The first European settler on this land was John Stoeckle in 1833. His descendent, John Steckle, had a gravel pit here. If you look beyond the Ecopost 5.3 sign you can just make out the outline of the pit among the trees. When the pit was worked out Steckle did not just leave it as other land owners might have done. He planted the area with tree seedlings in a move, back then, that was unusual if not unheard of. You can enjoy this mature stand of Eastern White Pines because John Steckle was thinking ahead of his time!

The floral emblem on your Ontario Driver’s Licence or Health Card is the White Trillium. It typically grows in Sugar Maple forest. This beautiful lily has a relative, Red Trillium, with deep red blooms. White Trilliums turn pink when the flowers fade, but they are not true Red Trilliums. Trilliums and other spring wildflowers grow fast and bloom in spring. They need light, warmth and water. Before spring it’s too cold for them to grow. In summer the tree leaves cast deep shade so Trilliums lack light. Also, the soil surface is too dry for them to grow. These “spring ephemerals” shut up shop in summer and fall. John Steckle who donated this woodlot to our community asked us to ”Enjoy the Trilliums while you’re here but leave them growing for next year”. Please don’t pick or dig up Trilliums or other woodland plants! Learn more about White Trillium here.

Garlic mustard came from Europe as a pot herb. Unfortunately it is now one of our most troublesome plant invaders. It has suppressed the Trilliums and other native wildflowers here at Steckle Woods. Garlic mustard smells bad (Pick a leaf, crush it and see for yourself!).

Garlic Mustard depresses the growth of other plants – even trees. Garlic Mustard exudes a chemical that kills fungi living in partnership with other plants (In this symbiosis, plant roots normally get minerals from the fungi and the roots give sugars to the fungi). So Garlic Mustard’s chemical trick is to kill soil fungi and so out-compete other plants. Garlic Mustard does not need the fungi itself.

Garlic mustard produces hundreds of seeds per plant, and they scatter widely. Garlic mustard is spreading fast! It is often spread in yard waste and by construction equipment. So, never dump your garbage “over the back fence” or into the park! Save it for the yard waste pickup. If you work in construction, wash off your machines before moving them so as not to move invasive plants to a new place.

Learn more about Garlic Mustard and other invasive species here.

Fall is a great time for walking at Steckle Woods! Trees are withdrawing nutrients and sugars from their leaves into the trunks and roots, and what is left is jettisoned as dead leaves – tree trash. Leaves for colour and leaves to scuffle through!

Deciduous trees like oaks, maples and hickories here at Dickson are flowering plants with broad leaves that drop in fall in this climate.

The conifers, a more primitive group with tiny flowers and needle-shaped leaves, keep their needles as long as possible, letting them go only when they are physiologically worn out. They do not generally drop their leaves in fall. An example is the Ontario provincial tree, Eastern White Pine, that is here at Steckle Woods. It has long, soft needles in bunches of five (occasionally of three).

The leaves dropped by the trees rot down and release their remaining nutrients to the soil. The dead leaves will be used by many soil creatures will help to structure the soil. It’s good to know that the trees are taking out the trash!

Learn more about your rotting world here!