest was logged about 100 years ago, there are many nurse stumps, nurturing a variety of species. Salal and cedar appear to be a popular pairing. Deer fern appear along the wett...

  The summer has been comparatively mild, but the Forest and Wetlands still show stress.   Yew trees are uncommon in the Forest, and we've been watching this specimen with interest.  Unfortunately it looks as though it's feeling the lack of moisture.   Foam flowers are beginning to go to seed. It had rained during the night, and there was refreshing moisture in patches. A young cascara is flourishing despite the stresses of summer. We were happy to meet up with Ceri Peacey, the leading voice for the preservation of the Wetlands and Forest, and Obi, her sometimes reactive Australian Shepherd.   We had a pleasant chat, and Obi sat calmly throughout our visit.  We all told him he was a Good Dog!  I'm quite certain he needs to hear that. By the Marsh, the twinflower is leafing out--it had diminished in the course of trail maintenance earlier in the season. The sky promised rain, but unfortunately nothing fell where we were. The water level i...