The Pine Grove Trail is an approximately 4km flat circular walking trail through a mixed forest in the south Greenbelt. The forest is mainly made up of poplar, maple, beech, some birch and a few pine plantations. There is a good sized pond/marsh in the middle.
The forest was hit hard by the 2022 derecho with extensive damage. One area, a few acres in size, was completely flattened, other areas saw individual to large groupings of trees blown over.
The forest is not a host to many animals. The occasional blue jay can be heard, also a very occasional chickadee. A very few woodpeckers are sometimes heard including two varieties of rarely seen woodpeckers. Sometimes a few red squirrels can be seen running around.
Strawberry and rose leaves were showing some fall colours
Field thistle was still green, the moss looked quite fresh and wintergreen berries had not all been picked by the squirrels or whomever.
A plant I had not heard of before, Pipsissewa, was standing out in contrast to the brown fallen leaves
Some fern varieties were finished for the year, while others were still bright green
Being so late in the year, there were no mushrooms, but fungus was certainly easily found
A few downed trees had bright orange fungus growing on them
Lots of bracket fungus
And turkey tail fungus
The temperature had slipped slightly below freezing making patterns in the thin layer of fresh ice
The pond/marsh in the middle of the forest is home to a beaver. I wouldn't have thought the water was deep enough, but obviously it is. The beaver had build quite a larder to feed him through the winter.
The bull thistle, asters and mullein had all gone to seed
As had the wild clematis
The camera sees many things that your eye blocks out😊 There is an area where new pines are growing well under the canopy. Obviously they are getting enough light to grow. This photo doesn't show them up too well as the brush in front, that your eyes sees through, blocks the view.
The beech trees were holding on to their leaves, they'll fall off in early spring
