Point Pelee National Park, Ontario, Canada -- June, 2007

Margaret-Ann shows where we are inside Canada's smallest national park. The park is a 15 square kilometre triangular-shaped sanctuary jutting out into Lake Erie, just south of Leamington and at the crossroads of the Atlantic and Mississippi migration flyways. For more info on the park, follow the links at http://www.pc.gc.ca/.

Barn swallows resting in one of the pavillion areas in the park.

On our hike to the southernmost point of mainland Canada, we pass a marker for the 42nd degree of latitude.

Just how far south are we?

This is the soutern tip of mainland Canada. A forty minute ferry out of Leamington will take you to Pelee Island, a little further south in Lake Erie.

On the way back into the interior of the park we pass several butterflies warming themselves on the pathway.

   

This one was missing part of his left wing, but it didn't seem to be much of a hindrance as he fluttered off right after I snapped this shot.

Margaret-Ann stands beside 20 foot reeds growing in one of the many marshy areas of the park.

Just off one of the hiking trails is what's left of a canal dig by early settlers in the mid 1800's.

Although we saw quite a variety of birds, we heard a great deal more. Mid June is a little late for ideal birdwatching -- by this time many of the birds have gone farther north and the foliage on the bushes and trees is too dense, making it difficult to see the birds still in the park. We've already got the B&B booked for our trip next year in mid May.

Most of the interior of the park is a Carolinian forest with many boardwalks to help you through some of the low lying wet spots.

Where the forest canopy allows sunshine through, wildflowers blanket either side of the hiking trail.

I have it on good authourity that this is a member of the Figwort family with flowers typically strongly bilaterally symmetrical, 4-5 lobed, with petals fused to form a tube... who knew?

The West Beach runs 9 km from the northern limit of the park to the southern tip and is made up mostly of rollilng sand dunes.

Near the end of our day in the park we hiked out along the 1.5 km Marsh Boardwalk and came across a red-winged blackbird sitting on a fence post above the lillies. We're already looking forward to our return visit next May!