Ottawa | Naturally Ottawa

Death and Life of a Forest Tree

Do not mourn the passing of a tree. Disturbance is a natural and necessary part of the life of a forest.

Francis/King Regional Park lies on the outskirts of Victoria, British Columbia. On Saturdays, as a boy, I would often pack a lunch and ride my bike out past the suburbs and fields. I would labour up the long curved hill to the parking lot, and then spend the day exploring the trails. Just inside the edge of the forest beyond the main trailhead, a large, fallen tree lay rotting on the woodland floor. Moss and lichens, ferns, wildflowers, and seedlings of every sort rooted themselves in the damp, pulpy wood. A nearby sign read, “Nurse Log”. A profusion of other saplings and young trees grew in the sunny gap where the old matriarch had laid down her life.

Do not mourn the passing of a forest tree.

Forests recycle nutrients very efficiently. Long before a tree ever falls in a forest, other organisms have already begun to consume it: ants and beetles burrowing into the wood; fungi spreading their hyphae through the living and dead tissue. Down on the forest floor, the decomposition accelerates. More fungi and bacteria reach up from the soil to colonize the fallen log, secreting enzymes to digest the wood. Microscopic nematodes follow, grazing on the bacteria, fungi, and each other, while likewise providing prey for insects. Snakes, salamanders and small mammals hide and hunt through the decaying log. Mosses, lichens and herbs take root, escaping the thick leaf litter on the forest floor. Seedlings and saplings nestle in the damp, decaying wood. All the while, the old tree slowly sinks and spreads, returning to the earth from which it sprung a lifetime earlier.

Yellow Birch Rooted in a Decomposed Stump

The death of a forest tree not only supports new life, but it opens space for that life to grow. Sugar maple, that beautiful queen of Canada’s eastern deciduous forest, casts a deep shadow over her subjects. Left undisturbed in the canopy, she monopolizes the sunlight. In her deep shade, her offspring blanket the forest floor. Only a few equally shade-tolerant trees possess the patience to wait her out: trees such as the graceful beech — slender branches questing outward for wayward flecks of light — and the amicable basswood, sprouting oversized leaves to capture the pale, green glow from above. Only her death frees them to reach for the sun.

In the language of forest ecology, the death of a canopy tree by cutting or natural causes initiates a process of single tree replacement. More often than not, in eastern and northern hardwood forests, sugar maple wins the race to fill the small gap. A cohort of seedlings springs upward into the space. Soon a few dominant saplings subdue the rest and fight for light, until only one remains. The gap provides insufficient light for less shade-tolerant species to overcome the advantage of sugar maple. Consequently, over time, single tree replacement tends to reduce the diversity of the forest canopy.

Single Tree Replacement in a Sugar Maple Forest

Only a large disturbance opens the canopy sufficiently to break the dominance of sugar maple. Sometimes the collapse of a particularly large tree brings down several other trees, opening a moderate gap that favours semi-shade tolerant trees like red oak, yellow birch or white pine. Periodically, a thunderstorm will unleash a local, violent microburst, breaking or flattening dozens of trees. In such a large gap, species like large-tooth aspen, white ash, and black cherry may find a favourable niche. In rare instances, a larger event — a tornado or a hurricane — will flatten many hectares of forest, creating a clearing in which early-successional species like trembling aspen and white birch may spawn solid thickets and stands.

Blowdown at the Britannia Conservation Area

In time, the canopy will close and again cast the forest floor into shade. Maple seedlings will carpet the ground, ready to fill the gaps left by other trees. The forest will slowly return to its pre-disturbance state. Forest ecologists call this pattern of equilibrium, disturbance, and succession “gap dynamics.” Across the vastness of eastern North America’s deciduous forests, it maintains their marvelous diversity. It maintains a patchwork of habitats, large and small, for wildlife. It promotes the long-term stability and sustainability of the natural landscape.

Of course, we might find such a detached, scientific view hard to maintain when faced with the devastation of our favourite, local patch of forest. We think of our favourite woodlands as static. Someone might follow their favourite trail between the same towering pines for a lifetime, never perceiving their slow, incremental growth or decline. The loss of favourite tree or grove can strike like the loss of a dear friend. We grieve for them and for ourselves.

Hopefully we can find comfort in the knowledge that in a forest, every death brings new life. Perhaps we can find perspective and solace in the irrepressible force of life that continues regardless of loss, of change, of time? I doubt that any trace remains of the old log that lay in forest of my youth. But I know that its legacy continues.

Marlborough Forest — Part Two, the Jock River

On one of the first warm weekends of spring, I loaded a Vrtucar with my canoe, bicycle, and canoe trailer, and I headed to the Jock River. Leaving the car at Jock River Park in Richmond, I hooked the trailer and canoe on the bike and cycled into a stiff breeze out of the Village along Franktown Road. The gravel shoulder provided plenty of room for comfort, although sections remained soft from the previous day’s rains. A left turn on to Green’s Road and a right on to Jock Trail Road eventually took me to Munster Road, just a few meters from where it crosses the Jock River, 12 km by canoe from the Village. I hauled the canoe off the trailer and down the embankment, packed the bike and trailer in front, and set off down river.

A calm river curves between a wooded shoreline and a grassy shoreline, reflecting the blue of a clear sky.; — The Jock River at the Munster Road Bridge

A bicycle and canoe trailer are packed in the bow of a canoe, which is pointed downstream on the flat water of the Jock River.. — Canoe Packed with a Bicycle and Canoe Trailer

Some people, perhaps, might not consider the Marlborough Forest to extend as far north as the Jock River. For several kilometres, however, the river winds through the swampy north end of the Richmond Fen — the large, provincially-significant peatland that occupies much of the north half of the forest. In the spring, when the creek spills its banks, the swamp appears like some southern bayou, with huge red and silver maples rising from the water to spread overhead like the arches of a cathedral. Blackbirds and grackles call incessently and flit overhead. Wood ducks, mallards, and even a few a teal shelter in back bays and sunlight-dappled pools. Flocks of Canada geese rise noisily from the channel ahead of the canoe as I come around a bend. The scene is both ancient and timeless.

Looking downstream, the river channel curves into a dark band of bare trees. — The Jock River Entering the Richmond Fen Swamp

Cedar trees lean over the water from the bank of the Jock River. — Cedars Beside the Jock River

I can hardly imagine the hardships faced by the early settlers of Richmond and its surroundings in the early 19th century. Initially settled in 1818 by demobilized British and Irish soldiers of the 99th Regiment, the village languished for a long time, with little construction or settlement. According to histories of the area, the well-known settler Hamnett Pinhey said of Richmond in 1832, “if you get into it in the Spring, you can’t get out till Summer; and if you get into it in the Fall, you must wait till the Winter…”. The difficulties rose in large part, no doubt, because of the low, boggy land through which the Jock River runs. Much of that land has since been effectively drained for agriculture. However, even today, the swamps bordering the Richmond Fen extend far north of Franktown Road, and new developments on the low, west side of the village rely on sump pumps for dry basements.

A dilapidated farm building sits on a high bank beside the Jock River. — Farm Building

Brown grasses and sedges cover a partially flooded peatland in the Richmond Fen. — Richmond Fen Peatland

All of that swamp, however, plays a critical role in protecting the Village of Richmond, the suburb of Barrhaven, and much of the intervening farmland from serious flooding. On this particular spring morning, with the river running high, the main channel almost vanished in the swamp as the water flowed outwards into the forest, backwaters, and old oxbows. Spreading placidly over hundreds of hectares, the water slowed and calmed, like a charging bull finding itsef suddenly in a grassy meadow. Why the hurry? Further downstream, at the bottom end of the swamp, the water lazily eased back into the channel again, before running down some last riffles into the village.

Floodwaters flow out of the channel of the Jock River into a flooded swamp. — Floodwaters Spilling from the Jock River into the Richmond Fen Swamp

Floodwaters flow from the channel of the Jock River into a flooded swamp. — Floodwaters Spilling from the Jock River into the Richmond Fen Swamp

The Rideau Valley Conservation Authority has calculated that the wetlands in its watershed reduce peak flood levels by at least 10% by the time they reach Ottawa. More recent work by the Credit River Conservation Authority and Ducks Unlimited shows that local benefits — such as the influence of the Richmond Fen on the Village of Richmond — can be much greater. In fact, the influence goes much further downstream. Many of the new neighbourhoods and homes bordering the Jock River in Barrhaven simply could not be built safely without the protection provided by the Richmond Fen.

A wide lake of floodwaters spreads toward a distance stand of trees beside the Jock River. — Floodplain of the Jock River in the Richmond Fen

Floodwater surround trees in the Richmond Fen swamp along the Jock River. — Floodplain of the Jock River in the Richmond Fen

After a long winter, however, the poetic virtues of the swamp have more immediate appeal than the practical benefits: the warmth of the sun through the bare trees, the squak of a blue heron rising ahead, the dance of tree swallows over the water, the reflection of a silver maple in a glassy pool, the unfurling of a fern, the bright green of new grass and sedges on the shore. I dawdled down the river, detouring up side creeks and under the railway bridge into the moat (the “lagg”) surrounding the open fen. Whenever possible, I set down my paddle and leaned back with my elbows on the thwarts drifting with with the current and watching for turtles. A Cooper’s hawk passed overhead. A snapping turtle slid reluctantly into the stream. A carp swirled from the weedy shallows into the deeper water. The river carried me along.

A large silver maple reflects in a backwater pool in the Richmond Fen Swamp. — Silver Maple, Richmond Fen Swamp

Tree swallows perch on an isolated snag in the Richmond Fen. — Tree Swallows, Richmond Fen

Young ostrich ferns unfurl amidst tender leaves of trout lilies. — Ostrich Fern and Trout Lily, Richmond Fen Swamp

The Jock River meanders between marsh meadow in the Richmond Fen Swamp. — Jock River, Richmond Fen Swamp

The Marlborough Forest – Part One

Ottawa’s largest natural area lies in the south end of the City, largely unknown to most residents. A 200 km2 patchwork of forest and abandoned homesteads, swamps and fens, dusty forestry roads and claustrophic thickets — it hides off the beaten path, protecting its secrets. Only one road crosses it, Roger Stevens Drive, which bisects it from east to west. Dwyer Hill Road skirts in and out along its west side. A few other public roads probe the edges, ending either in cattails or locked gates. One doesn’t stumble upon the Marlborough Forest; a visit requires purpose and intent.

A moss-covered, cedar rail fence decays on an fieldstone wall along a trail in the Marlborough Forest. — Cedar Rail Fence — Marlborough Forest

A city-owned, heritage log farmhouse lies under a grey sky on a farm in the Marlborough Forest. — Heritage Farmhouse – Marlborough Forest

For much of the year, the Marlborough discourages exploration. In winter, winds stream bitterly across flat peatlands and old fields, sculpting snow into ripples and waves, and piling it deep under bare hardwoods, while deer seek shelter in dark groves of cedar and spruce. In spring, meltwaters pool behind beaver dams, submerge roads and trails, and turn tracks into clay quagmires. In summer, plagues of mosquitoes and deer flies swarm in the hot, dry air to torment both human and beast. In autumn, the crack of hunters’ rifles warns against casual hiking.

The wind sweeps across the snowy expanse of the Phragmites Fen. — Phragmites Fen – Marlborough Forest

And yet, the Marlborough offers moments sublime and increasingly rare. The low, winter sun glinting off deep snow may highlight the tracks of a fisher crossing between trees or an otter crossing between creeks. A humid and buggy trek through a swamp may lead to the open, fresh air of a fen, where orchids rise from pale green sphagnum like small, purple flags. In the stillness of a darkening, plum sky, bats may flitter along the edge of a clearing, while whip-poor-wills call plaintively.

An endangered eastern prairie fringed orchid grows in a fen. — Eastern Prairie Fringed Orchid – Marlborough Forest

A close-up photograph of bog rosemary in the Phragmites Fen, Marlborough Forest. — Bog Rosemary – Marlborough Forest

A common nighthawk hides in plain sight in a rocky clearing in the Marlborough Forest. — Common Nighthawk – Marlborough Forest

An enlarged and cropped version of the previous photograph shows the common nighthawk blending into the rocky clearing. — Common NIghthawk – Enlarged

Perhaps because of its isolation, any intrusion on the quiet of the Marlborough feels more agregious. In the sharp winter air, the whine of snowmobiles announces their presence minutes in advance. In the murmur and buzz of a summer afternoon, the grumble of ATVs stalks the forest like a disgruntled bear. Nonetheless, the Marlborough has survived because of its history of public use. More than half of the forest lies in public ownership, a legacy of Ontario’s Agreement Forest Program.

A snowmobile trail crosses a field in the Marlborough Forest. — Snowmobile Trail, Marlborough Forest

The Agreement Forest Program ran from the 1920s until 1998. The program aimed to repair the damage done by the previous 150 years of deforestation in Ontario. On abandoned lands — lands stripped by poor logging practices, scratch farms, and wildfires — the Province began a program of reclamation and rehabilition. Many of Ottawa’s protected natural lands date from this time: places like the Cumberland and Larose Forests in the east, the Marlborough Forest in the south, and the Torbolton Forest in the west.

Sunlight lluminates a pathway through conifers along the Cedar Grove Trail. — Cedar Grove Trail, Marlborough Forest

The Cedar Grove Trail, off Roger Steven’s Drive, provides a pretty introduction to the Marlborough Forest, ideal for a sunny winter day of snowshoeing or skiing (https://ottawa.ca/en/residents/water-and-environment/air-land-and-water/greenspace#south). This short trail circles a small lake and takes about 1 – 2 hours to complete at an easy pace. En route, it passes over a short weir, crosses a meadow, and threads through hardwood and cedar forests. At first, the forest seems quiet, except perhaps for the distant buzzing of snowmobiles. But a few minutes of walking and listening soon corrects that perception. Chickadees and nuthatches twitter and flit among the trees, always ready to alight on an outstretched hand for peanuts and sunflowers seeds. Downy and hairy woodpeckers tap in the treetops. Pileated woodpeckers hammer deeper in the woods. With a deep “croak” and the susurration of wings, a raven passes overhead.

Two boys hold out seeds for chickadees in the Marlborough Forest. — Feeding Chickadees – Marlborough Forest

Roger’s Pond, Cedar Grove Trail, Marlborough Forest.

Other life remains hidden behind the cedars or sheltered under the snow. The tracks of white-tailed deer, squirrels, and hares cross the trail. The delicate footprints of a white-footed mouse emerge from a tunnel beside a log and end at a small pile of seeds. Under the pond ice, beavers venture from their lodge to retrieve twigs from their food pile. Under the clearer ice by the weir, a close eye may find water beetles still hunting in the gently flowing stream.

A line of deer tracks runs back into a stand of small conifers. — Deer Tracks – Cedar Pond Trail, Marlborough Forest

An rough shelter provides a resting place along the Cedar Grove Trail. — Hiking Shelter – Cedar Grove Trail, Marlborough Forest

I haven’t visited the Cedar Grove Trail outside of winter, but I imagine it equally as lovely. I’d opt for autumn, after the mosquitoes and deer flies, when the golden foliage along the pond should glow against the darker conifers. I can picture a frosty early morning walk, with the sun just touching the down of milkweeds in the meadow, perhaps a delicate rime on the leaves and grasses, and a beaver silently creasing the pond toward home. A faint mist might lie on the water. Along the forest edge, the sun might catch the flash of a white tail, as a deer vanishes into the wood.

Wetlands

Wetlands receive very little respect in literature. J.R.R. Tolkien, in particular, seems to have had low regard for them.

“The ground now became damp, and in places boggy, and here and there they came upon pools, and wide stretches of reeds and rushes filled with the warbling of little hidden birds. They had to pick their way carefully to keep both dry-footed and on their proper course. At first they made fair progress, but as they went on, their passage became slower and more dangerous. The marshes were bewildering and treacherous, and there was no permanent trail even for Rangers to find through their shifting quagmires. The flies began to torment them, and the air was full of clouds of tiny midges that crept up their sleeves and breeches and into their hair…. They spent a miserable day in this lonely and unpleasant country. Their camping-place was damp, cold, and uncomfortable; and the biting insects would not let them sleep. There were also abominable creatures haunting the reeds and tussocks that from the sound of them were evil relatives of the cricket. There were thousands of them, and they squeaked all round, neek-breek, breek-neek, unceasingly all the night, until the hobbits were nearly frantic.” — The Fellowship of the Ring.

Tolkien later takes Frodo, Sam, and Gollum into the Dead Marshes, an even more unpleasant place by his description — where bog gasses flicker like will-o-wisps and corpses lie preserved in fetid pools.

Tolkien, that tweedy professor, clearly had never stood in a deer track in an open, sunny fen with a breeze stirring the drooping reeds, dragonflies and damselflies dancing overhead, sedge wrens rattling in the rushes, and dense spikes of orchids rising from the spongy, peat mat. He’d never paddled a canoe at dawn through a flooded cathedral of maples or bald cypress, watched by a wary heron. He’d never sat beside a marsh at dusk, flipping a plug toward the lily-pads and watching a beaver crease the copper reflection of sunset on the water.

A woman meditates on a deck overlooking a wetland in the Four Seasons Conservation Forest, Deep River — Wetland, Four Seasons Conservation Forest, Deep River

The sun sets on the Upper Poole Creek Wetland. — Upper Poole Creek Wetland

I spend more time in wetlands than most people, both for work and pleasure. Unlike Tolkien’s poor hobbits, I have accepted the two inevitabilities of happy wetland exploration: water and bugs. I embrace the first. Unless hypothermia threatens, boots and hip-waders are better left at home. A pair of old runners — “bog shoes” — and long pants tucked into socks make for easier and more enjoyable wading. I tolerate the second, helped by slatherings of picaridin or DEET. With walking stick or paddle in hand, I follow the windings of marshy channels, clamber and slog through alder and ash swamps looking for fens, or pierce dense spruce thickets and ford moat-like laggs to stand upon a bog.

Reknowned naturalist, Michael Runtz, walks ahead along a deer trail in the Phragmites Fen. — Entering the Phragmites Fen with Michael Runtz

Wetlands, much like coral reefs or rainforests, display life at its most exuberant. They literally overflow with the most precious substance in the universe, water: H2O, that wondrous, bipolar, lipophobic molecule; miraculous solvent; force of nature; cradle of creation. From the smallest plants on earth to some of the largest, life rises upwards from wetlands. Scoop a handful of marsh water from a canoe and see life swimming and writhing in your palm. Stand within a circle of reeds, close your eyes, and hear hidden life rustle, hum, buzz, and sing about you. Raise your face to the emerald canopy of a red maple swamp and watch life transform sunlight into substance.

The autumn sun shines on an open marsh meadow and maple swamp. — Maple Swamp and Marsh Meadow, Stony Swamp

Ottawa and the Ottawa Valley differ from much of Southern Ontario in that they retain most of their original, pre-European wetlands. Other areas south of the Canadian Shield have experienced the loss of up to 95% of their wetlands to urbanization and agriculture. In addition to the direct loss of wetland habitat and biodiversity, these losses have robbed the landscape of much of its ability to retain water, nutrients, and pollutants — contributing to a array of environmental problems, including toxic algal blooms in Lake Erie. In Ottawa, where about 60% of our original wetlands remain, the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority has calculated that they reduce peak floodwater elevations by about 10%. In doing so, they protect property and homes in both the rural and urban area.

A great blue heron flies over a marsh. — Restored Wetland, Carp River Floodplain

Circumstance rather than foresight has protected Ottawa’s wetlands. Although protections now exist for much of the City’s wetlands, all of the larger wetlands bear the scars of previous attempts at drainage. Even in Mer Bleue, an internationally significant RAMSAR wetland, abandoned drainage ditches and channels cut knife-like through the 10,000 year-old bog, easily visible on Google Earth. Many of these attempts failed simply because the land proved too flat to drain efficiently. Flat or near-flat plains of shallow limestone bedrock and clay cover about 2/3 of the City’s landscape, often pockmarked by shallow depressions. Even where larger creeks and rivers, like Bearbrook or the Carp, have carved channels, they often flow slowly through wide floodplains lined by old oxbows, backwaters, and marshy swales.

An aerial photograph shows a long ditch bisecting the Mer Bleue bog. — Mer Bleue Ditching

A marsh lies in the floodplain of the Mississippi River. — Mississippi River Wetland

Since the mid-20th century, in fact, Ottawa’s wetlands have made a come-back, in large part thanks to the resurgence of beavers. For nearly 200 years, beavers had become rare in the Ottawa Valley, eliminated in the 17th and 18th centuries by the combination of the fur trade, uncontrolled logging, and agricultural land clearing. By the end of the fur trade in the mid-19th century, the focus of trapping had shifted far west and north. Around the 1950s, however, beaver populations began to recover and to rec0l0nize their old ranges. At the same time, marginal farmlands had been abandoned across eastern North America and forests began to regrow, providing food for returning animals. In Ottawa, historical aerial photography shows beavers re-settling the area through the 1970s and 1980s, with populations reaching a peak in the mid-1990s.

A beaver lodge and food pile sit at the edge of thicket swamp. — Beaver Lodge and Food Pile

Signs of beavers appear everywhere, even in the heart of Ottawa. A walk along any one of the City’s larger urban creeks is liable to reveal a dam or a lodge tucked into a quieter reach. Stony Swamp, in the National Capital Greenbelt, contains the popular Beaver Trail, and Mud Lake, in Britannia, provides a favourite location for photographers seeking that iconic image of a beaver at dusk.

In the dusk light, a beaver lodge is silhouetted against the grey lake water, with a pine-covered shoreline in the background. — Mud Lake Beaver Lodge at Dusk

A large snapping turtle rises for a breath of air at Mud Lake. — Mud Lake Snapping Turtle

The real impact of beavers, however, has been felt in the rural area — both for good and ill. That long-time chronicler of Ottawa’s natural history, Dr. Fred Schueler, has suggested that the return of beavers may be responsible for an apparent resurgence of threatened Blanding’s turtles in the region. In fact, many scientific studies have demonstrated the immense benefits of beaver ponds and beaver meadows for biodiversity: for everything from bugs and bats to moose and wolves. However, those benefits seem poor consolation to a farmer who has seen acres of his grandfather’s fields and woodlots turned to marsh and swamp. Sometimes the costs of those societal benefits come at the expense of individual landowners, with no compensation. Given the robust health of Ottawa’s beaver population, I cannot fault a farmer who feels the need to trap a beaver — although I might suggest some more effective solutions.

A beaver deceiver protects road culvert. — Beaver Deceiver Protecting a Road Culvert

Ottawa’s residents enjoy access to every type of wetland: marshes, swamps, bogs, fens. The City of Ottawa has left some more sensitive areas, like the Phragmites Fen deep in the Marlborough Forest, protected by its own natural barriers. But other features can be reached by trail, boardwalk, or path. Mer Bleue and Stony Swamp, in the National Capital Greenbelt, receive the most visitors. But the Trans-Canada Trail, west of Stittsville, offers lovely views over marshlands. Petrie Island, in Kanata, provides a popular destination for photographers and birdwatchers. The Crazy Horse Trail, in the Carp Hills, winds between beaver ponds, swamps, and small fens.

A blue sky shines down upon a floating fen in the Shirley's Bay area. — Floating Fen

A patch of flowering sundews grows on floating log. — Sundews

A purple pickerelweed grows in shoreline marsh. — Pickerelweed

A low, evening mist blankets a spruce swamp. — Misty Swamp

A solitary, pink rose pogonia rises from a fen mat. — Rose Pogonia

A marsh lies nestled amidst the trees of Gatineau Park. — Gatineau Park Wetland

Unlike forests and grasslands, which tend to grow quieter as the sun rises higher, wetlands carry on through the day, as one group of animals replaces another. Just as the dawn frog and songbird chorus begins to ebb, the turtles emerge cautiously on to basking rocks and logs. Soon dragonflies and damselflies dart amongst the reeds. A muskrat preens itself, while an ermine hunts along the shoreline. Tree swallows chatter and sweep over the pond. The afternoon hums with the sound of bees visiting pickerweed and joe pye weed. A great blue heron freezes in the shallows, then spears a green frog. The evening sun closes with the horizon and the fringing willows and alders cast long shadows across the marsh. As the sun sets, a woodc0ck begins to buzz somewhere close by, while an American bittern starts to grunt deeper in the cattails. With a ripple, a beaver breaks the surface and glides into the darkness.

A male red-winged blackbird clings to a cattail in the Dows Lake marsh. — Red-winged Blackbird, Dows Lake

An ermine peers out from some brush in the Upper Poole Creek wetland. — Ermine, Upper Poole Creek Wetland

A common yellowthroat sings from a willow shrub. — Common Yellowthroat

A close-up photograph of a white water lily. — White Water Lily

A dragonfly perches on a shrub in a fen. — Dragonfly in a Fen

A garter snake slithers across a floating pond lily leaf. — Garter Snake

A green heron perches in a tree at the Beaver Pond in Kanata. — Green Heron, Beaver Pond, Kanata

A leopard frog sits at the edge of the Snye Wetland. — Leopard Frog, Snye Wetland

A close-up photograph of an orchid called Swamp Pink. — Swamp Pink

Dawn in the Carp Hills

I revisit the Carp Hills several times each year. Spring, of course, when the white-throated sparrows sing, the morning dew beads on the spider webs, and the snakes and turtles come out to bask. Summer for the scent of pines. And autumn for the colours.

Dawn comes in pinks and blues at Lovers Pond in the Carp Hills. — Dawn at Lovers Pond, Carp Hills

I turned out early this morning, driving west across Ottawa with the sky paling slowly behind me. A short hike across the barrens took me to Lovers Pond, where I sat on grey gneiss and watched the sun rise peach and turquoise behind the pines.

Dawn colours reflect in the still water of Lovers Pond in the Carp Hills. — Dawn Reflections, Carp Hills

Sunrise touches the autumn trees along the Lovers Pond. — Lovers Pond at Sunrise, Carp Hills

A red maple glows in the morning sun. — Red Maple, Carp Hills

Morning sunlight catches on a young staghorn sumac. — Young Staghorn Sumac, Carp Hills

On the return home, I stopped at the Carp River restoration area, where I watched a northern harrier hunting over the marsh, and added a Hudsonian Godwit to my life list.

A cluster of milkweek seeds clings to an open seed pod. — Milkweed, Carp River Restoration Area

An Hudsonian godwit feeds in a muddy pond in the Carp River Restoration Area. — Hudsonian Godwit, Carp River Restoration Area

Wildlife

An eastern pondhawk dragonfly clings to a reed. — Eastern Pondhawk – Snye River

A common raven struts beside a road in Ottawa South — Common Raven – Ottawa South

A monarch butterfly with spread wings feeds on the green flowers of a plant — Monarch – Ottawa Valley

A lilypad clubtail rests on the side of a canoe — Lilypad Clubtail – Mississippi River

A big brown bat lies revealed on a stone in the Carp Hills — Big Brown Bat – Carp Hills

A widow skimmer dragonfly clings to a reed. — Widow Skimmer – Snye River

A map turtle perches on a deadhead along the Ottawa River at Shirley's Bay — Map Turtle – Shirley’s Bay

A black-capped chickadee perches on a twig at Mud Lake — Chickadee – Mud Lake

Hudsonian Whiteface, Four Seasons Conservation Forest, Deep River

A spotted sandpiper hunts along the shoreline of the Carp River — Spotted Sandpiper – Carp River

A family of otters looks back curiously from a beaver pond in the Kaladar Rock Barrens — Otters – Kaladar Rock Barrens

A bullfrog sits in the water beside the floating mat of the Wylie Road Fen in Deep River — Bullfrog – Wylie Road Fen

Redpolls feed on spilled seed on the snow below a feeder in Gatineau Park — Redpolls – Gatineau Park

A leopard frog sits in the shallows of pond — Leopard Frog – Ottawa Valley

A beaver swims across a lake in Frontenac Park — Beaver – Frontenac Park

A orange and black stink bug sits on a daisy beside a road in Deep River — Stink Bug and Daisy – Deep River

A smooth green snake slithers across a bed of grey lichen in the Carp Hills — Smooth Green Snake – Carp Hills

A hand holds a baby snapping turtle. — Baby Snapping Turtle – Mud Lake

Two map turtles bask on a log in the Rideau River — Map turtles – Rideau River

A brilliant red and green leafhopper sits on a leaf in Algonquin Park — Leafhopper – Algonquin Park

A garter snake slithers through dried leaves at the Macoun Marsh outdoor classroom, Ottawa — Garter Snake – Macoun Marsh

A black duck swims in the Rideau River — Black Duck – Rideau River

A warty American toad lies amidst the moss and leaves in Algonquin Park — American Toad – Algonquin Park

A butterfly and a honeybee feed on newly opened willow flowers — Butterfly and Honey Bee

A great spangled frittary suns itself on the forest floor in Deep River — Great Spangled Frittary – Deep River

A red dragonfly rests on a leaf — Dragonfly

A great blue heron takes flight from a marshy shoreline. — Taking Flight – Snye River

Slug, Four Seasons Conservation Forest, Deep River

A mink frog peaks from the water in marsh along the Chalk River — Mink Frog – Chalk River

An eastern comma and a daddy longlegs sit on a sensitive fern leaf at the Rockwood School swamp in Pembroke — Eastern Comma and Daddy Longlegs

A beautiful wood duck drake floats in the Rideau River — Wood Duck – Rideau River

An eastern forktail damselfly perches on a reed along the Mississippi River, Ontario — Eastern Forktail Damselfly – Mississippi River

A great blue heron hunts in a shallow marsh on lower Constance Creek. — Great Blue Heron, Constance Creek

A common snipe stands on a bank of organic muck in Manion Long Swamp — Common Snipe – Manion Long Swamp

A chipmunk perches on a stump in Deep River — Chipmunk – Deep River

A blue jay sits on the snow along the Lime Kiln Trail in Ottawa's Greenbelt — Blue Jay – Lime Kiln Trail

A snapping turtle lays her eggs on a railway embankment in the South March Highlands — Nesting Snapping Turtle – South March Highlands

A painted turtle balances on knot on a floating log in the Mississippi River, Ontario — Painted Turtle – Mississippi River

A broad-winged hawk perches on a branch deep in the foliage of Norway maple along the Rideau River — Broad-winged Hawk – Rideau River

A whitetail deer doe stares toward the camera from a wooded slope in Frontenac Park — Whitetail Deer – Frontenac Park

A musk turtle hisses as it is held between a thumb and fingers. — Musk Turtle – Snye River

A small painted turtle surfaces in a stream in Deep River — Painted Turtle – Deep River

A great blue heron hunts in the shallows of the Rideau River — Great Blue Heron – Rideau River

A garter snake curls up in dry leaves and grass in the Kaladar Rock Barrens — Garter Snake – Kaladar Rock Barrens

A mallard drake preens himself on the Rideau River — Mallard – Rideau River

A bullfrog hunkers down in the silt on the shore of the Mississippi River, Ontario — Bullfrog – Mississippi River

A longnose gar basks in the shallows at Shirley's Bay. — Longnose Gar at Shirley’s Bay

Stream Bluet, Chalk River, Petawawa Research Forest

A large green and black dragonhunter sits on a board beside the Chalk River — Dragonhunter – Chalk River

A close-up photograph of the head of a Blanding's turtle basking in the Carp Hills — Blanding’s Turtle – Carp Hills

A chalk-fronted corporal sits on a board in Deep River — Chalk-fronted Corporal – Deep River

A cow and young moose feed in the shallows of a marsh in Algonquin Park — Moose – Algonquin Park

A green heron perches in a tree along the Rideau River — Green Heron – Rideau River

A milk snake curls up defensively somewhere in Ottawa's Greenbelt — Milk Snake – Ottawa Greenbelt

A school of longnosed gar bask near the surface in a pool along the Snye River — Longnosed Gar – Snye River

A bumblebee feeds on purple clover — Bumblebee on Clover

Eastern Pondhawks in a Canoe, Muskrat River Wetland

A butterfly feeds on milkweed in Deep River — Butterfly on Milkweed – Deep River

A common snipe stands on a log amidst reeds in the Upper Poole Creek Wetland — Common Snipe – Upper Poole Creek Wetland

A map turtle basks on a log in the Rideau River. — Map Turtle on the Rideau River

Two painted turtles bask on the shoreline along the Rideau River — Painted Turtles – Rideau River

An adult milk snake warms itself on the pavement of a bicycle path. — Milk Snake on a Bicycle Path

A dot-tailed whiteface dragonfly rests on a lilypad. — Dot-tailed Whiteface – Snye River

A black and yellow swallowtail butterfly rests on grey lichen in the Carp Hills — Swallowtail – Carp Hills

Four iridescent common grackles perch in a tree beside the Corkstown Bridge over the Rideau Canal — Common Grackles – Rideau Canal

A bumblebee feeds on lupins in the Rockwood School Swamp, Pembroke — Bumblebee on Lupin – Rockwood School Swamp

A large, mottled brown northern water snake slithers from the water across a rocky shoreline somewhere in the Madawaska Highlands — Northern Water Snake – Madawaska Highlands

A common whitetail sits on a board in Deep River — Common Whitetail – Deep River

An osprey perches high in a tree overlooking the Rideau River — Osprey – Rideau River

A brilliant ring-billed gull perches on the top of a snag on the Rideau River — Ring-billed Gull – Rideau River

An enormous snapping turtle straddles a large log as she basks in the spring sun along the Rideau River — Snapping Turtle – Rideau River

A butterfly feeds on a purple flower along a roadside in Deep River — Butterfly on Flower – Deep River

A European skipper rests on raspberry leaves in a clearing in Deep River — European Skipper – Deep River

Two turtles bask on a protruding snag near the bank of Constance Creek. — Turtles Bask Along Constance Creek

Compton Tortoiseshell, Four Seasons Conservation Forest, Deep River

A barred owl sits in the lower branches of a fir tree in the Four Seasons Conservation Forest in Deep River — Barred Owl – Four Seasons Conservation Forest Deep River

A screech owl basks in the early morning sun in the entrance of its nest in an old snag — Screech Owl – Mud Lake

A snowy porcupine munches on twigs on a warm, winter day in the South March Highlands — Porcupine – South March Highlands

Five Canada geese fly over Green Lake on a misty spring morning — Canada Geese – Green Lake

An ebony jewelwing rests on a sunlit leaf in Deep River — Ebony Jewelwing – Deep River

A groundhog looks into the camera in thicket beside the Rideau River — Groundhog – Rideau River

A close-up photograph of the head of a basking painted turtle in Frontenac Park — Painted Turtle – Frontenac Park

A bohemian waxwing sits in the branches of a tree beside the Ottawa River — Bohemian Waxwing – Ottawa River

A wing print in the snow marks where an owl swooped down to capture a mouse — Owl Wing Print – Ottawa Valley

A close-up photograph of a smooth green snake in the Carp Hills — Smooth Green Snake – Carp Hills

Black Bear Track, Four Seasons Conservation Forest, Deep River

A green heron hunts in the reeds along the Carp River — Green Heron – Carp River

A white admiral butterfly lands on a rotting white birch log — White Admiral Butterfly – Deep River

Spruce Grouse, Spruce Bog Trail, Algonquin Park

A moose grazes along Highway 60 in Algonquin Park — Moose, Highway 60, Algonquin Park

A close-up photography of longnosed gar basking near the surface of a pool in the Snye River — Longnosed Gar – Snye River

Canada geese rest in the shallows of Lac Deschenes on the Ottawa River, while dozens of white-sailed boats race in the distance — Canada Geese and Regatta – Lac Deschenes, Ottawa River

Monarch Caterpillar, Four Seasons Conservation Forest, Deep River

A white-breasted nuthatch perches on a twig at Mud Lake — White-breasted Nuthatch – Mud Lake

A pair of adult mallards and a chick sit on a log in the Chapman Mills West swamp. — Mallards, Chapman Mills West Swamp

Two women look at a barred owl perched low in a tree in Deep River — Barred Owl Encounter – Deep River

A little wood satyr suns itself on the forest floor in Deep River — Little Wood Satyr – Deep River

A large snapping turtle basks in the early spring sun beside a small stream on the Ottawa River shoreline near Petrie Island — Snapping Turtle – Petrie Island

A fat, glossy garter snake curls defensively on a carpet of dried leaves. — Garter Snake, Crazy Horse Trail

A great blue heron hunts in the shallow water along the edge of Constance Creek. — Great Blue Heron, Constance Creek.

A small flock of Canada geese flies overhead — Canada Geese – Ottawa

A female boreal bluet damselfly perches on a branch in fen in Deep River — Female Boreal Bluet – Deep River

A large Blanding's turtle raises its head from log jam along the Carp River — Blanding’s Turtle – Carp River

Broad-winged Hawk, Four Seasons Conservation Forest, Deep River

A monarch butterfly with raised wings perches on the green flowers of a plant — Monarch Butterfly – Ottawa Valley

A scarlet dragonfly rests on a dense bed of white lichen. — Autumn Meadowhawk

A torpedo-like longnose gar basks just below the surface of the water. — Longnose Gar – Snye River

Pileated Woodpecker, Four Seasons Conservation Forest, Deep River

A painted turtle basks on a projecting log on the Mississippi River, Ontario — Painted turtle – Mississippi River

Distant Common Tern, Muskrat River Wetland

A downy woodpecker clings to a stem in a thicket beside the Rideau River — Downy Woodpecker – Rideau River

Hiking the Crazy Horse Trail

With a clear, blue sky, the autumn foliage at its peak, and rain forecast for the next few days, I decided to check out the work of the Friends of the Carp Hills on the Crazy Horse Trail. Parking my car at the trailhead on March Road, where it intersects Huntmar Drive, I tucked my pants into my socks (tick prevention) and strolled into the forest. The trees closed around me, and the sounds of traffic gradually faded.

The Precambrian bedrock of the Carp Hills rises from the clay-covered limestone of Ottawa’s west end. Historically, the thin soils and rock barrens resisted settlement, leaving the hills as one of Ottawa’s most beautiful natural areas. The City of Ottawa already owns and protects large portions of the Hills. Other landowners have protected additional areas through voluntary conservation easements. At the heart of these efforts, the Friends of the Carp Hills have committed themselves to seeing the area preserved for the enjoyment of current and future generations.

A narrow boardwalk crosses a swampy section of the Crazy Horse Trail. — Crazy Horse Trail Boardwalk

Under the guidance of their Trail Foreman, Bernard, the Friends of the Carp Hills have created an 8 km long hiking trail on City-owned property. Much of the trail follows an informal network of cross-country ski trails. With the help of City staff from the Parks and Natural Systems branches, the Friends have blazed a route that visits shady forests, sunny glades, and luscious wetlands. While avoiding the most delicate and sensitive features, the trail winds past maples and pines, crosses beaver dams, and curls around boulders. Short spur trails lead to lookouts over wetlands and lichen-encrusted rock barrens. Where a short bridge spans a narrow watercourse, a rich fen lies to one side, gorgeously clad with sedges and other wetland plants. Markers guide hikers along the way, and the Friends provide a map on their website.

A needle-covered hiking trail rises gently under a pine tree. — Crazy Horse Trail

Red and gold autumn foliage shines amid dark conifer trees on the far side a large beaverpond. — The Big Pond, Crazy Horse Trail

An open rock barren, encrusted with moss and lichens, stretches out from the edge of the trail. — Rock Barren, Crazy Horse Trail

A short bridge crosses a watercourse along the Crazy Horse Trail. — Bridge, Crazy Horse Trail

An open fen of sedges and herbs lies along the trail. — Rich Fen, Crazy Horse Trail

On this day, the woods seem quiet. Here and there a downy woodpecker taps on a tree, a blue jay rustles in the underbrush, and small, foraging flocks of chickadees and tardy kinglets pass through the forest. A few scarlet, autumn meadowhawks dart here and there over the barrens. A red squirrel scurries across the trail, carrying a mushroom almost as large as itself. A garter snake curls up in mock aggression as I pass. A small flock of geese honk on the Big Pond. Mostly, though, I wander alone along the trail, simply enjoying the beauty of the day.

Two small, grey mushrooms grow in a bed of moss. — Grayling, Crazy Horse Trail

Autumn foliage glows red and gold along the edge of the Big Pond. — Autumn Colours, Big Pond, Crazy Horse Trail

Red and gold trees reflect in a beaverpond. — Reflections, Crazy Horse Trail

Constance Creek

We glide on dirty, brown water under a green, sunlit canopy of silver maple trees. Spring run-off on the Ottawa River has pushed nutrient-rich floodwaters back into the forests along lower Constance Creek. Warblers sing brightly in the tree-tops and multi-hued wood ducks peek shyly from the shady depths of the swamp. The nighttime chorus of spring peepers and tree frogs has dwindled in the warming day to a few desultory chirps and clucks. We pass between the spreading, fluted tree trunks in quiet awe, like visitors to some southern, bald cypress bayou. But instead of alligators basking along the channel, map turtles and painted turtles crawl on to logs to sun themselves, while pike and gar lie up in the shallow reed beds.

When biologists speak of the diversity and productivity of wetlands, they have places like Constance Creek in mind, where life overspills its banks. Scoop the creek water into your cupped hands, and you hold a galaxy of microscopic, living things. Look up to the trees to see life thrust by the laws of thermodynamics toward its origin in the dust and energy of stars. Energy flows through a tangled web of matter, seeking stability, building in complexity, expressed in a fractal lattice in which dragonflies hang like jewels. A wetland brings together the elements of life like no other place. Perhaps in no other place does a biologist feel more like a priest.

Three turtles bask on the projecting end of a log near the bank of Constance Creek. The treed shoreline reflects in the calm water. — Turtle Basking on Constance Creek

A confluence of fortuitous circumstances has preserved Constance Creek as a uniquely healthy riverine wetland. About 10,000 years ago, when meltwaters of the retreating glaciers swelled the Ottawa River, part of it flowed along a side channel from Constance Bay in the north to Shirley’s Bay in the south. Along the banks of this channel, it deposited large sandbars over the flat clays left by the retreating Champlain Sea. Over time, as the Ottawa River shrank to its current size, flows along the channel reversed direction, draining the adjacent Carp Ridge and Dunrobin Ridge north through a meadering stream and wide, swampy floodplain. Annual flooding limited farming and permanent settlement along the creek, while the deep, sandy soils supported the growth of a rich riparian forest to further screen and protect the creek. Some unauthorized filling of the Constance Creek wetland occurred in 1989 with the construction of the Eagle Creek Golf Club. Sand pits have also opened at places along the creek, although they remain hidden from the main channel. For the most part, though, the creek remains well buffered from surrounding land uses.

Several locations give access to the creek, but thick cattails often limit paddling. At the upper end, an alm0st impenetrable marsh blocks access from Constance Lake. The reach downstream of the bridge at Thomas Dolan Parkway provides a short, easy paddle through a lovely riverine marsh. Painted turtles, snapping turtles and Blanding’s turtles bask along the channel in the midday sun, and a colony of black-crowned night herons hides back in the reeds. Damselflies and dragonflies hunt over the water. The bridge at Vance’s Side Road provides a pretty view over marsh and swamp, but the channel quickly chokes off both upstream and downstream. In contrast, the mouth of the creek on Constance Bay offers one of the most beautiful, flat water paddles in Ottawa.

Two yellow pond lilies reflect in the calm water of Constance Creek. — Yellow Pond Lilies

I like to start my trips up Constance Creek at the far, north end of Greenland Road, where the City-owned road allowance runs up to the water at tiny Horseshoe Bay. I paddle through the sandy shallows, tracked by freshwater clams and mussels, into the wider expanse of Constance Bay. I don’t recommend it for breezy days, when the wind driving across the wide river can raise substantial waves. But on calm days, the glassy water parts smoothy to either side of the bow, as I round the point to the west. Sometimes I paddle straight across Constance Bay to the mouth of the creek. More often, though, I skirt the shoreline, looking for turtles and scanning the flats for longnose gar finning in the shallow water.

Constance Bay provides some of the best fishing along the Ottawa River shoreline. The clean, Ottawa River, the shallow reed and weed beds, and the steady influx of nutrients from Constance Creek create a perfect mix of spawning, nursery and adult habitats. Although I haven’t yet tried flyfishing for longnose gar, I’ve heard that they rival bonefish for fun. The technique seems roughly the same, and one can find lots of instruction online. Usually, however, I troll a streamer fly or a spinnerbait behind the canoe and pick up some of the pike for which Constance Bay is famous. Musky also lurk in the weeds, although for the sake of my light tackle (and their health), I don’t try for them. Closer to the mouth of the creek, though, I’ve caught catfish and bass. Walleye forage in deeper water, along the outer edge of the bay. At times, in fact, fish have struck so frequently as I’ve paddled across the bay, that I’ve had to bring in my line to make any real progress toward the creek.

The author holds a small pike that he's caught on a spinnerbait on Constance Bay. — Small Pike on a Spinnerbait

Constance Creek flows through a stunning swamp forest into Constance Bay. Large, mature silver maples line the banks along the channel, while swamp bur oaks sit further back on slightly higher ground. During the spring flood, one can sometimes paddle into the swamp itself, threading between standing and fallen trees. Great blue herons stalk along the boundary of swamp and stream, while pileated woodpeckers cackle and hammer deeper in the recesses of the forest. In the autumn, ducks and geese descend like leaves into the marshes around the creek mouth, and the sounds of shotguns echo distantly from further up the creek, where several duck clubs operate hunting blinds.

A stand of tall silver maple trees stand in sunlight along the low, floodplain of Constance Creek. — Silver Maple Swamp, Constance Creek

A stand of bur oak trees lines a sandy bank along Constance Creek. — Swamp Bur Oak, Constance Creek

Not surprisingly, many of Ottawa’s most interesting animals and species at risk find a home along Constance Creek. Five of Ottawa’s six at-risk turtle species have been recorded along the creek and at its mouth, including the extremely elusive (and possibly extirpated locally) spiny soft-shelled turtle. Red-headed woodpeckers still nest locally. Terns no longer nest in the area, but pass through during migration. Ospreys can often be found hunting along the creek. Bald eagles migrate along the creek and the Ottawa River shoreline, as do many other raptors, including peregrine falcons. Lake sturgeons and American eels still inhabit the waters.

This richness of life is no doubt what attracted aboriginal peoples to the creek. Archaeologists have documented at least one 2500 year-old camp and burial site at the mouth of Constance Creek, on its west shore (https://ottawarewind.com/2014/02/24/ancient-ottawa-lost-relics-from-500bc-found-at-constance-bay/). More undocumented sites seem likely, perhaps in the large woodland on the east side of the creek mouth. Unfortunately, that woodland remains at risk of future aggregate extraction. Lying atop one of the largest, untouched sand and gravel deposits in the north end of the City, it currently enjoys protection by Provincial wetland policies and an unopened City road allowance. These prevent the legal access required for an aggregate license. Nonetheless, so long as the property remains privately-owned, the threat exists.

In the meantime, one can travel back 2500 years with just a canoe trip up the creek. The present swirls behind from the blade of your paddle. Lying quietly up in the swamp, daydreaming and staring serenely up at the translucent leaves, one can easily imagine that it has always appeared this way. With a whisper of wings and ragged croak, Raven passes over the canopy. Floating there, you surrender to thought and memory.

A panorama photograph shows a women sitting in the front of a canoe in a flooded silver maple swamp. — Swamp Panorama, Constance Creek

Chapman Mills and Heart’s Desire, South Nepean

When I visit the woodlots of South Nepean, I think of my years growing up in Esquimalt, Victoria, British Columbia. I didn’t know, living in Esquimalt, that I was privileged to have one of Canada’s most endangered ecosystems in my backyard. Highrock Park, or the “Cairn” as we knew it, was simply the place where we played after homework on a school night or rode our bikes on the weekend. It rose above my neighborhood: a rock bald, surrounded by a skirt of open woodland.

I didn’t know about Garry oak parkland and savannah. No-one told me that I couldn’t play in the Cairn because it was special, or because I might damage myself. Sure, I came back with skinned knees and bee stings. And on warm summer evenings, when the local teens would sometimes gather in the twilight under the trees to consume beer or other elicit substances, my parents didn’t forbid me the adventure of the dark. We climbed the twisted oak trees and played hide-and-seek in the thickets.

I think that I first learned my love of rock on the Cairn. I couldn’t identify the hill as an exposed “pluton” of granite — a lump of igneous rock formed far down in the earth’s mantle 400 million years ago. I didn’t know that the cataclysmic formation of western North America had thrust it to the surface. I traced the long, parallel grooves on the smoothed rock without knowing about the pebbles that had gouged them under the weight of two kilometres of glacial ice. I just loved the feeling of the hard stone under my hand, as I scrambled over the flanks of the hill or sat with my legs pulled up to my chest, looking out over my home.

Perhaps that’s why tree-forts and home-made mountain bike tracks usually don’t trouble me, even when I find them in some of Ottawa’s protected natural areas. When I see bike trails, jumps and obstacles worn and carved into a place like the Chapman Mills East forest, I think of how much I would have enjoyed them as a kid.

A wide, dirt mountain bike track cuts through the middle of the Chapman Mills East Woodlot. — Mountain Bike Track, Chapman Mills East Woodlot

Most people driving past on Strandheard Road and Prince of Wales Drive likely give little more than a glance to the three adjacent patches of forest. Few of them would suspect that these emerald gems contain some of Ottawa’s largest trees: maples, beeches and oaks that rise like the pillars of a cathedral. Under their boughs, a profusion of wildflowers bursts forth in spring: trilliums, trout lilies, false solomon’s seal, violets, jack-in-the-pulpit. Vireos sing high overhead. With their windows rolled up and air conditioners running, few of the passing drivers will ever feel the coolness of the woods, or hear the susurration of the leaves as a breeze passes through the canopy.

The thick trunks of two maples and a beech rise from the forest floor. — Maple and Beech in Chapman Mills East

A blanket of white and painted trilliums bloom in Chapman Mills East — Trilliums in Chapman Mills East

A small patch of wood betony blooms is fleck of sunlight beside a stone in Heart's Desire. — Wood Betony in Heart’s Desire

The neighbours, I suspect, would prefer to keep it that way. Walking through Chapman Mills East on a warm, weekday afternoon, I marvel at the lack of traffic. I pass a few dogs and their owners sauntering the trails. The occasional runner pads past me. Most of the time, though, I have the woods to myself. Apart from the distant sounds of traffic, I might be alone in the world.

Hopefully the evenings and weekends see more visitors. Each of the South Nepean woodlots has its own charms and attractions. Chapman Mills East, along Cresthaven Drive and Serena Way, is the easiest to love, with its towering maples, huge decaying logs, and dense mat of herbs and wildflowers. Deep shade gives way to a patch of sunlight, where a snag has finally crumbled to the forest floor. In the sunny gap, new growth reaches to the sky. Bumblebees travel from flower to flower, then circle and drone off to a hollowed, old tree. A pileated woodpecker hammers at a rotten white birch, while squirrels scold the intruder. Old stone walls lie along the perimeter, marking the edges of old farm fields.

The massive trunk of a downed maple tree lies in a blanket of seedlings on the forest floor. — Rotting Log in Chapman Mills East

A path crosses a tumbled wall of old boulders, through a frame of trees, into the Chapman Mills Woodlot. — Entrance to Chapman Mills East from Serena Way

Chapman Mills West has a different character. Lying astride Clearbrook Drive, it consists of two very different forest types. In the southern, larger section, a dry cedar forest surrounds and hides a small, pretty, swamp. Frogs croak along the marshy edges, while pairs of mallards raise chicks in the dense underbrush. Just inside the south edge of the woodlot, the City’s Park Planners have cleverly threaded a fitness trail from Mancini Park. Next door, where the School Board has allowed a small portion of the woodlot to remain in the yard, the worn earth under the cedars attests to affinity of children for trees.

A dense stand of cedar trees shades a dry, almost bare forest floor. — Cedar Forest in Chapman Mills West, South Section

Bright green leaves reflect in the water of a swamp in Chapman Mills West. — Reflections, Chapman Mills West Swamp

A stonedust trail runs through large cedars, beside a bench and an inclined sit-up board. — Fitness Trail, Chapman Mills West, South Section

Two massive maples trees rise from the forest floor in the Chapman Mills West Woodlot. — Maples On the Fitness Trail, Mancini Park, Chapman Mills West

The smaller, north portion of Chapman Mills West appears younger, higher and drier. Between scattered patches of cedar, an open forest of light-loving shrubs and trees creates a more pastoral feeling. And, indeed, the woodlot may have provided pasture for cattle or horses before Chapman Mills was transformed from farmland to suburbia. Over time, the forest canopy should fill in, especially now that the Ottawa Stewardship Council, with help from local schools and Ward Councillor Michael Qaqish, have taken an interest in managing and improving the woodlot.

A showy cherry tree blooms along the edge of the Chapman Mills West woodlot. — Cherry Tree, Chapman Mills West

Sunlight bathes an open forest of young trees in the north section of the Chapman Mills West Woodlot — Open Forest, Chapman Mills West

The perched roots of a birch tree still drape over the decayed stump on which it sprouted. — Life From Death, Chapman Mills West

Canada Mayflower grows near the roots of a tree. The plants have a single leaf each, typical of the non-flowering individuals. — Canada Mayflower, Chapman Mills West

Heart’s Desire, on the north bank of the Jock River, appears superficially like Chapman Mills East. Here, though, massive oak trees dominate the forest. And whereas blue cohosh seemed to blanket the floor of Chapman Mills East, false solomon’s seal carpets Heart’s Desire. However, Heart’s Desire really gains its charm from the Jock River. Spilling over a small weir and then flowing under Prince of Wales Drive, down to the Rideau River, this reach of the Jock runs along a stoney bed, with alternating riffles and pools that beg for a well-placed fly. Through the summer months, large boulders provide tempting stepping stones to the other side. The steep, wooded south bank provides an idyllic backdrop and creates a sense of wildness and privacy that belies the surrounding suburbs.

A massive red oak tree reaches to the canopy of Heart's Desire. — Red Oak, Heart’s Desire

A view of the Jock River through the foliage in Heart's Desire. — Jock River, Heart’s Desire

Boulders fill the bed of the Jock River, providing stepping stones to the far shore. — Stepping Stones, Heart’s Desire

White boulders lie on the south shoreline of the Jock River, against a emerald background of trees. — Across the River, Heart’s Desire

When I visualize South Nepean’s woodlots, I see children. I see them racing bicycles along the paths, searching for frogs, and leaving damp footprints on white riverstones. I hear unrestrained shouts and laughter under the trees. Perhaps in my heart, I still feel myself with them.

I certainly feel torn. When I look at the damage that already occurs to our woodlots — the trash, the yard waste, the bags of dog faeces — I wonder if the wildflowers and other delicate organisms in the forest floor can also withstand the trampling of young feet. I think of myself as a boy, wriggling through the underbrush in Highrock Park and bouncing my bicycle off tree roots on dirt tracks. Perhaps, along the way, I trampled something rare or special. Perhaps the butterfly in my jar shouldn’t have been there. But those experiences, and my other childhood explorations, taught me to love the natural world. They set me on the path to where I am today.

A pile of grass clippings and other yard waste smothers the native plants in Champman Mills East. — Yard Waste, Chapman Mills East

A pile of trash lies along a path in Chapman Mills East — Trash, Chapman Mills East

Broad-leaved toothwort blooms on the forest floor in Chapman Mills East. — Broad-leaved Toothwort, Chapman Mills East

In this close-up of a jack-in-the-pulpit flower, the clublike spathe can be seen emerging from the hooded, tubular, green and red flower. — Jack-in-the-pulpit, Chapman Mills West

A cluster of false solomon's seal blossoms in Heart's Desire. — False Solomon’s Seal, Heart’s Desire

Yes, we need to protect our urban natural areas from careless and unnecessary damage. We should educate our children to cherish and respect these marvelous places. We can even try to direct their enthusiasm. But we should never tell them that they can’t ride their bikes or build tree forts, imply that they don’t belong among the trees, or frown on their ebullience. We need more children in our urban forests, not fewer.

Bilberry Creek Ravine, Orleans

The forest holds no more magical sound than the song of the hermit thrush at dusk. In the calm of evening, when the breeze drops and the leaves hang still, it flutes through the trees: a short, liquid, melancholy song. You stand transfixed in the twilight of the trail, grasping for a lost memory or emotion. Perhaps some ancestral memory of the primaevel forest. Time pauses.

For anyone living in Orleans, in Ottawa’s east end, a short walk down the pathway into Bilberry Creek Ravine leaves behind the sounds of the City and carries one into the world of the wood thrush. The steep, wooded slopes of the ravine create a quiet haven. The chuckling of the creek rises from somewhere below. The thick duff of the forest floor rustles with hidden growth and life.

A narrow footpath runs under the trees deep in the Bilberry Creek Ravine. — Footpath in Bilberry Creek Ravine

On an early, warm Spring morning, I stood quiet and still beside the trail in Bilberry Creek Ravine, hoping for a hermit thrush to come within photography range. I had stopped at the fuss of chickadees and nuthatches in the pines ahead, thinking that an owl or hawk might be hidden in the dense boughs. The hermit thrush foraged nearby on the forest floor, teasing. It moved from shadow to shadow, clearly visible in my binoculars, but just beyond the reach of my pocket camera’s small lens.

As I waited patiently for the thrush to come closer, I caught another movement in the corner of my eye. 30 metres farther up the slope, almost screened by underbrush, a red fox climbed on to a rotting log, into a fleck of sunlight piercing the pine canopy. Very slowly, I turned my head to watch it. It sat upright in the rare patch of warmth, the light glowing in its fur. As carefully as possible, I inched my binoculars back up to my eyes. But not carefully enough. The fox turned its head toward me, lowering itself warily to the log. I froze. For long seconds, we both stood still, our gazes locked on each other. Then I moved slightly, just a shift of balance. With a quick turn, the fox rose and vanished into the brush. Thinking that the fox had prompted the chattering of the songbirds, I started again along the trail and jumped a small tributary brook. Just at that moment, in the pine trees behind me, a barred owl began to call: “who, who, who-calls-for-you”.

White pines soar along Bilberry Creek — Bilberry Creek White Pines

Once surrounded by development, most urban forests lose their wildest elements within a few months or years. The noise and visual disturbance drive away the most sensitive animals. Cats prowl along the wooded edges, hunting songbirds and small mammals with ruthless efficiency. Neighbours dump lawn and garden waste into the forest, introducing exotic and invasive plants. Returning fishermen dispose of unused, invasive nightcrawlers (earthworms), changing the soil and nutrient cycles. Temperatures in the forest rise, light increases, and humidity drops. The slow-growing trees that once prospered in the cool, damp woodland give way to faster-growing, sun and heat-loving species.

Such woodlands still have value to a community and a city. Both the forest and the community find a new balance. The chickadees that brighten the winter woodland will still delight children, as will the play of the squirrels in the summer. The leaves will still rustle in the wind. And if trilliums give way to bluets, will anyone but the most ardent naturalist notice or really mind?

A cluster of bright, yellow trout lilies bloom on the forest floor. — Trout Lilies Bloom in Bilberry Creek Ravine

But those urban forests with the capacity to resist such change deserve special reverance and protection. Nestled in its ravine, Bilberry Creek is such a place. The ravine retains humidity and cooler air, shields the forest from traffic noise and prying eyes, retains its secrets. Although a graded, multi-use pathway cuts through the forest at one point, the steep clay slopes limit much of the ravine to rough, narrow nature trails. Mature, “super-canopy” white pines and hemlocks thrust through the deciduous trees, harkening back to the ancient, pre-settlement, northern hardwood forest that once blanketed most of central Canada. Tall, pockmarked snags provide nesting cavities for animals and birds. Massive nurse logs lie decaying in undergrowth, returning their nutrients to the soil, holding moisture for insects and fungi, and sheltering amphibians, mice and voles. The air is redolent with the rich odour of life.

Woodpecker holes and cavities pockmark the gnarled trunk of a white pine. — Woodpecker Holes in a White Pine

A large, collapsed log rots on the forest floor. — Woody Debris on the Forest Floor

A footbridge for a multi-use trail crosses Bilberry Creek. — Multi-use Trail Crossing Bilberry Creek

A nature trail leads up through conifers into sunlight. — Sunlit Path Through Conifers

Bilberry Creek, itself, appears surprisingly healthy for an urban watercourse. On a spring morning, erosion and slope failures appear all along the creek, turning it grey with silt and clay Woody debris litters and clogs the channel. But did development cause these things, or do they result from the natural process of a young creek cutting into deep, clay soils? Probably both. Certainly the presence of old log crib walls along the creek suggests that the processes aren’t entirely new. In any event, they don’t appear to have discouraged the local beaver.

Bilberry Creek cuts through the upper ravine. — Bilberry Creek

About 20 metres of the slope has slumped toward Bilberry Creek, carrying trees with it. — Slope Failure on Bilberry Creek

A slatted footbridge crosses Bilberry Creek. — Footbridge Over Bilberry Creek

A protective crib wall protects a small section of bank along Bilberry Creek. — Crib Wall on Bilberry Creek

A beaver has chewed through one trunk of a large, multi-stemmed tree, and cut most of the way through the other stem. — Beaver Work on Bilberry Creek

I would like to visit Bilberry Creek Ravine again in the winter. I can imagine strapping on a pair of snowshoes and walking softly down the trail into the hush and swish of snow sifting through the pines. Up ahead, perhaps, a pileated woodpecker would hammer on an old hemlock. Perhaps the trail of a fox or fisher would cross the track. After a while, I’d find a comfortable place to pause. I’d pull a flask of coffee from my small pack, and a sandwich, and I’d stand there lost in the woods until the cold finally drove me onward or back.