Iain Leitch Photography

The Sawyer Woodlot is a conservation area located near me and is maintained for teaching and conservation purposes. This was my first time there and there was a lot to be seen. Trilliums which are the provincial flower of Ontario are located there but it is illegal to move or harm them. The first picture is of a purple trillium which is rarer than the white ones. There are also trout lilies which are the second photo. The third photo is the only mushroom I saw during the trip there but it was a larger mushroom and good looking too.

Whenever I am driving back to Stratford from the 401 I always pass by this little chapel. It is located in Waterloo County. There is a lot of history behind this chapel as it was built in the mid-1800s. You can see that the really old gravestones are located on the edge of the church while there are newer ones located in the cemetery. It is an Anglican chapel. There is also a bell in the chapel tower that is supposed to have an amazing sound but when I took the picture I was unable to ring the bell or get inside the church which has beautiful stain glass.

Its spring and that means that the first Asters are blooming. My front yard has a lot of these flowers that bloom each and every spring. The first photo is a side view of the flowers looking up to the sky. Asters are cool flowers because they will close up when the sun goes down for the night to keep warm and save energy.  The second picture is from up above looking down on the flowers. It is possible to see that Asters come in white, pink, light blue and dark blue colors. 

Today was sunny with blue sky out and was relatively warm outside so I went for a walk in the Drumlin which is owned by the university. The first and third pictures are of the pine grove in the area that would have been planted after the area was logged. The second picture is the first butterfly I have seen this year. The butterfly could be an Eastern Comma or a Tawny Emperor. The fourth and fifth pictures are of the first flowers that I have seen bloom this year.

Today was the first good day in a while so I celebrated by going on a hike. The trail that I choose was the Lakefield Rail Trail which is a trail following the path of an old railroad. The first picture is from just off the main trail and is a Garter Snake. It was found off a small side trail and looked to of just woke up from hibernation. The second picture is looking over what I think is a farmers field. In the picture, it is possible to see the sky reflecting in the pond. The third picture was taken just north of the 23 lock on the Trent-Severn Waterway. It just looks out over the Otonobee river and the forests that surround it.