Spring in Ontario Snow, Cold, Ice; Not Usual March Weather

This year Spring is very slow in showing itself here in southern Ontario. We've seen a few determined robins, and a few dozen migrating trumpeter swans that stopped at Port Credit on their way north.

A few valiant (foolhardy?) spring bulbs were spotted, working their way through the frozen soil. But March 2011 is one of the chilliest in years, and I, for one, am more than ready for warm weather.

Saddington Park Mississauga ON Ice on Breakwater

 Look at the ice on the rocks at Saddington Park! This morning I woke up to minus 10C (14F) temperatures, and this admittedly pretty ice covering the breakwater along the Credit River.

Sunrise Lights Up Ice-covered Trees Port Credit ON

 The sunrise turned the ice-covered trees along the Credit River wonderful golden color. The day-long snow storm earlier this week had stirred up Lake Ontario, and sent huge waves rolling in to shore and up the river. Where waves hit the breakwater, 20-foot sprays flew into the air, and onto the shoreline trees and rocks.

Sunlight on Ice Credit River

 As cold as it was, it didn't deter a few fishermen from casting their lines into the river. They didn't stay long, perhaps an hour, and they didn't catch anything that I could see except perhaps a chill. But out of the wind, and with a late March sun shining on you, you don't feel the cold. Spring skiing should be fabulous north of Toronto this year.

Long Shot of Credit River Lake Ontario Saddington Park

 Here's a picture of the river at Saddington and Lake Ontario. The area in the middle left is the subject of the close ups of the ice on the rocks and trees shown above. I can't remember having snow on the  ground and staying for a week or more this late in the year. Sure, I've seen it snow in Toronto in mid May, but that is very rare.

Super Moon in Mississauga March 2011

The 'super moon' rise over Lake Ontario on March 18 (it would be full the following night) looked the same to me as any full moon. But even if the moon was closer to Earth by a few thousand miles, it wouldn't be obvious to the naked eye. Pretty, but we are spoiled with gorgeous full moons over the night time lake.

Canada Geese Credit River Ontario ~ Sunrise Preen

 After taking pictures of the ice and the rocks, I noticed two Canada geese preening themselves on the river below, partly hidden from view by the winter-bare shrubs. When the springtime leaves finally appear, this whole section of the riverbank will be entirely blocked from my view.

Canada Goose Foot Prints in Snow

 As the day wore on, I saw a goose standing in a snowy field near Saddington Park, his footprints and those of his peers making paths in the snow.

Snowdrops without Snow - Port Credit ON Spring Blooms

What  a difference a week makes: Last week, as spring approached, the snow had mostly melted and I spotted this hardy clump of snowdrops at Brueckner Rhododendron Garden. With the below freezing temps and the snow and wind of the past few days, I can only hope the snowdrops survived the chill.

On a walk through Port Credit today, I looked for a small garden where I'd seen daffodils and crocuses seriously thinking of opening their buds. Today, they were up to their buds in snow and ice. Let's hope they are hardy enough to survive this unseasonable cold spell.

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Winter In Canada - Snow and Ice on Lake Ontario Make Natural Art in Port Credit Mississauga

Winter in Canada - snow and ice and cold winds -- is not my favorite season, but today, here in lovely Port Credit, even though the temperature was about minus 10 Celsius (14 F), and there was plenty of snow and ice everywhere, the sun was warm and it felt wonderful. And so for the first time in several weeks, I headed across Lakeshore Road through Rhododendron Gardens to have a look at Lake Ontario, and see what the cold weather had brought to the shoreline.

Rhododendron Gardens Snow Fence

The mid afternoon sunlight set up blue colored shadows across the large meadow area south of the rose garden and peony bed. Snow fencing is used to block snow drifts, though in this case, it is backed with burlap in an attempt to keep salt from the Waterfront Trail winter trail maintenance from being strewn on the new flower beds. Road salt, even so-called environmentally friendly products, can still harm garden plants and lawns.

On the Lake Ontario Shoreline Looking south to USA

This afternoon, I was the only person in the gardens, and with ice floes hugging the shoreline, and no wind to speak of, the silence was incredible! Hard to believe this location is only a few minute's walk south of busy Lakeshore Road. A unseen plane passed, breaking the silence for a moment. But even the birds bobbing out in the open water past the ice made not a sound.

After a few minutes, I noticed how the waves had broken on this tree branch on the shore, and frozen in place, so I moved in for a closer look.

Winter in Canada = Snow and Ice

Here's a medium shot of the ice covered branch. The puffy mounds in the foreground are large rocks placed here along the shore to block erosion. When there is no snow, you can see where it is safe to step. But today, the blanket of show covers the crevasses, so it's not safe to go walkabout.

Natural Art in Canada - Snow and Ice turn a tree branch into Sculpture

Here's a close up of the same branch. Cool, no? Pun intended. Nature knows how to make her own ice sculptures!

See more Winter in Canada Snow pictures here and how snow is melted by machine.
And stay warm! It's only two months until SPRING!!!!!!

Rattray Marsh Conservation Area Waterfront Trail Mississauga Ontario

Rattray Marsh Conservation Area is one of my favorite walking trails in the area. It's accessible via the Waterfront Trail in Mississauga (Ontario, Canada), which connects to Jack Darling Park. Rattray Marsh is not a Mississauga park, but under the aegis of the Credit Valley Conservation Authority (CVC). It's a haven for inner city wildlife, and a great favorite of birders and hikers, but not cyclists. The trail is a footpath through the marsh - no bikes allowed.

Rattray Marsh in Winter

A few days ago, before today's bone-chilling cold (minus 20C or 4 F) set in, I headed out to see the marsh in winter. As is the case with Jack Darling park, the footpath through this marsh receives no winter maintenance, but the snow was not deep, as you can see in the photo above. From this viewpoint, we are looking south across the marsh 'lake' to Lake Ontario

River Runs Through Rattray Marsh

The light snow marked the ice in the river, with open water around it. Likely today, with much colder temperatures, this river will be totally frozen across. I could go check, but it's too cold for me!

Animal tracks in the snow at Rattray Marsh

I am not sure what animal made these tracks. It might have been a rabbit. Closer to the river, deer tracks led down to the water's edge, where it must have stopped for a drink. Along the boardwalk rail, a squirrel had made a great set of footprints. New fallen snow is not only pretty, it provides a road map for animal traffic.

Grey Squirrel in Underbrush and New-fallen Snow

This grey squirrel blended into the underbrush and snow - his colors echoing the landscape colors. Though the day was chilly, we met a number of other walkers, as well as a photographer, all of us taking advantage of the winter sun.

Rattray Marsh Trilliums in Spring

Rattray Marsh is a great area to find Ontario's provincial flower -- the trillium -- in bloom in early spring. I took the above photo last April. Wild violets bloom around the same time as trilliums, and both white and violet blooms carpeted the hillside. I can hardly wait for Spring!

For more information on Rattray Marsh, see the CVC site.
For photos and googlemap this area and Jack Darling park in winter see this earlier blog post.

Winter Hoar Frost, Saskatoons, Celestine Farms Alberta Canada

I lived in the western Canada province Alberta for many years, and in all that time, I never got a photograph of one of Winter's loveliest sights : hoar frost. Friend Jen and husband, who settled in Alberta a few years ago, sent these pictures that remind me how beautiful a Canadian winter can be. With their permission, I post them here, with her notes. Thanks, Jen!

"Our farm is called Celestine Farms, taken from the book Celestine Prophecy, by James Redfield. Basically, we are where we are meant to be, whether to experience a positive or a negative lesson from life's adventure. The path leads where we need to go.

"We are located 1.5 hours north of Calgary [Alberta, Canada]. In fact, we ARE central Alberta -- 40 minutes from Stettler, 40 minutes northeast of Red Deer, an hour and 20 minutes to the Edmonton airport, and an hour 40 minutes to the Calgary airport.

"In Alberta, in the winter we often get an ice fog -- called hoar frost -- which settles on anything above ground. The weeds that you cursed last summer are now exquisite ice sculptures to be admired.

"The new snow leaves a tale of who has passed by in the last 24 hours. We can see the trail of the small herd of deer that came down our driveway, through our home yard and then wandered up the ridge into the barnyard, out through the chute and out into the upper field before returning to the woods.

"We can see where a muskrat went for a delicious snowslide across the upper field. Coyote tracks punctuate the tale of the snow. It is silent in winter and we have the time to listen, as winter is our relaxing time -- slow paced, fat and lazy. We know that when spring arrives, it arrives overnight. One moment, winter silence punctuated by the call of the cheeky chickadees; the next, a cacophony of wetland bird calls, excited about their safe return from southern retreats.

"At Celestine Farms, as well as offering custom grazing or managed intensive grazing for a neighbour's herd of cows, we grow Saskatoons -- a native berry mentioned in the earliest journals of explorers. Small, round and blue-purple, Saskatoons look like blueberries and taste a bit like cherries when cooked. They have a definite almond flavour. Their medicinal benefits are just beginning to be explored but are suspected to be intensely beneficial, as everything that blueberries have, Saskatoons have more.

"We planted our Saskatoons so as to achieve farm status and a better tax classification. Little did we know the work involved! Suffice it to say, my husband was prepared to bulldoze them by the second week of harvest last summer! In all, we harvested 2,903 lbs of berries. Grueling!

Friends volunteered to help us and the six of us worked steadily for three weeks. We would start at 6:30-7:00 a.m., work until 11:30, break for the heat of the day and start again at 7:00 p.m., working until dark. In the midday hours we sorted and froze the berries, moved cows to different pastures, and set up fences and waterers. Next year, we have been told to expect to pick no less than 9,000 lbs. We have one year to gear up!

"But I know that when the saskatoon trees hang heavy with their delicate white blooms we will not be able to ignore them. With the amount of Saskatoons we eat, and considering the health benefits, we should live to challenge Methuselah.

"On the day these photographs were taken, we were doing our usual walk with the dog. The beauty overwhelmed us so we headed for the house, grabbed our camera and walked our loop again, this time snapping pictures. Every day we walk our land there is something new to see -- a black mink chasing a muskrat, snowshoe rabbit tracks, a pileated woodpecker, the latest beaver damage.

"I can't imagine ever moving back to city life. I am home.
Ciao for niao
Jen"

For a look at not-so-lovely winter, see my SnapshotJourneys.com -- Canada snow pages.
For more information about Celestine Farms post a comment for forwarding.

UPDATE August 2008 (Not sure how long this link will be active) See Lacombe Globe August 12 2008 story about Celestine Farm saskatoons.