This is a loop from Parry Sound to the town of Magnetwan via McDougall, Broadbent, Orange Valley and the Old Nippissing Road, returning on Hwy 124.  The wonderful Cornball Store owned by Andy and Andrea is a little grocery which features scooped ice cream, home made meat pies, vegetable lasagna and various European baked goods.  It is  on the Nippissing Rd, at the Anson Junction,  just south of Magnetawan.

I had noticed the Hobblebush starting to bloom near Parry Sound and decided to do a recce.  Here is a record of some of the sights:

First a Carolina Spring Beauty on the way to Parry Sound.  Its leaves are wider than the Claytonia virginica.

Also on Hwy 529, Canada Goose is still incubating on the distant beaver lodge.

Trillium grandiflorum

Aha!   Hobblebush.   The sterile showy signal flowers on the perimeter attract Spring Azure butterflies.   Although I had photographed Spring Azures last year, I didn’t know the relationship with Hobblebush:

Trillium erectum

Still standing, but the roof is sagging a bit more this year.

And it looks like this former school/residence is not going to be with us much longer.

Spring Freshet has subsided enabling a view of the greenery on the distant side of the creek.

One of the few swamps that remains full to the brim.   The beavers have been busy, the highway crews not so busy!

Mary Holland posted this information about Spring Azures this morning.

I recently came across the work of  Stephen Hood ( of Markham ON) who recently posted some very impressive pix of warblers.   So they are arriving!!!  (Stephen’s My Flickr Birds is brilliant!)

And we got a message about the “bee-looking fly” that was included in the report of the trip to Port Loring.  Bill (out in California) left a comment at the end of that post, identifying it.  NICE!