Art of Fire - Forest Fire Leaves Art

ART

in the eye of the beholder

Walking in the smoke all day, may make my photographic eye a bit foggy.

No, blame the camera, it just could not catch the interesting forms left after the fire moved through the area.

I also did not have time to stand around thinking about the shape, the background, the lighting.

Branch of the birch tree burned well into the truck of the tree.

This stump in the cutover was hollowed out, leaving the burned roots exposed.

This white pine seems to be well protected by the thick bark. This may be the white pines first fire, and it may not be the last one it sees. 

Usually the white cedar swamps do not burn. This fire the wind was high, the temperature was high and the relative humidity was low.  This swamp burned in the trees and the ground remained untouched in some places.

Looks like the fire burned fast over the ground. Some areas were missed and  it did not burn very deep.   Ferns continue grow, some even had the tips burn off and then just re-shoot.

This location was burned maybe a week before  I took this picture.  The little yellow needles on the ground are the dried needles off the tamarack.  When you walk the needles continuous fall.

 Fire a natural part of the forest ecosystem.

2012 Arbour Day Success

Tree Seedlings 

Bird Posters

Canada Day Signs

This is the Mattagami Park location. We had a great time meeting people and talking about trees.

The best time to plant a trees is 100 years ago, the second best time is today!

Oxygen Grows On Tress.

Cecropia Moth Visit today

Cecropia Moth

Came to visit at work today. map

Images of the Cecropia Moth

U of Gueph

Butterflies and Months of North America

Butterflies in Timmins

See a butterfly

Be a butterfly

Report a butterfly

Monarch Butterfly   Status: Special Concern Provincially and Nationally


MonarchWatch.org

The migrating monarch butterflies arrived about 3 weeks early this year on the north shore of Lake Ontario, and I now have reports from many northern locations, including southern MB and SK. I have one report from northern Quebec, as far north as Timmins, and am wondering if you could spread the word that we would appreciate any northern sightings of migrating monarch butterflies, or their eggs or caterpillars. Is there milkweed in the Timmins area? What species of milkweed?

Also, reports of other butterfly species would be appreciated by: eButterfly.ca and the Google Group Ontario Butterflies.

The Internet based science program for students called Journey North would also appreciate your monarch sightings and those of other target species.

Thank you

Life Member
Ontario Nature
Friends of Presqu'ile Park

Timmins Arbour Day 2012

You can get 

a tree seedling

a checklist of the birds poster

a Canada day sign

It’s more than water that keeps life sustainable on our planet. And the Wintergreen Fund for Conservation with the help of Millson Forestry is celebrating the Annual Arbour Day event this Saturday at three locations across the City; the White Waterfront Conservation Area in South Porcupine map, Mattagami Park in Mountjoy map and Gillies Lake Conservation Area map. It starts from 10:00am and participants are again asked for a small, voluntary donation when picking up trees. Arbour Day is an awareness drive for the environmental impact trees have.

Monies raised will go towards the many Wintergreen community conservation projects including trails, conservation education and student bursaries. Muddy Mark will be on hand at the Mountjoy location to answer any questions you may have concerning trees, birds or what you can do to help the environment. 
Those wanting more information can contact the Wintergreen Fund or the Conservation Authority at 360-2660.

Thanks Timmins Times

TimminsToday.com

Timmins Times

Timmins Daily Press

93.1 Moose FM

Come talk to me about what observations naturally you have seen.

Timmins Fire Situation

Where to find the facts

I made a map of
Fire #9 May 24, 2012 2200hr in google maps.

It is rough but you can generally see what the fire effected.

City of Timmins updates twice a day.

OMNR information can be found here.

Ferns and frogs eggs; bridge no more.

Ferns are starting to come up.

go now

Like a ribbon of seeds to be panted in the garden, these seeds produce amphibians.

Looked into this big puddle and my first thought was : that is a huge worm!

Give your head a shake. Reminds me of my first week in Timmins. On our way to the airport, we pass some big houses, big yards too. Around the corner and at first glance I think "someone  has lost a horse". I am glad I realize a moose before I said anything. The northerns in the truck would still be laughing at me.

This is not a huge dead worm in the puddle. No lifting them gently reveals a black ovals inside a gel like tube. I suspect toad eggs. Guess I will go see if I can identify them on some site.

Can you help?

 go now






ex-Bridge
Cultural Heritage or Garbage?

Artifact?

This is on crown land. No one or everyone in Ontario is the owner.

One day it will rust enough to fall into the water. One day it will ave rusted so much there will nothing left.

Until that day, all the metals and chemicals will continue to enter the surface water.

Artifact or garbage, have your say.

DARLA GALLEY - PHOTOGRAPHY BLOG: BLACK CHIPMUNK_OTTAWA_CANADA

DARLA GALLEY - PHOTOGRAPHY BLOG: BLACK CHIPMUNK_OTTAWA_CANADA: A Rare Black Chipmunk spotted in the Ottawa area is making heads turn. After reading about this little guy in the newspaper today...

Trees and Water near Timmins today.

Tree Top

Water Rocks

Beaver Snacks

Today at work, which may look like play, but I am beat at the of the day!

Today marking boundary line and checking reserves.

A poplar top is very compact.

Looks great against the blue ski.

Water on rocks, with a map of where.

Looking up stream, the cedar are thick.

The beaver are hungry, they're eating birch.

Spring has the birch water over-flowing

nice day

oh turkey vulture flew overhead

and so did a red tailed hawk

Erratic Moss

"They" say

Moss grows on the North side of trees.

Are rocks different?

This rock, called an erratic, has moss growing on it's east side but absolutely none growing on the north side.

This rock is very close to here.
Images of Erractic Rocks

I think I may have found a cedar tree bigger then the biggest on the Timmins Honour Roll of Trees very close to this rock.  I will measure it next time I see it, next couple of months.


watch for it.

Earth Day Timmins

2012 EARTHDAY TIMMINS

Karl Habla organized an Earth Day walk at Gillies lake this year.
It was a wonderful day and the great ball of fire in the sky provided heat!

While the walk was not well attended it is the thougsht that counts. My kids laying in their beds said they were thinking of me.

more info from the Daily Press

Half of my Earth Day was spent at the 65th annual Sportsman Show. Again more info.

I really love to chat with the people that come to the Wintergreen display to talk about sightings and trails and being outdoors.

Plenty of people bought the Bird poster, only a townie!

For the first 2 hours my wonderful daughter joined me. She really only came for the candy floss.

I enjoy talking to people about the trails, the Timmins Honour Roll of Trees, Observations Naturally and interesting sightings around the area.

Nice!

Seeds of Diversity

Timmins Horticultural Society

This year I was asked if I could again talk about trees.
Well I guess so - that is all I really talk about anyway.
Trees and turtles and birds and orchid and trees.

Read about the event here

Kees and I discuss the importance of leaves on trees. It is the leaves that produce oxygen.

The bonsai white birch that travels with me every where is a great example of the importance of trees.

Oxygen Grows On Trees

Great Honed Owl Release.

The Owl Foundation

asked for 

HELP!

3 owls were coming form Vineland to be release close to where they had been found or injured.
My role was to pick up 2 owls in New Liskeard and release one in Matheson and hand one off to Brian in Timmins to be taken back to Kapaskasing.

 A barred owl was released just north of North Bay.
The Great Grey Owl in the video was released just west of Matheson.
The third was picked up in Timmins to be released in Kapaskasing.

The story of the Matheson owl is that it was young and must have fallen from the nest. It was too young to get back to the nest and certainly would have become a small meal for something.

Where the owl was released was only meters from where it had been found.

Brian tells me he had injured the bird when he hit it, I presume with his car.

The Owl Foundation 

Timmins Naturalists provided support for the transportation

Day after Early Earth Day 2012

Green House turns green 

early in the new year. 

CTV Jill Colton (@CTVJillColton ) and Mark check out the greenhouse before they leave for Sudbury after spending yesterday at Timmins Honda for Early Earth Day.

It is early April and already the green house is full of green conifer seedlings.

I just love coming in here when it is -30C outside and it is +25C inside. To watch the benches turn to green in a matter of days is just incredible!

Yes Jill, there are millions of tree seedlings here - and every one has a home!
These trees are the forests of tomorrow.

Most of the millions of trees do have a home, but some are still looking. If you want to buy a tree seedling, forestry size (small) or home owner size ( 6" pots) contact Millson Forestry Service and they can let you know what is available.

Early Earth Day 2012. Success!!

New Friends

together standing on an 

Old Friend

Roll'n and I met some new people this year at Timmins Honda, as we celebrate Earth Day a little early. Too cold to plant a tree today, the the hardy seedlings will tough it out until the soil is a constant 4C.

When I arrived the CTV gang and Forester Moe. had everything looking great and the public were already coming for a free tree seedling. There were also pens, pencils, and a Honda window thermometer.

Again this year the White birch bonsai was a great hit, and no you still can not have it. I will make some more so that they are available in a couple of years. You can read more about the tree here.

A new friend enjoyed meeting my best friend. Jill Coltan ( @CTVJillColton ) with CTV out of Sudbury really enjoyed meeting Roll'n, but then everyone does. I think she may have noticed I was there, but maybe not.

Everyone who came by got a free tree seedling provided by Millson Forestry Service. Timmins was the first stop, next up Sudbury and  North Bay. This year the tree seedlings are white spruce and white pine.

We need to continue to help our old friend, the earth. Plant a tree today, ok well not today, but when it is warmer, and the tickling roots will make it smile!

Early Earth Day. Free Tree Seedling

Early Earth Day April 16th, 2012

Visit Timmins Honda to pick up a free tree seedling.  Millson Forestry Service will again supply locations around North Eastern Ontario for Early Earth Day Events.

This year it looks like the ground will be warm enough to plant your tree seedling when you pick it up on April 16th.  The ground needs to be at least +4C and at my house it has been that warm. Tree Seedlings and Earth Day are a great fit.

" The best time to plant a tree is 100 years ago, 

the second best time is today!"

CTV Weather Specialist Jill Colton will be in Timmins

to hand out Millson Forestry Service Tree Seedlings 

as part of Early Earth Day celebrations at Timmins Honda.

EARTH DAY CANADA

Earth Day 2011 with Millson Forestry Service. Sault Ste. Marie, Sudbury, North Bay and Timmins.
Success in the Sault  Success in Sudbury  Success in Timmins

2011 Forester Moe. and Muddy Mark at Timmins Honda

Earth Day 2010 with Millson Forestry Service. Sault Ste. Marie, Sudbury, North Bay and Timmins.
Seedlings in Sault  Seedlings in Sudbury  Seedlings in Timmins

2010 Susan Millson, Muddy Mark and Forester Moe. in Timmins

The making of Muddy Mark

We all know that Earth Day is actually April 22nd. This year for Earth Day I will be at the Timmins Sportsman Show. I am also hoping I will be able to join Karl Habla on his morning Earth Day walk at Gillies Lake.

Marching for Earth Day

You can get bigger native tree seedlings at Millson Forestry Service any time. My favourite is the Red pine, but the White pine (Ontario Arboreal Emblem) is a close second.

10 Most Weird Trees

10 Most Weird Trees: If you watched the film Avatar, then you certainly have impressed the forest Pandora. But to see the most fantastic ...

Pileated woodpecker. Love the sound!

Pileated Woodpecker!

Ya just got to love the sound!

This woodpecker is on a hydro pole, a very common place to see them.  The power surging through the wires cause the pole to have a very slight vibration. The vibration can mimic the feel of bugs in the wood.

The sound is loud as it echoes through the wood. The video picked up the sound very good.

The head frame at the end of the video is the McIntyre

The only remaining building, following the demolition of the mine site in 2001, was the Shaft No. 11 head frame and a shed containing electrical switchgear for the head frame. The headframe was completed in 1927. 

From : http://www.timmins100.com/mining-heritage/

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/pileated_woodpecker/id

http://www.pileatedwoodpeckercentral.com/

Timmins is celebrating 100 years of history.

White Birch Bonsai - Update

Healthy and Happy

Spring has come to the greenhouse.

I had not been in the greenhouse for some time. I missed the birth of the first buds bursting on the branches.

I missed all the leaves growing big and strong. Hey wait, you are suppose to be a bonsai.

Next for the tree is to have at least 50% of the leaves removed and trim the branches back to keep the shape. I started to do it but I did not have a shape enough knife or my good secateurs.

This tree went into this pot May 2009, it was 2 or 3 years old at the time. So now the tree is 6 years old. I wonder when it will get the white bark of a White birch. That is really what I am waiting for. I want to see the paper birch that makes this tree famous!

Hopefully this year.

In the bush it looks like trees get the white bark before they are 5 years old, but they are not stunted. I will leave the tree in this pot for one more year and remove it in the fall. It will go back in the same pot, but 1/3 of the roots will be removed.

 The photo history of the tree can be seen here

Past blog entries :  Jan 23, 2010      Nov 01, 2009     May 10, 2009

Timmins Water Levels Online

Real-time water levels 

Canada Wide

Google Maps

Real-time Hydrometric Data

With this tool you can watch the levels of the water near your house or near your parents house.

I think the Mattagami river will spill it's banks at 5.9

Timmins Temperature Records

7 days in a row :)

7 days of HOT weather :)

7 days of summer!

Then back to norms :(

I have not heard of any bears out looking around, but the birds are very early this year.

Normally Robin does not appear until April ~14th. This year the first Robin appears March 18th.  This is the first year that we have confirmed sightings of Bald eagle all winter. We had a pair during the Christmas Bird Count, and a single one spent the season at the dump. Another one was spotted along the Mattagami River all winter.

It was so warm on March 18th that the young ones washed the truck.

The Timmins Naturalists has a page called Observations Naturally that record sightings and observations. You see we had 7 days of record setting temperatures. The biggest record breaker was 27.9C breaks the 1979 11.2C record. We broke a record by over 16.5C.

Successful Winter Hiking Day

Winter Hiking Day in Timmins

A great Success!

A long hike and a shorter hike was the option. 

Hot chocolate and juice was available to all after the hike. 

Some got to go home with the checklist of the birds poster and 

others left with the Timmins Honour Roll of Trees flash card 

or the Observations Naturally flash card. 

These are still available at the Wintergreen Fund for Conservation office.

The Daily Press was there to record the event.

You can read the story online at

The Daily Press

Richard Moore was also on hand 

to provide excellent and knowledgeable information 

about birds seen at the feeders and on the rest of the hike. 

Richard can identify well over 150 birds by sound! 

Fresh Air

New Friends

Buzz about the birds

The pines really spruce up the forest

Little critters under the snow, tracks in the snow too.

Bear x2 and Bald bird

Early this morning I was on my way to near Foleyet traveling on highway 101. Trusty Roll'n is riding shotgun.

Just coming over the hill at boom lake I notice a big bird with a white head. My first Bald Eagle of the season. It was on the move and I did not get any pictures.

This is a map of where I saw the Bald eagle.

A little further down the road a small black bear ran across the road. Suddenly the one riding shogun was much more interested in watching the road then sleeping.

To finish off the day the trip home was made better with the sight of my favorite bird lumbering across the road. What is my favorite bird? You will have to read past entries.

Festival of the Trees 56

Festival of the Trees 56

It is a blog carnival for all thing trees, Festival of Trees

The 56 edition is is hosted by treeblog.co.uk.

Muddy Mark made a contribution.  Take a look at the 56th edition now!

.

You are a Scientist

Citizen Science


The fact that you are at this blog means you are a scientist, you are participating with many other citizens of planet Earth. 


nature.ca

Timmins Winter Hiking Day

more information @ MRCA

more information @ City of Timmins

more information @ Northern Ontario Travel

Summer 2011 Hiking Day Blog entry here