The Broom!

Bellbroom by Earl Plato
It’s Gone! The Witch’s Broom of Marcy Woods is gone.
The Eastern Hemlock bearing the anomaly has been cut down by the local Canadian Hydro people. Why? It stood in the way of a new power line. Look at my photo. See the ball of branches on the upper limbs. An air borne virus years ago landed on the tree. The result was the hemlock’s reaction by growing many little hemlock shoots. Think of the Japanese ‘bonsai’ culture in which trees are miniaturized. One Buffalo N.Y. naturalist told me. “Earl, that Witch’s Broom up there is valuable, they’re miniature hemlocks.”\
The neighbour Dunns, daughter Allison and I went to Marcy Woods to see the Wood frogs and hear their mating quacking sounds. We did. Beautiful day but alas the end of a friend, the Witch’s Broom.
On the Friendship Trail
Walked down to Six Mile Creek mid April. Saw a small Mud turtle paddling on the creek. Then e saw two snakes - one small and a larger one swimming across the creek. Eastern water snakes? I wonder. To he south a pair of mallards were nesting. Bicyclists on the trail this day. We were the walkers. Enjoy the Trail this year.