Hello Everyone

It’s sad to think that the summer is coming to an end, but not everything about the end of summer is sad. All I’ve got to say is that the end of summer means BABY TURTLES!! Ryan Bolton, one of the researchers in the park has been incubating turtle eggs all summer and now they’ve started to hatch. Raccoons, skunks and other nest predators take a huge toll on the turtle nests in the park. The odds of an egg making it to adulthood are very low, less than 1%. Ryan’s work helps to give the turtles a better chance by at least getting them to the hatchling stage. Over the course of his work here, he has helped thousands of eggs hatch. But even with all his help, there are still turtle eggs that do it the natural way and hatch in the wild. If you are really lucky you’ll get to see some tiny turtles, the size of a twoonie, making their way across roads and down the beach to the water. So keep a wary eye out as you are driving around and if you see any give them a helping hand on their journey.

Ryan Bolton with baby Map Turtles

But baby turtles aren’t the only reptiles that made the Rondeau headlines this week. We also had a visit from Reptiles at Risk this past weekend. They taught our visitors about the many snakes and turtles that live within Ontario. And to top the whole thing off, everybody who wanted to, was able to hold a snake and discover for themselves what they really feel like. And let me tell you, the staff definitely took advantage of that experience because you don’t often get the chance to hold a Northern Water Snake.

Two snakes climbing a tree at the Reptiles at Risk Program

There is another treat at the end of the summer – fall flowers. When most people think about wildflowers it is usually Spring that springs to mind. But there really are some beauties that flower this time of year. One of my favourites is Blazing Star. For me, these plucky little flowers looks like little purple torches that are come hither signs for a lot of our butterfly species. Blazing star has several flowers along a tall flower spike. Unlike many other species with flower spikes, the flowers at the top bloom first and slowly move down the stem. In the middle of their blooming period you can have seeds forming at the top of the stem and flowers blooming at the bottom.

Monarch on Blazing Star

Buckeye on Blazing Star

Orange Sulfur on Blazing Star

Blazing Star isn’t considered an important food source for mammals like deer, but as far as humans are concerned it has a rich history in medicinal uses. The Native Americans used a tea from the roots to treat dysentery and applied the tea to the outside of their horses before a race, claiming that the treatment increased their speed and endurance. The European settlers used the tea as a diuretic and gargled it to help sore throats. In my opinion, the coolest common name this plant has ever had was Rattlesnake Master for its use as a poultice to treat snakebites.

Blazing Star

Field of Blazing Stars

Blazingly Yours
Kip

p.s. Although I didn’t mention it this week, our pond and waterfall in the bird garden are up and fully functional. I’d like to send out a big thank you to S. I. Water Gardens for all their help and donations.