In the arboretum again – two species of lichen on this piece of bark.
The grey one is possibly Greenshield lichen while the orange one is, as far as I can ascertain, Candleflame Lichen (Candelaria concolor)
The arboretum has a number of memorial benches (good fund raiser) – on hot days they can be exceptionally welcome to the walkers passing by. This one is in the middle of the oldest (maple) sugar bush on Montreal island.
The first cherries of the 2020 harvest are starting to ripen – the birds will be so pleased.
This trees roots are exposed because it has “chosen” to grow in the middle of a seasonal watercourse that drains snow-melt. For all that it has been there a very long time.
Although the Arboretum has been “tolerating” visitors during the viral shutdown period as the entry could not be manned we have held back from visiting in the hope that the world would leave the place in peace. They didn’t. Harrumph. However it is now open again to members only and although it will be a day or two before we have time to wander around I dropped by for a token ten minutes this afternoon. This is Pines Field just outside the entrance and full of bird song.
We are having to a do a lot of very local walking during these socially distant months – this is just down the road on the other side of the small neighbourhood park. It’s a narrow strip of trees on either side of this seasonal stream and seems very popular with several species of Woodpeckers, especially thr Pileateds, for nesting opportunities.
Sour cherry blossom being pollinated by a very small miner bee of unknown species. A good time of the year.
In the arboretum there is a long line of birch trees originally collected from each of the Canadian provinces and territories. Ostensibly all the same species they exhibit interesting differences.