Responding to an invitation extended to the members of the Essex County Field Naturalists' Club, the Canada South Land Trust and readers of The Essex Free Press and The Kingsville Reporter as well as the Town of Kingsville mayor and councillors, twenty-five persons joined Bill Balkwill and volunteer guides for an afternoon walk in the Balkwill Woods on May 15, 2004. Special guests were Town of Kingsville Councillors Bob Allen, Katherine Gunning and Bob Peterson, and Bob's wife Audrey. Volunteer guides were Terry Anderson, Peggy Hurst, Betty Learmouth and Patricia Rhoads. Dave Ainslie greeted visitors as they drove into the parking area, distributing plant lists.
As walk participants waited for the walk to begin, everyone was entertained by a pair of Eastern Blubirds who were busily engaged feeding their young in a nearby nesting box. Luckily, the cloud cover that had been in the region for several days cleared at 2:00 p.m., enabling visitors to enjoy a walk in dappled sunlight in the Balkwill woodlot, while enjoying the newly emerging leaves of a variety of tree species, flowering plants and shrubs.
The 140 acre Balkwill farm was purchased in the 1920's by Bill and Jack's father. The Balkwill woodlot is reached by a walk along the farm's lane, which is flanked by elderly Sugar Maples. The lane is all that remains of a logging road that passed through this section of the Cedar Creek watershed, providing access to nearby woodlands and two mills in the vicinity.
At the north end of the lane, Bladdernut shrubs were in bloom, clusters of creamy blossoms hanging from a number of shrubs in the thicket. Mid way along the lane's east side is a stand of Sassafras trees, the only location of this tree species on the property. The leaves were unfurling in contrast to those of the Sugar Maples which were more advanced. Plants growing along the lane's edge are Horsemint which Bill remarked will grow to a height of six feet, and Horse-balm. Yellow Morel was found growing under Sugar Maple saplings.
The Balkwill woodlot has several access lanes which make walking and exploring easy. The southern portion of the woodlot is dry while the northern part is wet. Visitors were able to walk several of the lanes, retreating when conditions became too wet. Among the plants observed blooming were Swamp Buttercup, False Solomon's Seal, Golden Ragwort (this species was growing in a particularly wet area which only those wearing rubber boots were able to access), Jack-in-the-pulpit, Mayapple, Solomon's Seal, Spring Avens, Narrow-leaved Spring Beauty, Running Strawberry Bush, Sweet Cicely, White Trillium, Wild Geranium, Blue Phlox, and Yellow Trout Lily. The Wild Geranium was particularly showy in the transition area between wet and dry forest. Blue Phlox graced the woodland edge. Remnants of Yellow Trout Lily hinted at the spectacular display of this plant species in late April which boasts three colour morphs in this woodlot: yellow, yellow with a crimson tinge and a creamy variation. Vines observed were Common Carrion Flower, Poison Ivy, Upright Carrion Flower, and Virginia Creeper.
Along the woodlot's southern edge visitors enjoyed the blooms of various species of Hawthorn (Crataegus spp.) which are under study by Bill. American Crabapple and Choke Cherry were in bloom as well. Trees observed in the woodlot included White Oak, Red Oak, Bur Oak, Black Oak ( a single individual) Pin Oak, Swamp White Oak, Shumard Oak, Red Maple, Beech, Shagbark Hickory, Big Shellbark Hickory, White Ash, Red Ash, and Pumpkin Ash. The remnants last year's Beechdrops, a parasitic plant, were seen at the base of several Beech trees in the woodlot's dry portion.
Upon completion of the woodland walk, Bill was accompanied by ECFNC members Linda and Ernie Kennette, Donna Sale and Larry Onysko who examined several plants in the prairie restoration site, located to the south of the newly created pond, identifying the plants as Compass Plant and Tall Coreopsis, spectacular prairie species that will reach six feet in height by mid August.
We wish to thank Bill for his invitation to visit and enjoy his woodland's flowering plants, shrubs and trees. Thank you to David Ainslie who provided homemade cookies from Goldenrod Farms as refreshments upon the conclusion of the walk.