Canard Valley Conservation Area

Today, I ventured out with the Naturalized Habitat Network for a hike through the Canard Valley Conservation Area.  This winter has been quite mild so far, and it was a muddy hike!

Kentucky Coffeetree grow in this woods, but I'm not very familiar with this tree and we didn't identify any on this hike. The Nature Conservancy website tells me that the area is home to a hybrid trout lily - definitely a place to revisit in a few months' time.

Ironwood - Ostrya virginiana

I learned this tree as the ironwood, so named as it is a dense wood.  It is also known as hop-hornbeam for the hop-like fruits.  This tree prefers well-drained soils and will tolerate shade.  The nuts provide nourishment for finches, downy woodpeckers, and rose-breasted grosbeaks 1.

"hops" of the hop-hornbean tree

Ironwood (right) with possible swamp white oak

This ironwood is growing in close association with what might be a swamp white oak (Quercus bicolor). The leaf of the swamp white oak has more shallow lobes than that of the burr oak.

swamp white oak leaf

Down in the floodplain area, the Dan Bissonnette pointed out a bladdernut (Staphylea trifolia). These pods contain small seeds and they rattle in the wind.

Bladdernut

Bitternut hickory

These buds are from the Bitternut Hickory (Carya cordiformis).  Another name for this tree is the sulphurbud hickory, in reference to the bright yellow buds 1.  The bitternut nuts are apparently indeed bitter, and wildlife will eat them only as a last resort.  Also note my new handmade mittens, hehe :)

Prickly Ash

Here are the bright red buds of the prickly ash (Xanthoxylum americanum).  Although this shrub is listed as an "Ontario weed", I planted it in my own garden last year... It is indeed prickly and has a tendency to form thickets - but, it is also food for the caterpillar of the Giant Swallowtail butterfly.

This conservation area is also home to a hawthorn thicket (Crataegus spp.).  While not much to look at now, this thicket may be good bird habitat in a few months.  The thorns provide protection, while the fruit is food for cedar waxwings and robins 2.

And in case you didn't know, poison ivy means business here in Canada's banana belt...

poison ivy vine

References:
1. Waldron, G. (2003). Trees of the carolinian forest: a guide to species, their ecology and uses. Ontario. Boston Mills Press.


2. Blouin, G. (2004). Weeds of the woods: small trees and shrubs of the eastern forest. Halifax, NS. Nimbus Publishing Limited.