Scenes from Idlewood Woods and Nearby Graber Trail
by
Judy and Larry Hamel

Note:
If you are running this photo presentation on your iPad, you may notice that the captions do not match the photos from photo 26 on.  We are not sure why this is happening.  When we figure it out, we will fix the problem.  If you have a suggestion, please inform the web site manager.  We apologize for the problem and thank you for your understanding.

By showing a few scenes taken throughout the year, January through September 2010, we invite you to have a look at these urban natural areas.

The photos shown at left (bottom side of a fungus on a birch log)  and below have been resized for showing on the computer screen.  Otherwise, they are as they were taken (unedited).

This initial presentation on the revised KWFN Web Site is intended to encourage you to share your photos of plants, animals and other natural phenomena.

Judy and I enjoy these two urban woodland areas which are close to our home in the Stanley Park corner of Kitchener.  We, along with our dog Domino,  travel these trails almost on a daily basis as pedestrians or cyclists, depending upon the season.  For directions to these areas, please see the information following the last photo below.

We enjoy taking and viewing the photos.  We make an effort to label what we see, but are not experts in this area.  Therefore viewers are advised that our labels are not a fool proof plant identification guide.  Any suggestions/help you would like to offer in this regard will be welcomed.

1. A flash of colour in winter (a form of bracken fungus) (March)

2. Interesting texture (an old birch tree, probably a yellow birch) (March)

3. Winter cull by city workers (probably a red pine)

4. The winter cull is left to decay where it was felled

5. Spring is on the march.  The snow is retreating and the plants are beginning to emerge  (March)

6. A patch of moss basking in the April sun

7. Spore stalks dancing in the sunlight

8. Colt's Foot - one of the earliest spring wild flowers (April)

9. Left - Yellow Violet, Right - Garlic Mustard

10. Poison Ivy fresh from it's winter rest

11. A May Apple colony in the spring woods

12. A closer look at the May Apple colony

13. Jack-in-the-Pulpit, another early spring wild flower

14. A closer look at Jack

15. The Blood Root leaf is easy to recognize in the early spring

16. Forget-me-not in the wild

17. Herb Robert (belongs to the geranium family)

18. Staghorn Sumac

19. Garlic Mustard seed pods complete with spider web

20. Purple Loosestrife flower stalk

21. Boneset blossoms

22.Queen Anne's Lace holding court

23. One of the Nightshades (possibly Evening Nightshade)

24. Another interesting fungus (looks like coral)

25. Jack-in-the-Pulpit legacy (seed bunch).

26. Sometimes a beaver pond.  Sometimes just a ditch.  Always changing.  Always interesting.

27. White Vervain

28. A grass gone to seed

29. Cat-tails

30. Chipmunk keeping an eye on the passers by

31.Jewel Weed

32. Reflection

33. One of the Nettles

34. Common Burdock

35. Knapweed (possibly the brown version)

36. A closer look at the brown on the Brown Knapweed

37. In the field, this Chickory was more pink than it shows here

38. A teasel blossom being tickled by a bee

39. Chickory cohabiting with Poison Ivy (lower right)

40. Tansey sprays

41. One huge Weeping Willow that lost a major branch

42. Cardinal in the Weeping Willow

43. Chickory and Queen Anne's Lace

44. Teasel with a canopy of Queen Anne's Lace

 Directions

While you can access these areas in different ways, the following directions will help you connect with each of them.  Once there, you can explore in various directions.

Idlewood Woods
Coming from King St. E. and Ottawa St., travel north to the intersection of Ottawa St. N. and River Rd. E.
Turn right on River Rd. E. towards Fairway Rd. N.
After travelling two blocks (counting on your right side)  River Rd. begins to pass through the wooded section that we call Idlewood Woods.  We think that the city considers it all to be part of Idlewood Park.
Shortly after entering the wooded section you will see the Community Trail Markers on each side of the road.  You can explore in either direction.

Graber Trail (as we call it)
Coming from King St. E. and Ottawa St. travel north until you reach Dreger Ave. (the first street on your right after you cross the Conestoga Parkway and travel through part of the Stanley Park Conservation Area).
Turn right on Dreger Ave. and travel one block.
Turn right on Graber Pl.
You will find the trail entrance on your left beside the Kitchener-Wilmot Transformer Station.

From each of these wonderful natural areas you can connect to other natural areas by using the urban trail system.

Enjoy!

Click on the Close Button [X] at the top of your screen to return to the Photo Gallery Page.

Top of Screen

©2010 Kitchener-Waterloo Field Naturalists.  All Rights Reserved.