Parc National de Plaisance is located on the Ottawa River between Thurso and Montebello. It has a number of walking trails , canoe/kayak and bike rentals. We decided to head out on La ZIzanie-des-Marais and adjoining trail which combined are a 3.5km walk over boardwalks and stone dust paths.. The initial boardwalk is 400 metres of metal floating boardwalk and then a wooden boardwalk for a good distance. The trails take you into the heart of the marsh.
At the start of the trail we could hear woodpeckers hammering away., we found a pileated woodpecker who did not want to show himself ,and a yellow-bellied sapsucker
The marshes obviously provide good fishing for great blue herons as we saw a good number of them
As well as at least one egret
There were a few mallards and wood ducks
The Canada geese were making quite a racket in one bay. They seemed to be doing training flights for the fall migration
There was one large beaver lodge near the boardwalk and evidence of channels being built by the beaver by pushing mud up along the channel side
A raccoon appeared out of the underbrush and seemed unsure what to do about us and passing cyclists
There were lots of bull frogs, which is another reason the herons are there,
Flowers in bloom included... (scroll over for ID)
fall aster (and bee)
fall aster
blue wood aster
white waterlily
And many shrubs in berry stage (scroll over for ID)
highbush cranberry
bittersweet
winterberry
winterberry holly
Some plants in seed (scroll over for ID)
arrowhead plants
buttonbush
milkweed pod
milkweed seed
american tearthumb
wild clematis
And, as usual, I found some fungus
After lunch we visited Plaisance Falls which is now part of the Parc
