Udora, Ontario and a Red Maple Swamp: Early May 2020

William Snodden laid out village lots in 1854 and this place was called Snodden’s Corners. It was renamed in 1862 and legend has it that a local meeting was held to select a name. The chairman, soliciting suggestions, asked Dora Brethour and said “What about you, Dora?”

former schoolhouse
former schoolhouse
former United church

Local scenes, botany and birds:

Coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara)
Alternate-leaved Dogwood (Cornus alternifolia)
Marsh-marigold (Caltha palustris)
Poison Ivy (Toxicodendron rydbergii)
Lichen
Willow in seed
Nannyberry (Viburnum lentago)
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
American Robin
Blue Jay
Black-capped Chickadee
White-breasted Nuthatch
Red-winged Blackbird (male)
Turkey Vulture
Turkey Vulture
Turkey Vulture
Canada Geese family

Red Maple Swamp:

In the glaciated Northeastern North America, red maple is the dominant
species in swamps where soils are saturated or seasonally flooded from late fall through early summer in most years. Marshes are always full of water but swamps are only partially or intermittently covered with water.

The Toronto Field Naturalists own a property called the Jim Baillie Nature Reserve which is largely a red maple swamp. I had a good walk in it on this day:

Pileated Woodpecker drilling
size 14 boot imprint (mine) in mud

Some typical red maple swamp botany:

Red Maple (Acer rubrum)
Red Maple flower fallen on Balsam Fir
Red Currant (Ribes rubrum)
Goldthread (Coptis trifolia)
Skunk-cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus)
Dwarf Raspberry (Rubus pubescens)
Red Trillium (Trillium erectus)
Red Trillium (Trillium erectus)
Mountain Maple (Acer spicata)
Tamarack (Larix laricina)
White Birch (Betula papyrifera)
Ground Hemlock (Taxus canadensis)
White Cedar (Thuja occidentalis)
Balsam Fir (Abies balsamea)
Moss
Spotted Jewelweed (Impatiens capensis)
Common Spikesedge (Eliocharis palustris)
Common Spikesedge (Eliocharis palustris)

Here is a post of The Jim Baillie Nature Reserve which includes a short biography of Jim Baillie from May, 2019:

https://mileshearn.com/2019/05/29/jim-baillie-nature-reserve-may-2019/

NATURE POETRY

Let it rain in April and May for me,
And all the rest of the year for thee.   – Proverb

Miles Hearn

3 thoughts on “Udora, Ontario and a Red Maple Swamp: Early May 2020

  1. Pina

    Love these pictures. Ever thought of publishing a coffee table book? Or a series of bird posters or ducks or creeks or forests, buds , old quaint buildings, …. There is a lot of art in your photos. The Miles Hearn Collection. ….Have you thought of displaying some of these in an art gallery?

    Reply

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