|
The plant, shown here, was purchased at the 2001 Native Plant Sale. At the time it was advertised as either a blazing star, a columbine, an ironweed or some sort of ornamental grass !? It was planted in my back yard and for the first year remained a small nondescript, non-flowering plant. This summer however it made like Jack's beanstalk. By mid-August it was 7-8 ft. tall, still growing, and not yet in flower. The stems were stiff and smooth , much like a fiberglass fishing pole. Unless staked and tied back it tended to be as big around as it was high , and was trying to deny us entry to our deck. It was suggested to me that "the bush had to go!" It was donated to Nikki May since she is developing a native plant garden, and has a truck. Several people have suggested that it is a wild sunflower of some type. The closest match in Peterson's Field Guide is Helianthus giganteus, tall or giant sunflower. Any other suggestions? . Floyd Elliott. |
|
September Indoor Meeting This review is usually written by Earthway's editor-in-chief, Gord Catterson, who unfortunately was on holidays in Great Britain the night of the meeting. Unfortunately for the reader that is, since Gord has a photographic memory, near total recall, and always produces an accurate and informative review of the evening. In contrast, I have trouble remembering my phone number. To compensate for this I sat in the darkened meeting room and took copious notes,often losing track of what was being said in order to fully record the previous statement. Upon reviewing my notes a few days later I discovered them to be incomplete, incomprehensible hieroglyphics! So the following summary of Sandy's talk may not be exactly as eyewitnesses remember it. . LWI's September indoor meeting featured an illustrated lecture by Rondeau naturalist Sandy Dobbyn on the mammals of South Western Ontario, with an emphasis on the most misunderstood of these, the bat. . Sandy began by explaining that the current variety of mammals in our region has been greatly influenced in the last few centuries by settlement, deforestation and intensive agriculture. Some forest-edge dwellers like the white-tailed deer, coyote and the raccoon benefited and have become more numerous. Larger animals like wolves, black bears and elk, that need large areas of forest or savannah, disappeared from the region. He doubts the area ever had a population of eastern cougars. Infrequent sightings are escaped or released exotic pets, or the product of poor eyesight and over-wrought imaginations. Other species such as the Virginia opossum have been moving into our region as a result of global warming and milder winters. . Despite popular opinion that there are few wild animals in the flat, relatively treeless hinterlands of Lambton County, an amazing variety of rodents, small carnivores and insectivores are coexisting with us in prodigious numbers. Most are shy, furtive, burrow dwellers and/or nocturnal. We may rarely see the animal, but their dens, burrows, dams, lodges, tracks, scat etc. are all around for the observant to see. A few species are not the least bit difficult to find; squirrels and raccoons come immediately to mind. . The best example of a mammal that is all about us, but seldom seem is the much misunderstood and often irrationally feared bat . Sandy showed slides and discussed the 8 types of bats that can be found in various parts of Ontario: Little brown bat, big brown bat, eastern small-footed bat, eastern pipistrelle, northern long- eared bat, eastern red bat, hoary bat, and the silver-haired bat, with useful comments about their appearance and general behavior, and tips as to where and when we might find each species . e.g little browns like to feed over water and are usually the type that finds it's way into houses. Hoary and silver-haired bats can be seen catching moths near streetlights. Big brown bats eat beetles and if the bat population is large enough they can greatly reduce the need for pesticide use. . It was some of Sandy's general comments that I found most interesting, such as; * Some bats live 20 to 30 years. One bat was recaptured 32 years after being banded. * Bats are not blind, but their eyes are better adapted to seeing in the dark. They use echo location techniques similar to Sonar to locate their prey in the dark. They emit high-frequency, ultrasonic sounds, 40 to 200 times a second, which bounce back from flying insects and possible obstructions. Then, as Sandy said, the bat "does the math", alters course and speed and catches its prey in a membrane tail pouch. In flight, it eats the good bits from the pouch, and the victim's wings flutter to the ground. * In winter many bat species migrate south, others hibernate in caves and old mine shafts. This is true hibernation; heart-rate and breathing slow to once a minute and body temperature drops to just above the freezing point. * Fancy well made bat houses are not necessary. Several old barn boards nailed together with only narrow spaces between the boards (painted black to absorb heat from the sun) will do just fine. *Sandy suggested that it is not wise to pick up or handle bats. They will bite, and while bat rabies is perhaps not as wide spread as fox or raccoon rabies it is equally fatal if not immediately treated. . He also mentioned that Ontario is far behind the US and Britain in bat conservation and protective legislation. Perhaps a case of "out of sight, out of mind". . Floyd Elliott. Floyd is too generous. What passes for accuracy and completeness has more to do with readers who are very kind. |
October Indoor Meeting:
|
A large crowd of about 70 people turned out at the indoor meeting on October 28th to view a video made by the CBC on some underwater discoveries in the St. Clair River, with assistance from Norm Scott, and to listen to Norm expound on his interest in them. The video was made several years ago and was featured as the lead film for the CBC's 35th anniversary special. It has also been shown on PBS. . The time selected to make the video was mid-March, due to this being the optimum time for water clarity. However it is also the most hazardous time as there is free floating ice in the river and care had to be taken to ensure the divers were not endangered by the ice cutting air or safety lines. The owner of the boat involved was Don Gordon of Sarnia who was also the crew leader, and two divers Bob Docherty and Terry Dolbert. The first site visited was the wreck of the William H. Wolf, a 385 foot steamer built in 1868. She was originally constructed as a sailing vessel and was subsequently refitted for steam power. The vessel lies in 65 feet of water on the Canadian side of Fawn Island just south of Sombra. She had originally sunk on the other side of the river but was moved as a hazard. The video showed footage of the ship lying on its keel atop a sand bar and the pictures clearly revealed the riveted construction, normal in those days. Other shots showed the propeller, 12 feet across and weighing 6 tons. The wreck had collapsed on top of the prop. . The second site visited was in the Chanel Ecarte, the exact location a closely guarded secret. In this case the location was discovered by Norm himself, after 6 years of investigation. He said it was necessary to open the bridge to Walpole Island 2 month early in order to get in. The video revealed some wagons that apparently had sunk when crossing the ice. There are some four wagons lying in close proximity with some human remains beside at least one of them. The wagons were drawn by oxen and an ox skull was retrieved, which is now in the possession of the University of Windsor. It is believed that they went in the channel around the time of the war of 1812. Norm indicated that he first came across references to the incident in a letter to a military commander around that time, and which gave him the impetus to start looking. . All in all it was a fascinating look at some local history, generally unknown to the general public. Our thanks to Norm for an interesting presentation. Gord Catterson |
|
FYI Ontario has had drain legislation in place for over 150 years. The current statute, the Drainage Act , balances the rights of landowners living along water courses with the rights of property owners who do not have access to a stream or creek in order to drain their lands. This act is administered by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) and provides a legal means for the construction and maintenance of sufficient outlets to drain surface water. Ownership of these Municipal Drains remains with the owners of properties originally involved with the construction. However, local municipalities are responsible and liable for maintaining these drains and then distributing the costs over the properties located in the watershed. From The Drain Primer, a publication of the OFA, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, OMAFRA, MNR, Ducks Unlimited and the Drainage Superintendents Association of Ontario. |