Hmmm, it is such a tragedy that they will never know the beauty of this place.
There has not been much opportunity to get away from it at all the last two years with the restrictions put in place around the pandemic. With things finally settled down, I indulged myself with a mini three-day vacation to Point Pelee Provincial Park near Leamington, Ontario.
You may know Pelee as a migration birdwatching mecca. I hiked its paths many times in the past before my back woes scratched birdwatching off the list of things I can do. Fortunately, Pelee is an ecological gem at any time of the year.
I came across the war memorial sign at the top of the post near the Pelee marsh boardwalk. The sentiment it expresses is profound. I am gifting you with a few photos of all we enjoy at Pelee which we owe to those who gave their lives in other lands.
This shot is from the DeLaurier Trail which honours the DeLaurier family who inhabited that land back in the 1800’s. You’re looking at one of the canals that was dug by hand (although not by the DeLauriers) to drain the marshland for agricultural purposes. It is a portrait in soul soothing greens that I could stand before and admire for days on end.
This Eastern Comma butterfly was found along the DeLaurier Trail. Eastern Commas are not cooperative when it comes to being photographed. But I managed to sneak up on this one. It posed perfectly to display the dead leaf pattern on the outer wing and just a hint of the profusion of colour on the inner side. Do you see why this species is called “Comma Butterflies”?
Hackberry Emperors do not occur in my usual stomping grounds. But they are common at Pelee where they often perch cooperatively on the ground as this one did. The elegant study of browns with white highlights makes them appear quite regal. This one narrowly escaped a predator to which the chomp out of the wing edge attests.
Point Pelee covers six square miles and four of those square miles are marshland. A stroll around the looping marsh boardwalk is a must for every visitor. It offers a glimpse of Pelee’s expanse of marsh and some treasured moments of tranquility.
I dedicate this post humbly to the men and women who lied buried in the earth of foreign lands and in the seven seas.
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Tags: DeLaurier Homestead Trail · Eastern Comma · Hackberry Emperor · metaphor · Michael Robert Dyet · Point Pelee Provincial ParkNo Comments