I have been exploring various things in forests, but most of that will wait for a future post. Wetlands, especially those in a couple of places along Lake St. Clair, are my favourites. They are open, and mostly free of mosquitoes! Although deer flies can be a bit of a nuisance; nonetheless, it is often still worth it.
Eastern Kingbirds are occupants of a variety of habitats, including wetlands.
One of the highlights of these wetlands along Lake St. Clair is the frequency of Great Egrets. Of course since they nest at nearby Walpole Island First Nation as well as some of the outer cattail islands in the lake, gives them good reason to be nearby. Sometimes they are using the dead trees along the edge of the lake to perch in.....
...or on some of the fallen shrubs at SCNWA.
They seem to think that being up in a dead tree is safer than actively feeding in the wetland, so are more tolerant of hikers.
Green Herons are becoming more abundant, as the young have fledged. In the early summer it was unusual to see even one, but now it is common to see 3 or more, mostly in flight.
Midland Painted Turtles are less frequently seen basking, as they have already laid their eggs.
Swamp Rose Mallow is always something to be on the lookout for. It is a rare species in Ontario, but can be quite abundant in wetlands in C-K.
Sandhill Cranes are quite regular, often in flight...
...and sometimes very close to the trail. Here a family of 4 was feeding in an open area. The two adults, with the red caps, are on the right.
Another frequently seen plant is Purple Loosestrife. It is not native, but is colourful nonetheless, and is frequently visited by bees and other insects seeking a bit of nectar.
I'm certainly not a big fan of non-native species, but can appreciate the colour they add to the wetland landscape, and the usefulness they provide to many insects.
As most of this part of Chatham-Kent was historically tallgrass prairie at the time of settlement, which has almost entirely been destroyed for the sake of agriculture, it is fortunate that in a few places such as the drier wetland edges, some remnant species have survived, or been restored. This next plant is Prairie Dock, and is a species at risk.
Of course visiting whatever herbaceous plants of shrubbery there is along the way, Monarchs will make use of it.
Forest Changes
On the topic of forest changes, it relates to Rondeau, which is greatly influenced by water levels of Lake Erie.
Spicebush Trail has long been recognized as one of the best places in the park to see the wonderful diversity of spring wildflowers that flourish under the American Beech/Sugar Maple canopy. This first photo shows an abundance of Mayapple on a ridge between two sloughs with the Am Beech canopy overhead. It was taken in May of 2008....
...and in more or less the same spot in May, 2010.
High water levels have been an occurrence since then. This next photo was taken in early June of 2021. There are still some Mayapple showing, but the predominant plant is Horsetail, a species that thrives in very wet areas.
And here is the same ridge in June of 2026. Mayapples persist a bit, but are being crowded out by the Horsetail. What adds to the overall problem is that the Emerald Ash Borer has invaded, killing most of the Ash trees that add to the canopy, and even more recently Beech Leaf Disease has affected many of the American Beech trees. In all of my travels in the park, I have found that BLD has affected to one extent or another, every single beech tree. Some are completely dead, but other seem to be more resistant.
As for the impact on the other wildflowers as the beech trees decline throughout the park, it is hard to predict, but will be worth watching.
At the same time, in the last ~3 years, another problem has affected the Spicebush, which has always been a dominant and important species in the shrub layer especially throughout the western side of Rondeau. It is not 100% certain as to the actual cause, but is likely something called Laurel Wilt. Normally Spicebush is so plentiful that it is almost a solid wall of greenery along the roads. However this next photo, taken in June, 2026, shows the lack of greenery on the almost solid array of Spicebush, some of which are completely dead and others just show a few leaves lingering. It was taken along Rondeau Road almost across from the entrance to Spicebush Trail.
Laurel Wilt was first detected in North America in the state of Georgia, back in about 2008. It has since spread throughout the northeast, and is spread by a small insect known as a thrips. I first noticed the die back of Spicebush at Rondeau about 3 years ago, and thought that it was a result of changing water levels since it is a species that likes quite moist woodland habitat although it probably was present in a small way before that. However it is becoming more noticeable at Rondeau, especially in the northern part of the park. Apparently there is no cure, so it is a wait and see situation as to what the under storey will look like in the future.
