Friday Flowers: Tamarack Larch

Tamarack in April

There are a few stands of Tamarack trees in our region. This native tree, also called the American Larch is a deciduous coniferous tree. Its needles turn yellow and drop each autumn and in the spring, fresh new needles and flowers appear. I took the above picture at the end of April about a week before our other deciduous trees came into leaf.


On the same tree, fully opened cones from the previous season remained on the branches, their seeds fallen or about to be dispersed by the wind. The cones are small and average in size between one to two centimetres in length.

Riverside Park, Cambridge Ontario

This has been one of the best winter birding trails I have discovered this year. It has been easy to walk and is within the city limits. A well maintained boardwalk goes through a swampy area and over Riverside Creek which empties into the Speed River. Along the way are signs which list trees, plants, birds, animals and amphibians found in the area. Tamarack Green Alder trees are plentiful in this swampy ground and are easily identified by the hundreds of tiny cones on the bare branches. (I am correcting this in May 2009 as the leaves are coming out proving that the trees on the boardwalk are not Tamaracks)

Common Redpolls extracting seeds from Alders

A huge flock of mixed winter finches arrived while I watched. Common Redpolls, Goldfinches, House Finches, and White-winged Crossbills descended noisily on the cones and worked to extract the tiny seeds. The sky was heavy and grey and not great for pictures, but the view with binoculars was very interesting.


Here are some Alder "cones" and seeds beside a Canadian quarter for scale. (The Canadian quarter is the same size as the American quarter!) The cones seem to be very plentiful this year, but I have never been here until recently to make a true comparative observation.


The Alder trees are not large in height or diameter and grow alongside birch, dogwood, highbush cranberry, grasses and rushes. I am really looking forward to exploring this area in the spring.

American Robin, January 22, 2009

I came here looking for a few more birds to add to my January list. I had in mind a Red-bellied Woodpecker, Cedar Waxwings, a Horned Lark and perhaps a Pine Grosbeak or owl, all of which have eluded me this month. Instead I found two White-throated Sparrows, a Winter Wren and a group of American Robins. I have never seen these birds in the winter before.

My January list stands at 55 birds and my goal is still 60. We will see what this last week of the month will bring my way.