Lake Effects with Autumn Gold

It was 'Lake Effects' day yesterday.  There was so much mist and moisture in the air, that the sun was a great orange ball in the sky at 8:30am. Then it disappeared into the clouds and the hazy mist. Dezi and I went for a walk at Beamer Park - that's the park on the brow of the escarpment where the hawk watch occurs in Spring and Fall.  There was no view to 'soak up' - but there was the intense golden colours of the maples.  Predominant are Sugar Maple and Red Oak.  We met a few fellow photographers, and one metal detector enthusiast who showed me a coin dated 1847 that he found last week.   The hay bales in the first picture will go to Andy's farm - Our Gate to Your Plate - and will feed his cattle.

November is Chrysanthemum Month

We don't usually think of November as a 'highlights in the garden' month.  And yet this is the start of Autumn colours for Japanese Maples, Dawn Redwoods, Cypress,  and Weeping Willows.  Our pictures show the turning colours of Hosta leaves in my garden.   The Chrysanthemum is the 'birth flower' of November.  Longwood announced its Thousand Bloom Chrysanthemum Tree has more than a thousand blossoms again this year - 1,523 flowers on a single stem. The link takes you to a youtube video showing the growing technique over its 18 month life.  Close by to me are the Chrysanthemum Festivals of Gage Park in Hamilton (finished October 30th), the Niagara Falls Showcase Greenhouses (all of November),  and then Allan Gardens and Centennial Greenhouses in Toronto. Their growers have been to Longwood for training and expert guidance, and the results are displays of beautiful, large blossoms standing tall on single stems in many colours and shapes.

Water Wisdom

The Autumn colours in Grimsby don't seem to be that bright.  I made a trip to Toronto yesterday and the colours at the Toronto Botanical Garden were splendid.  Beautiful orange and yellow maples reflected in the water of Wilket Creek. The highlight of the trip wasn't the opportunity to catch some Fall colour, but the opportunity to hear Doug Tallamy speak at the  Carolinian Canada CoalitionConference.    "Doug Tallamy is  professor and chair of the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware, where he has authored eighty research articles and has taught Insect Taxonomy, Behavioral Ecology, Humans and Nature, and other courses for thirty-two years. Chief among his research goals is to better understand the many ways insects interact with plants and how such interactions determine the diversity of animal communities. His book Bringing Nature Home: How Native Plants Sustain Wildlife in Our Gardens was published by Timber Press in 2007 and was awarded the 2008 silver medal by the Garden Writer’s Association. Tallamy was awarded the Garden Club of America Margaret Douglas Medal for Conservation and the Tom Dodd Jr. Award of Excellence in 2013." A persuasive speaker gives us motivation through facts and data.  The most compelling statistic was that Oak trees supports 534 species of moths and butterflies.  And that their caterpillars are a mandatory food source for nesting birds.  This connection gives us the understanding of why we need to plant insect-friendly species in order to maintain our bird, butterfly and bee populations. And his most important point?  It is up to homeowners to make their gardens welcome to birds and insects.

On Golden Pond

I know this isn't Niagara - instead it is Toronto Botanical Gardens.  Today's pictures again showcase TBG's Wilket Creek.  I was at Grimsby Beach yesterday, and wished for the golds and oranges to reflect in Forty Creek.  But alas, there aren't any Autumn colour reflections so far.  Maybe this weekend!