Japanese Barberry: a significant invasive on Lawsons Brook and perhaps elsewhere in the Backlands (Halifax, NS) 17Aug2023

Posted on August 17, 2023 by admin
UPDATE Aug 18, 2023: The NS Invasive Species Council has recently released their new Grow Me Instead guidebook in which Japanese Barberry and Common Barberry are cited as potential invasives in NS & NB; they suggest alternative native species to grow in their stead in our gardens.

Lawsons Brook on Google Earth
Click on images for larger versions

Lawsons Brook is the stream that drains Williams Lake.  It begins at the dam on Williams Lake and falls about 15 meters in elevation over the approx. 365 m from the dam to the point it enters a Culvert taking it below Purcells Cove Road;  then it continues over another 80 m through  Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron grounds before finally discharging into “The Arm”.

View looking upstream in a section of Lawsons Brook free of invasive plants, Aug 2, 2023

Lawsons Brook is lined by magnificent hardwood-dominated, old forest.  Yellow Birch is the most prominent species,  followed by Red Oak, Red Maple, White Pine, Black Spruce and the occasional Eastern Hemlock; and  distinct sub-canopies formed by Striped Maple and Witch Hazel.

The ground is very uneven, bouldery, with lots of woody debris; near the dam, there are several channels through low-lying floodplain/wetland (and a plethora of poison ivy). Continue reading →

Posted in Conservation, Invasive species, Shaw Wilderness Park | Comments Off on Japanese Barberry: a significant invasive on Lawsons Brook and perhaps elsewhere in the Backlands (Halifax, NS) 17Aug2023

Public Feedback on the Backlands sought for the Regional Plan Review 16Aug2023

Posted on August 16, 2023 by admin

Representatives of the Coalition’s member groups have been meeting monthly to discuss ways and means to accomplish our mission: to ensure no loss of wildlife habitat in the Backlands and to preserve them for natural, historical, cultural, conservation, educational, recreational and common use.

Our recent focus has been to collect, compile, and present information to the HRM planning staff, our Councillor, and various Regional Council committees to inform them about the value of preserving the Backlands and its fragile and unique ecology for environmental and recreational purposes, since further development will destroy this small piece of nature that will only become more important as a retreat as HRM gets denser.

This activity has been happening as part of the review process for updating the HRM Regional Plan, which will enter its final and 5th phase after Oct 27. Until then, the draft plan created in phase 4 is available for feedback from the public – which means all of us – so if you want to help achieve our mission, please provide  comments as directed below. Continue reading →

Posted in Community | Comments Off on Public Feedback on the Backlands sought for the Regional Plan Review 16Aug2023

Hemlock Wooly Adelgid now in the Halifax area 11Aug2023

Posted on August 11, 2023 by admin

UPDATE Aug 16, 2023:
Forest ecologist, Donna Crossland, explains the significance of the discovery of Hemlock Wooly Adelgid – or HWA – in Bedford, NS (Audio)
CBC Maritime Noon
———————————-
Subject: HWA Working Group – HWA Detection in Nova Scotia
Date: Fri, 11 Aug 2023
From: Neville, Ron (CFIA/ACIA)
Hi there,

We wanted to pass along the following HWA update from Sherry Lynn Kelly, the CFIA Director of Operations for Nova Scotia.
***************************
Good Afternoon,

In early August, the CFIA received a report of a suspected Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (HWA) infestation on a home owner’s property in Bedford, Nova Scotia. The resulting laboratory analysis of samples taken by CFIA during follow-up has confirmed the presences HWA. The is the first confirmed detection of HWA in the Halifax Regional Municipality. The affected property has been placed under regulatory control and additional surveys in the surrounding area will take place in the coming weeks to better characterize the population. Continue reading →

Posted in Conservation, Invasive species | Comments Off on Hemlock Wooly Adelgid now in the Halifax area 11Aug2023

Shaw Wilderness Park – Camp Fire Sighted! 31July2023

Posted on August 6, 2023 by admin

Signage at entrance to Shaw Wilderness Park

A camp fire was sighted in the Shaw Wilderness Park by residents of Williams Lake the evening of July 31.

Fire Fighters could not reach the camp site and could not verify if the fire had been extinguished properly.

Residents shouted across the still lake to the campers to put out the Fire.

The fire eventually burned out during the night and the campers’ green canoe was gone from the camp site area in the morning.

Protect fire-prone forests, natural wild lands’ habitats, unique Backlands, our homes, properties and lives. Respect the “No Fires” Bylaw for all parks. Continue reading →

Posted in Community, Fire Ecology, Recreation, Shaw Wilderness Park | Comments Off on Shaw Wilderness Park – Camp Fire Sighted! 31July2023

Art Meets Nature and Activism at Sandy Lake – art show opens Thursday July 13th, 2023 !

Posted on July 12, 2023 by admin

Sandy Lake at Peverill’s Brook, by Jeremy Vaughan. Click on image for larger version.

A wonderful collective of artists has been creating works based on their experiences at Sandy Lake Regional Park.

Their gorgeous paintings and drawings will form part of a 2-week long art show at Second Gallery (Upstairs at 6301 Quinpool Road, Halifax), called “Sanctuary – Save Sandy Lake.”

The show opening is on Thursday, July 13, from 6 pm to 8 pm and ALL are invited (so is everyone you know). It  runs for 2 weeks.

Read more about the artists’ inspiration and how it relates to the campaign to save critical lands – including important wildlife corridors connecting the mainland and lands of the Chebucto Peninsula – and protect Sandy Lake in the press release about the show.

Posted in Community, Conservation | Comments Off on Art Meets Nature and Activism at Sandy Lake – art show opens Thursday July 13th, 2023 !

Peak flowering (now) is a good time to spot invasive multiflora rose and help stop its spread into the Backlands 6Jul2023

Posted on July 6, 2023 by admin

By David Patriquin

Two stages in which R. multiflora is quite readily seen and identified in Halifax area – left when it is in flower, early July; right in winter when clusters red berries stand out (if not already consumed by birds)
Click on images for larger versions

It’s peak flowering time for Rosa multiflora, an invasive species that can be challenging to remove once it gets well established. The plants are readily spotted when they are flowering, so its a good time to be on the lookout for them, especially when they are just getting established and are most readily controlled.

To my knowledge, and from the records on an iNaturalist Project for multiflora rose (likely under-reported), it hasn’t yet gained a significant foothold in the undeveloped lands of the Backlands proper.  However, it has been noted in a few spots** and it is socked into many areas along trails and roadsides in nearby areas, e.g. along much of Purcell’s Cove Road and in the area of Connaught Battery. Continue reading →

Posted in Conservation, Invasive species | Comments Off on Peak flowering (now) is a good time to spot invasive multiflora rose and help stop its spread into the Backlands 6Jul2023

A misty walk at East Pine Island Pond on Canada Day 2023

Posted on July 5, 2023 by admin

Photos by Joshua Barss Donham and Rosa Barss Donham at East Pine Island Pond in the Purcells Cove Backlands on Canada Day

Serviceberry, reindeer lichen, and crowberry

Continue reading →

Posted in Birds, Conservation | Comments Off on A misty walk at East Pine Island Pond on Canada Day 2023

Presumptive Exobasidium infestation on Black Huckleberry extends well beyond Osprey Trail area (Halifax Backlands) 5July2023

Posted on July 5, 2023 by admin

It took only 2 days following my initial post about this “mystery pest” on Black Huckleberry in the Osprey Trail area (McIntosh Run barrens) to document, courtesy of Joshua Barss Donham & Rosa Barss Donham & iNaturalist, occurrences of the infestations well beyond the area I examined on July 2. Here’s the new iNaturalist Map:

Occurrences of Exobasidium in the Backlands as reported on iNaturalist 9 am on June 5, 2023

Continue reading →

Posted in Conservation, Exobasidium | Comments Off on Presumptive Exobasidium infestation on Black Huckleberry extends well beyond Osprey Trail area (Halifax Backlands) 5July2023

Fruit production by Black Huckleberry on the McIntosh Run barrens reduced by mystery pest 3Jul2023

Posted on July 3, 2023 by admin

Gall-like structures  on leaves
Click on images for larger versions

The mystery pest appears to be the work of a fungus in the genus Exobasidium, a group of parasitic fungi.  While berry production in the area examined will certainly be reduced this year, it probably  won’t have serious longer term impacts. The outbreak may be related to the unusually wet weather over last few weeks. With a little citizen science/use of iNaturalist, we can track its occurrence in the Backlands.

UPDATE July 4, 2023. Already a report has come in that the mystery pest is abundant on black huckleberry to the south and southwest of Osprey Trail  area. See comment.

By David Patriquin

In a nutshell: most of the Black Huckleberry (Gaylusaccia bacatta) plants I looked at yesterday (July 2), between downpours, within 300 m or so of the trailhead for the Osprey Trail were heavily infected by a mystery pest that causes pinkish galls to form on leaves and distorts fruit (berry) development of black huckleberry (Gaylussacia baccata).  I found very few plants with normal berries.

Visually, these structures and deformations look very much like the work of a fungus in the genus Exobasidium, a group of parasitic fungi* so that’s a tentative ID; confirmation by experts is still required to confirm it as such and identify it to the species level.

Many species of Exobasidium are pathogens on plants of the heath family (Ericaceae). Heath family species are prominent on the whaleback outcrops and associated low areas of the McIntosh Run barrens.  Besides the huckleberries, blueberries, leatherleaf, sheep laurel (lambkill), crowberries, bearberry, foxberry and  teaberry are  members of the Heath family; so are our garden rhododendrons and azaleas.
* This possible ID  was suggested to me by Sean Basquill, Ecosystem Scientist with Nova Scotia NRR. Continue reading →

Posted in Conservation, Exobasidium | Comments Off on Fruit production by Black Huckleberry on the McIntosh Run barrens reduced by mystery pest 3Jul2023

Golden Heather in flower in the Backlands 30Jun2023

Posted on June 30, 2023 by admin

And some thoughts about what’s involved in keeping it around.

Golden Heather on Jack Pine-crowberry barrens in the Backlands
Click on images for larger versions

By David Patriquin

I have been observing Golden Heather (Hudsonia ericoides ) in flower in the Backlands over the last last 10 days or so. Golden Heather is hard to miss when it’s flowering, but otherwise  it is not particularly noticeable and the vegetative plant is superficially similar to Broom Crowberry (see links below to botanical descriptions).

Aside from providing attractive flashes of gold on the more exposed areas of the barrens, Golden Heather  has an “S-Rank”of 2 (Imperiled) on the ACCDC Conservation Ranks List for NS vascular plants (Link) and thus  is a “Priority Species” in NS Environmental Assessments. )*
* A subset of species with S3, S2 and S3 ranks are protected under Nova Scotia’s Endangered Species Act and are formally protected. Species with S-Ranks 1, 2 or 3 but not not listed under the Endangered Species Act could eventually be put on that list (or not) – most of these many  ‘candidate species’ have simply not been formally assessed. Such species are generally afforded some consideration/protection in EAs and related processes. Continue reading →

Posted in Conservation, Fire Ecology | Comments Off on Golden Heather in flower in the Backlands 30Jun2023