Bark on a Mature Hemlock
A Walk in the Park
Theo, Sam and I went for a walk yesterday in one of my favourite spots; a former Bowater “pocket wilderness”, now operated as a Clare Municipal Park – Wentworth Park.
The park has a lovely trail that loops through a mature stand of Hemlocks and Maples, and which I have photographed many times. Four tree images will be featured in a national art exhibition on Common Forests which will be held sometime in the next few years, under the direction of Jon Havelock. Jon had me shoot the trees in Wentworth, and then he processed the images to meet the requirements of his exhibition – one of mine is this week’s picture.
Theo and Sam (our dog) love the trail, its soft bed of leaves and mosses and the dappled light that reaches the forest floor and bathes all in a muted beauty. Theo explored the trees, and mentioned the bark patterns, and so we discussed my photography contribution to the project. We found toads and spiders living in the forest, and Theo even tried sliding a bit down a rock, but that ended up with him covered in cobwebs – an obvious spider habitat, ne noted!
I loved going for the walk and seeing his enthusiasm when we identified various birds by call (an Eastern Wood Pewee and a Hermit Thrush for the record) and then identified the various plants using our Naturalist app.
I’d love for all kids to be able to be unplugged like this for a bit, as it’s so much fun when you see the child light up in wonder at the natural world around them! Perhaps one like Theo will grow up to become someone who respects and treasures nature and works to preserve the fragile wilderness that is so essential to this planet’s health.
