August 31 - Lock 4 Park

Replica Lock-keeper's House

Starting Weather: Sunny, 85°
Ending Weather: Clear, 84°
Distance Covered: .8 mile
Time: 6:54 PM - 7:33 PM 

Brown-headed Cowbirds flocking

The last day of August - 8 months down.  The end of a month is always bittersweet.  We are happy to be moving through the months, but we know that once they are gone, they are done for this project.  I didn't have a lot of time left before it got dark, so i decided to go to Lock 4.  The flowers are fading there, no butterflies tonight.  I did see some blue jays on a dead tree, and several flocks of brown-headed cowbirds flying overhead.  I heard a couple of unusual bird calls, but didn't see the birds.  If Kay had been with me, she'd have either known by listening what the birds were, or been able to spot them in the trees.  Nice little hike, goodbye August!

August 30 - Reflections

Best Hummingbird attempt

As I sit at my desk at work at 5:17 PM, it is 91 degrees outside.  It appears that August will end - and September will begin - with some pretty hot temperatures.
In two days, September begins, and our Towpath year is 2/3 complete.  It is hard to believe; it is going fast.  Interestingly, I have done the vast majority of hiking in my life during the autumn season.  And that is the only season during which we have not yet hiked this year.  I have to say that summer will probably never be my favorite hiking season - too hot!
With just about 3 weeks of summer left, it seems to be a good time to reflect on what we have done so far, and what our goals are for the rest of 2010.  This year has been full of 
surprises!  First of all, who knew that winter hiking would be so wonderful?  Other that at times being unable to cross the trails because of very deep snow, we found the winter to be very hiker-friendly.  The snow and frost are beautiful, we were often the first and only people on the trails on any given day, and no leaves on the trees means better bird visibility.  So right off the bat, in January, we were already delighted to have undertaken this project.  
As winter wore on, we grew excited about the chance to go deeper onto many trails and to start seeing some signs of life.  Spring came and we got our wishes.  We could walk anywhere we wanted once the snow melted for good.  The wonder of discovering where the trail went, how beautiful it was, how close to home in some cases.  How is it we never knew it was here all this time?  I remember seeing the first green buds on the trees, the first bee, the first flower of the spring.    Things I had never noticed before were suddenly major events!
Kay and I became instant naturalists.  Kay, who knew robin, cardinal, blue jay and a few others, can now say with great excitement, "Oh, I think that's an Indigo Bunting over there," or "Look a female Rose-breasted Grosbeak."  And she is almost always RIGHT.   We are seeing and learning to identify species of birds, butterflies, plants, reptiles, mammals, etc. that we never even knew existed.  I had logged many miles on the Towpath prior to this year, but I had never really stopped to listen or look or smell, to appreciate the life that covered every square inch of the trail and its surroundings.  How many times had I seen a brown bird and thought it was a Robin?  Well, now I know that it may have been something much more unusual, but I never looked closely enough to see the difference.
As summer winds down, we still have a few unrealized goals: we want a good photo of a hummingbird, and we want to get photos of as many species of all types of animals that won't be around when the weather starts to cool.  Overall we've done quite well, much better than expected, with photographing different species.
We look forward to fall for the cooler weather, but for other reasons too:  Fall is a time for many birds to migrate south, so we will be on the lookout for flocks.  Fall is, of course, also a beautiful and legendary time in the part of the country because of the colorful foliage.  And as the leaves fall from the trees, we will look forward to seeing more birds and small mammals, who will no longer be hidden by the greenery.
We hope that our additional small portion of early winter at the end of December will bring some snow before we wind up the photography part of the project. 
Two things that have really surprised me are long-held beliefs about Northeast Ohio that I no longer believe:  First, the myth that the area is riddled with White-tailed Deer is debatable.  We have seen very few deer over the past eight months.  The second, and even more shocking myth I will bust is that it rains all the time in Northeast Ohio.  I can literally count on one hand the numbers of days that we were unable to go out on the trail, or were even delayed, because of rain.
About a week and a half ago, we sent a book proposal to The Kent State University press.  It is the first and only proposal we have sent out.  Kent State is our first choice because of the stunning books they have published about the area, including Cuyahoga Valley National Park Handbook by Carolyn V. Platt, and Wild Ohio: The Best of Our Natural Heritage by James S. McCormac and Gary Meszaros. In addition, Kent State Press has published two of our favorite books about the canal and towpath:  Canal Fever: The Ohio & Erie Canal, from Waterway to Canalway by Lynn Metzger and Peg Bobel and The Nature of the Towpath:  A Natural History Guide to the Ohio and Erie Canal Towpath Trail by Peg and Rob Bobel.
In addition, we have a soft spot in our hearts for Kent State, since my youngest son, Tim and I are both alums! 
So stay tuned, there is still much wonder to experience in 2010 on the Towpath Trail!

August 29 - Vanderhoof South

°

Starting Weather: Sunny, 73°
Ending Weather: Sunny, 80°
Distance Covered:  2.95 miles
Time: 11:07 AM - 1:18 PM

Yellow Crab Spider

Black-and-yellow Argiope Spider

This morning I made an attempt to beat the heat.  I went back to Vanderhoof.  I was alone this time; Kay had to take some photos at church and would be occupied for several hours.  Both spiders were still where they had been yesterday.  The bee on the flower was gone, apparently having been consumed by the big yellow spider.  I walked south for about a mile and a half.south, towards Center Road, but not all the way. I heard lots of birds, but saw very few.  I did see a male Goldfinch on a branch with another bird its size, only paler.  I assumed it was a female Goldfinch, but when I looked at my photos later, I saw that it was a bluish color with a yellow cap.  This warrants further investigation.  Lots of bike riders on the trails these days; we walkers are way outnumbered.

August 28 - Vanderhoof North

Tiger Swallowtail

Great Spangled Frittilary

Black Swallowtail

Starting Weather: Sunny, 81°
Ending Weather: Sunny, 83°
Distance Covered:  2.5 miles
Time: 3:17 PM - 5:17 PM
After we left the Botzum area, we stopped at Hametown.  I wanted to drop off Timmy's mail and to visit with Billy and Jim.  Turns out Jim was home, so we visited with Billy for awhile, and talked about his classes.  We then headed south to Vanderhoof.  This area has been a gold mine of late,and today was no exception.  The butterflies were out in force, many, many species of them.  We also saw two spiders, one with an elaborate web and several meals stocked up.  The other was on a flower, (Queen Anne's Lace) and was in the process of devouring a bee.  We walked north to Eastern Road.  The trail isn't open here, but the barriers aren't up any longer.  In fact, although a sign said,  "Trail Closed,"  The trail was wide open.  I actually ventured onto the "closed" portion for several hundred feet, but turned around out of sheer tiredness and hotness.  Another day.

August 28 - Botzum

Meadow Frittilary

Red-Spotted Purple

Starting Weather: Sunny, 73°
Ending Weather: Sunny, 80°
Distance Covered:  2.95 miles
Time: 11:07 AM - 1:18 PM

Fiery Skipper

We hadn't been to the Botzum trailhead in awhile, and didn't want to stray too far north.  When we pulled into the parking lot, we could see that the wildflowers were everywhere, meaning butterflies and other assorted insects would be in great supply.  We took some photos near the parking lot, and walked back to the little train station.  Then we decided to walk north.  There was a huge tree that I had wanted Kay to see.   There are two locks on the way to Ira Road, which had been damaged in the 1930's, when Riverview Road was widened.  Only the inner wall of each of the locks remains.  Unfortunately, Kay had brought not only her usual compliment of equipment, but also a very large, very heavy pair of binoculars.  There was a clearing across Riverview with a beautiful view of the Cuyahoga River.  I made a deal with Kay that I would leave her there and go get the car.  The big tree will have to wait for another day.

August 27 - Lock 4 Park

Great Blue Heron with Channel Catfish

Starting Weather: Sunny , 75°
Ending Weather: Clear, 74°
Distance Covered: .55 mile
Time: 6:24 PM - 8:00 PM
It wouldn't surprise me if the Great Blue Herons of Stark and Summit Counties banded together and sought a restraining order against us.  We have certainly been guilty of Stalking in the last few days.  I spotted this heron at about 7:00 PM, hence the graininess of the photo.  It took a full hours for this guy to find something good enough to be Friday night supper.  It was well worth the  wait.  The heron snatched this huge glossy, black fish.  It then slammed it down and spear it at least three times in succession before popping it in its mouth and swallowing it whole.  It was quite a site to see.  First the sheer size of the fish, and second, the whole slamming and spearing ritual.  A man on a bike told us the heron slams the fish down to remove the scales.  In any event, it was quite a sight, and I'm glad we held out to see it!

August 26 - Lake Avenue

Cabbage White

Tuscarawas River

Starting Weather: Mostly Sunny, 74°
Ending Weather: Mostly Sunny, 73°
Distance Covered: .79 mile
Time: 5:35 PM - 6:22 PM  
Tonight was an after-work stop at Lake Avenue.  As long as the wildflowers last, we will probably stop here fairly often, as there are butterflies everywhere.   I  did notice that there weren't many other people on the trail.  I saw a boy as I was on my way back to the parking lot.  He was walking his bike up the hill, but called to me to tell me he had seen another bike abandoned down below in the brush.  He asked if I'd watch his bike while he went and retrieved the other bike.  Once he was back on the trail, he asked me to walk his bike down to the parking lot.  He went into Ernie's bike shop to try to sell them the bike.  Their response was "We sell bikes; we don't buy them."  At that point, I told the boy I was leaving.  I guess he walked both bikes home!

August 24 - Just for Fun

Didn't go out to the trail tonight, but had some fun making posterizations of some of my August photos.

August 22 - Clinton

    

Starting Weather: Mostly Cloudy, 78°
Ending Weather: Partly Cloudy, 77°
Distance Covered: 1.21 miles
Time: 1:17 PM - 4:30 PM

Today we went to the Clinton trailhead, another favorite spot.  This area is always teeming with wildlife.  The first thing I noticed was a Great Blue heron on the far side of the canal.  When I looked more closely, I saw that there were also Turkey Vultures and crows near the heron.  The crows and vultures flew away fairly quickly, but the heron remained.  As I watched, the heron stuck its bill into the canal and came up with a small fish, a bluegill.  The heron remained in the canal for the whole time we were there.  We actually stalked it, in the hope that it would spear another fish, but it did not.  We did notice that it has something wrong with its left leg, and was actually limping.  I sent an online message to Summit County Metroparks, and Kay is going to call the office today.  We think the heron needs rehab.

August 21- Brecksville

Starting Weather: Cloudy , 80°

Ending Weather: Cloudy , 82°

Distance Covered:  .93 miles

Time: 11:52 AM - 1:19 PM

Our last stop today was Brecksville.  This had been a frequent stop for us when the eagles were around.  The eaglets have left the nest, and we haven't seen them for awhile, but we still like to visit the area.  The Route 82 bridge is beautiful, especially when the water is still and the bridge's reflection in the Cuyahoga River is picture-perfect.   We got the watch the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad come through, and saw some butterflies and a green heron.  Eagles or not, this will always be one of our favorite spots.

August 21- Peninsula & Boston

Runners in Peninsula

Bicycles and wildflowers north of Peninsula

Starting Weather: Mostly Cloudy , 75°

Ending Weather: Mostly Cloudy , 81°

Distance Covered:  3.02 miles
Time: 8:40 AM - 11:34 AM
After the Beaver Marsh, we went to Peninsula.  Thinking back to January when we were first here, it amazes me that now we almost weren't able to find a parking place.   This place was packed today.  Walkers, runners, bicyclers, people walking dogs, people with baby strollers, people everywhere!  I think the area between Peninsula and Boston is one of the most crowded spots on the towpath.  I decided to walk all the way to Boston and Kay said she would drive there and meet me.  I love this walk; I love Stumpy Basin and I always enjoy walking under the I-80 and I-271 bridges.  The Boston Store area is always very scenic and there are usually plenty of birds and squirrels near the parking lot.

The Boston Store

Bumblebee on Chickory

Auugust 21 - Beaver Marsh

Beaver at the Beaver Marsh

Starting Weather: Fair , 71°

Ending Weather: Mostly Cloudy , 73°

Distance Covered:  1.43 miles

Time: 6:10 AM - 8:14 AM

Beaver at the Beaver Marsh

Today the plan was to get to the Beaver Marsh before dawn.  We did it!   We left about 5:15 and arrived at 6:00.  It was, as always, very scenic, especially with the mist floating on the marsh.  But Kay made the find of the morning.  She spotted a beaver in a little clearing right next to the water.  She called me over and we watched and snapped away.  It was still so dark that our photos aren't the greatest.  Anyway, the one beaver turned into 2, then 3, and then for a minute, there were four.  It was a spectacular sight to see even if we didn't get great photos.  After all, why does one go to the Beaver Marsh if not to see the beaver?

August 19 - Lake Avenue

Starting Weather: Mostly Sunny , 85°

Ending Weather: Mostly Sunny , 83°

Distance Covered:  .55 miles

Time: 5:47 PM - 7:08 PM

Pennsylvania Leather-wing Beetles

Common Buckeye Butterflies

Tonight we opted for an afternoon trip to Lake Avenue.  As with previous visits this week, the wildflowers lining the beautiful Tuscarawas River were filled with butterflies and other insects.  The difference this afternoon was that now the flowers and insects were backlit by the descending sun shining from across the river.  There were so many butterflies!  I followed two Common Buckeyes, who appeared to be engaged in a mating ritual.  Then I saw two beetles mating, Pennsylvania Leatherwings. (What we would do without our field guides?)  I know that as soon as the wildflowers fade, the beauty of this area will change again.  But for now, I plan to take advantage of the photogenic nature of the area as often as possible.

August 18 - Lock 4 Park

Starting Weather: Partly Cloudy, 81°

Ending Weather: Partly Cloudy, 81°

Distance Covered:  .55 miles

Time: 5:52 PM - 6:47 PM

Ailanthus Webworm Moth

An after-work trip, still pretty warm out.  We went to one of our favorite - and closest - towpath places, Lock 4 Park.  It was very pretty as always, and I photographed an insect I have seen before, but was never able to identify.  I decided to think "outside the box" to identify what I thought looked like a type of beetle.  As soon as I opened my insect guide to "moths," there it was, the Ailanthus Webworm Moth.  Sounds like a computer virus, right?  It's actually a very pretty insect with an orange body and what appears to be a black-and-white flower design. I'm just happy I finally put a name to this interesting-looking creature! 

August 16 - Lock 4 Park

Grape Leaf Skeletonizer Moths mating

Starting Weather: Sunny, 70°

Ending Weather: Mostly Sunny, 75°

Distance Covered:  1.73 miles

Time: 8:28 AM - 10:49 AM

Kay was working this afternoon, so in the morning, while John slept, we drove down to Lock 4 Park.  It was a lovely morning, plenty of butterflies and other insects.  I took a photo of two bugs mating, and was able to identify them as Grape leaf Skeletonizer beetles.  Sounds pretty scary, right?  We saw something we hadn't seen here before: a group of canoe-paddlers in the canal.   It made us think about maybe trying t get a canoe and riding up and down the canal.  We'll have to look into that!

August 16 - Beaver Marsh and Hunt Farm

Tiger Swallowtail on Joe Pye Weed

Sign at Szalay's Market

Starting Weather: Mostly Sunny, 81°

Ending Weather: Sunny, 80°

Distance Covered:  2.8 miles

Time: 4:13 PM - 6:55 PM

After I dropped John off in Copley (Billy would take him to the airport in Columbus), I went to the Beaver Marsh.   It was a nice, sunny day, not too terribly hot.  Since Kay was planning to meet me there after work, I decided to walk up to Hunt Farm and have her pick me up there.  A fairly non-eventful walk ensued.  I think with the late summer and some of the flowers drying up, we aren't seeing as many butterflies and bees in some areas. I took some photos of Szalay's market when I arrived.  Kay drove in and we went back to the Beaver Marsh.  A nice late afternoon, but nothing out of the ordinary.

August 15 - Big Bend

White-breasted Nuthatch

Starting Weather: Partly Cloudy, 84°

Ending Weather: Partly Cloudy, 85°

Distance Covered:  1.81 miles

Time: 4:52 PM - 6:08 PM
This was a late-afternoon trip.  We were at Jim's for a cookout.  Jim and Katie were here and left from dinner to go back to Gahanna.  John decided to get some of his stuff packed up from Hametown, so Kay and I drove to Big Bend while he did that.
Not a whole lot going on; Kay saw a deer walking across the railroad tracks and into the woods, but we barely caught a glimpse of it.  We did get to see the CVSR train go by a couple times.  On my way back to the car I saw two nuthatches in a tree.  I think sometimes when it's hot, the animals hide.

August 13- Lake Avenue, Again

Starting Weather: Partly Cloudy, 85°

Ending Weather: Partly Cloudy, 86°

Distance Covered:  1.02 miles

Time: 3:05 PM - 4:40 PM 

Clouded Sulphur

Silver-spotted Skipper

Another hot day.  I took Kay to Lake Avenue to check out the butterfly population.  The light was harsher this afternoon, and there were quite as many types of butterflies.  We still had a nice time, though and took lots of photos.  Afterward, we got something to eat at the Blue Heron Deli, one of our favorite towpath eateries.

August 12 - Lake Avenue

Starting Weather: Mostly Cloudy, 77°

Ending Weather: Mostly Cloudy, 79°

Distance Covered:  1.12 miles

Time: 9:30 AM - 10:49 AM

Common Buckeye

Cabbage White

Tuscarawas River, Lake Avenue area

Tuscarawas River, Lake Avenue area

This morning I went to Lake Avenue at 9:30, in an attempt to beat the heat.  This is a great area with a lot of visual interest, but we haven't really captured a whole lot of wildlife here.  The first thing i saw was a Great Blue Heron in the river.  Then a huge flock of geese flew over head.  As I walked along the trail, I marveled at the array of wildflowers lining the river.  But the closer I looked, the more butterflies I could see.  There had to be 15-20 different species.  My favorite was the Common Buckeye, one that I had not before encountered on the trail.  I was impressed by the beauty of the flowers along the river, and the photos look nothing like how the area looks most of the year.  I only stayed out a little over an hour, since it was already getting very hot. My newly learned lesson, that great photos can be taken anywhere, anytime, was re-enforced today.

August 11 - Warmington Road

Caterpillar silk

Viceroy

Starting Weather: Partly Cloudy, 86°

Ending Weather: Partly Cloudy, 85°

Distance Covered:  1.73 miles

Time: 5:17 PM - 6:38 PM

Today we went to Warmington Road, on the southern end of Massillon.  We've had great luck here before, so we were sure we'd see something good.  It was fairly hot, so we didn't plan to walk far.  We walked about 3/4 of a mile in, to the area where we had seen a green heron in the canal a few months ago.  Nothing earth-shattering today, except that I saw a pretty caterpillar tent in a tree, and it was illuminated from behind by the sun.  We saw a few butterflies, including one that was languishing on the trail and appeared to be injured.  Even though we didn't see any exotic species, it was still a nice hike.