Really? & Smell

NN1406A Earl Plato

Cynthia Skinner of Sherkston, a member of the Bert Miller Nature Club, has just returned from a long stay in Arkansas. She called me and I thanked her for the many news clippings she had sent me. Most of them were about the giant Ivory-billed woodpecker. Here’s the latest “ Last Week’s Call of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker Festival drew hundreds of birdwatchers to Brinkley, Arkansas. Ornithologists remained upbeat about the bird’s existence. There have been several reported sightings over the past two years.” I am going to wear the T-shirt with Ivory-bills embossed on it. Why? If it’s true about the Ivory-bill then I am happy that mankind has not been successful in wiping out another bird species. That’s why I will wear it. The little news clipping concluded with “The Ivory bill lives!” I hope so.
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Where have all the Marcy Woods frogs gone? This year in early May only Neil Riechelt and I heard the duck-like quacks of this diminutive masked amphibian - The Wood frog. Midmorning we walked the Lower Trail and as we approached the pond we heard those familiar sounds. I had not
monitored the frogs of Marcy Woods for at least four years. Now that the DiCienzo family had purchased the Woods I was anxious to see and at least hear the great sounds of many Spring peepers, Chorus frogs and my favourite the Wood frogs.
All that Neil and I heard were at least ten quacking Wood frogs. That’s all - no spring peepers or Chorus frogs. I had been there earlier in the week with daughter Allison - no frogs. Next day I returned with daughter Diane - not a frog sound. What gives? Any reasons? Call me at 905-894-2417 or e-mail me - plato1@cogeco.ca
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Smell, that’s one of our senses that helps you when in Marcy Woods. Alas, a past weekend one of the walkers with me had lost his sense of smell. I had taken a piece of Wild leek and let the others smell the onion-like odour. This past Saturday, May 27th I scratched the twig of a Spice bush with my knife. The pungent smell of the Spice bush assailed the nostrils of the University of Guelph field naturalists who were with me. As we walked along south on the Trail I pointed to a large Yellow birch. I said to Kevin, a very knowledgeable botanist, “They say the buds of this tree have a wintergreen flavour.” Kevin cut a little twig from a young Yellow birch that grew next to the parent. He scraped the twig and you could detect the slight but real smell of wintergreen. I took a tender leaf and crushed it and, yes, the smell of wintergreen. Want unusual natural smells? Marcy Woods has them.