Photo - Charwell Point, Prince Edward County by Paul Jones
"It seems to me that the natural world is the greatest source of excitement;
the greatest source of visual beauty; the greatest source of intellectual interest.
It is the greatest source of so much in life that makes life worth living."
-- David Attenborough
In this Issue:
- Upcoming South Shore Events
- Eastern Red Cedar by John F. Foster
- The Lifting of the Mist by Emily Pauline Johnson (Tekahionwake)
- Wildflower Walk - May 10, 2025 by John Lowry
- County did you know … and Water Riddles by John F. Foster (PDF, incl. answers to Spring Blooms word search answers)
- Naked Eye Astronomy – June and July 2025 by Steve Burr
- Marshlands by Emily Pauline Johnson (Tekahionwake)
- Kid’s Korner - Ant (sy) Summer Fun and Host a Moth Party by Cheryl Chapman
- The Threat of Grass Carp to the Great Lakes
- Wildflower Photo Gallery by John Foster
Spotted Turtle at Charwell Point (Photo: Paul Jones)
Upcoming South Shore Events
Join SSJI and the Department of Illumination for an enchanting FREE day dedicated to Monarch Butterflies.
Meet at Delhi Park in Picton on Sat., July 26, 2025 from 11:30 AM to 6:30 PM.
Learn about Monarchs, make some crafts, and enjoy engaging activities for kids.
RSVP. To learn more about Monarch Day, go here.
Be entertained at SSJI’s FREE Jazz, Wine & Art event on Sat., Aug. 16, 2025 from 1:00 to 4:00 PM.
Meet at the Mount Tabor Shed, 2179 County Road 17, Milford. Enjoy vintage wine from Exultet Estates.
Thrill to the sound of Jazz played by the Paco Luviano Quartet from 2:00 to 4:00 PM. Participate in the Silent Auction of local artists’ bird feeders - all handmade by Dick Bird.
RSVP. For more information, contact Cheryl Anderson here.
Save the date for SSJI’s Pints & Polka: Oktoberfest 2025 on Sat., Sept. 27, 2025 from 5:00 to 8:00 PM.
Meet at the Mount Tabor Shed, 2179 County Road 17 in Milford.
Proceeds from our major fundraiser of 2025 will directly fund our non-profit’s areas of action in PEC’s rare and fragile South Shore.
RSVP. For more information and sponsorship opportunities, contact Cheryl Anderson here.
Eastern Red Cedar
by John F. Foster
Eastern Red Cedar or Red Juniper, as it is also known, is actually a Juniper (Juniperus virginiana) and not a Cedar. It is an evergreen in the Cypress family i.e., Cupressaceae. In Quebec, Canada it is known as genévrier de Virginie.10,13
Eastern Red Cedar is widespread in Eastern North America. It ranges from the south of Ontario and Quebec to the Gulf of Mexico, east to the Atlantic seaboard, and to the midwestern Plains states of USA. In Prince Edward County in Ontario, it is widespread on old fields and in alvar areas where there is thin soil over underlying limestone.1, 7, 13
Eastern Red Cedar (Photo: John F. Foster)
Eastern Red Cedar can be recognized by its overall pyramidal or cylindrical growth form. It averages 5 to 10 m tall. On well-drained soils it is taller and much shorter on soil over alvar limestone. From a distance it has a bluish-green appearance. It has a short trunk with dark grey bark, that can come off in long fibrous strips. The wood underneath the bark is light red and the heartwood red. A grove of just Eastern Red Cedar, when wafted by a wind, has a distinct aromatic pleasing odour. The tree requires full sun to grow. It is intolerant of prairie wildfires which will kill the tree. It is a long-lived evergreen pioneer tree.1, 3, 13
Eastern White Cedar grove (Photo: John F. Foster)
The leaves of this tree are evergreen. The leaves are of two types – sharply pointed needles on the ends of the boughs and rounded scale-like further back.7, 9, 13
Eastern Red Cedar needles (Photo: John F. Foster)
The fruit of the Eastern Red Cedar is a cone. It is often, mistakenly, called a berry. The tree is dioecious meaning the male and female reproductive parts are on separate trees. Blooming takes place at the end of winter. Male trees have a yellow bloom and female trees green. Eastern Red Cedar is wind-pollinated. The cones have three parts, each bearing a wingless seed. These mature in 6 to 8 months, usually in the Autumn. Mature cones are at the ends of the boughs. They can be recognized by the bluish white waxy bloom. Dispersal of the cones is by birds and mammals. These pass though their digestive system and then are defecated. If the defecation of the cones occurs in the right spot, then the seeds will sprout. Cones that pass through a bird or mammal digestive system sprout more readily than those that don’t.2, 4, 9, 13
Eastern Red Cedar cones unripened (Photo: John F. Foster)
Eastern Red Cedar cones ripened (Photo: John F. Foster)
The Eastern Red Cedar is an alternate host for the Cedar-Apple Rust (Gymnosporangium juniperi-virginianae in Family Gymnosporangiaceae). Cedar-Apple Rust appears near the ends of Red Cedar boughs as orange globular or elongated galls with many long protuberances called teliohorns that appear in April or May. The teliohorns give off spores which are carried by the wind. If certain members of the Rose family (Rosaceace) i.e., Apples, Crab-Apples, Hawthorns, and Quince – are nearby, then Cedar-Apple Rust appears on the leaves as yellow circular lesions. The rust grows through the leaf producing yellow spots that appear on the underside. Spores are given off by protuberances from each lesion. The spores are blown by the wind. If they land on the boughs of a Red Cedar then the life cycle of the Rust is completed and it starts over again.8,14
Cedar-Apple Rust (Photo: John F. Foster)
Other pathogens of the Eastern Red Cedar include bagworms, twig blight, and spruce spider mites. Eastern Red Cedar, though a native tree, can be invasive on prairies where it shades out native grasses and decreases grassland habitat for small mammals.2, 5
The tree is used as food and shelter by various species of wildlife. The Juniper Hairstreak (Callophrys gryneus - Family Lycaenidae) lays eggs on the Eastern Red Cedar boughs. The larvae feed on the foliage and the species overwinters as a chrysalis. Cedar waxwings frequent Eastern Red Cedar to feed on the berrylike cones at the ends of boughs.11, 12
Eastern Red Cedar windbreak (Photo: John F. Foster)
Eastern Red Cedar has often been used as a hedge or windbreak. The tree is very hardy and can withstand drought, strong winds and winter weather. Its fibrous root system makes it ideal for erosion control. Hence, it has been found growing in prairies, in disturbed areas, along roads and railroads. Eastern Red Cedar wood is highly rot resistant so it has been used for fence posts. In the early 20th century, pencils were made from the wood. The heartwood of the tree is the source for Cedarwood Oil which has many uses. Eastern Red Cedar is popular as a garden tree and many cultivars have been developed from it such as Burkii, Blue Arrow, Canaertii, Emerald Sentinel, Grey Owl, Pendula, and Taylor. In the past and into the present, it is still used as a Christmas Tree with its aromatic scent adding to its décor for the season.1, 2, 3, 5, 13
The wood of Eastern Red Cedar is reddish coloured, hence the name Red Cedar. Also, the very strong aromatic scent given off by the wood repels insects. This quality has made Eastern Red Cedar attractive for use as panelling in Cedar Chests where clothing and linen can be stored free of insects that might infest and eat these items.5,6,15
References:
1) Center Staff. 2023. Eastern Red Cedar. Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Austin, Texas, USA. https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=juvi - Accessed 20250108Wed.
2) Chadwick, Pat. 2017. The Pros and Cons of the Eastern Redcedar. The Garden Shed Newsletter Vol. 3(12):10. Piedmont Master Gardeners Assoc., Charlottesville, Va., USA. hhttps://piedmontmastergardeners.org/article/the-pros-and-cons-of-the-eastern-redcedar/ - - Accessed 20250108Wed.
3) Dirr, Michael A. Eastern Red Cedar cultivars in “Manual of Landscape Woody Plants: their identification, ornamental characteristics, culture, propagation, and uses”. Stipes Publishing, Champaign, Illinois, USA. Pp. xxxix and 1325. N.B. - This source quoted in Chadwick 2017 above.
4) Go Botany - Native Plant Trust. 2025. Juniperus virginiana - eastern red cedar. Framingham, Massachusetts, USA. https://gobotany.nativeplanttrust.org/species/juniperus/virginiana/ - Accessed 20250611Wed.
5) Long Island Natives. 2025. Eastern Red Cedar: Nature’s Versatile Evergreen. East Port, New York, USA. https://www.longislandnatives.com/eastern-red-cedar/ - Accessed 20250611Wed.
6) Meier, Eric. 2025. Eastern Red Cedar. The Wood Database. Online.
https://www.wood-database.com/eastern-red-cedar/ - Accessed 20250611Wed.
7) Ontario.ca. 2024. Eastern redcedar. Ontario.ca, King’s Printer for Ontario, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. https://www.ontario.ca/page/eastern-redcedar - Accessed 20250108Wed.
8) Taylor, David. N.d. Cedar Apple Rust (Gymnosporangium juniperi-virginianae Schwein.) United States Forest Service, Washington D.C., USA. https://www.fs.usda.gov/wildflowers/plant-of-the-week/gymnosporangium_juniperi-virginianae.shtml - Accessed 20250108Wed.
9) The Arboretum. 2025. Eastern Red Cedar. University of Guelph Arboretum, Guelph, Ontario, Canada. https://arboretum.uoguelph.ca/thingstosee/trees/easternredcedar - Accessed 20250611Wed.
10) VASCAN. 1993. Eastern Red Cedar. Data Canadensys, BioDiversity Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. https://data.canadensys.net/vascan/vernacular/28095 - Accessed 20250108Wed.
11) Wikipedia. 2025. Callophrys gryneus. Wikimedia the Free Encyclopedia, Wikimedia Foundation, San Francisco, Calif., USA. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Callophrys_gryneus - Accessed 20250622Sun.
12) Wikipedia. 2025. Cedar waxwing. Wikimedia the Free Encyclopedia, Wikimedia Foundation, San Francisco, Calif., USA. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cedar_waxwing - Accessed 20250622Sun.
13) Wikipedia. 2024. Juniperus virginiana. Wikimedia the Free Encyclopedia, Wikimedia Foundation, San Francisco, Calif., USA. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juniperus_virginiana - Accessed 20250108Wed.
14) Wikipedia. 2025. Gymnosporangium juniperi-virginianae. Wikimedia the Free Encyclopedia, Wikimedia Foundation, San Francisco, Calif., USA. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gymnosporangium_juniperi-virginianae - Accessed 20250108Wed.
15) Wood Magazine Staff. 2025. Eastern Red Cedar. Wood Magazine, Dotdash Meredith Publishing. Online. https://www.woodmagazine.com/materials-guide/lumber/wood-species-2/eastern-red-cedar
- Accessed 20250611Wed.
The Lifting of the Mist
by Emily Pauline Johnson (Tekahionwake)1
All the long day the vapours played
At blindfold in the city streets,
Their elfin fingers caught and stayed
The sunbeams, as they wound their sheets
Into a filmy barricade
'Twixt earth and where the sunlight beats.
A vagrant band of mischiefs these,
With wings of grey and cobweb gown;
They live along the edge of seas,
And creeping out on foot of down,
They chase and frolic, frisk and tease
At blind-man's buff with all the town.
And when at eventide the sun
Breaks with a glory through their grey,
The vapour-fairies, one by one,
Outspread their wings and float away
In clouds of colouring, that run
Wine-like along the rim of day.
Athwart the beauty and the breast
Of purpling airs they twirl and twist,
Then float away to some far rest,
Leaving the skies all colour-kiss't—
A glorious and a golden West
That greets the Lifting of the Mist.
1 - Johnson, E. Pauline. 1912. Marshlands. Flint and Feather - The Complete Poems of E Pauline Johnson (Tekahionwake). P.145. The Musson Book Company Limited, Toronto, Ontario. Accessed Mon., May 26, 2025.
Marshlands
by Emily Pauline Johnson (Tekahionwake)1
A thin wet sky, that yellows at the rim,
And meets with sun-lost lip the marsh's brim.
The pools low lying, dank with moss and mould,
Glint through their mildews like large cups of gold.
Among the wild rice in the still lagoon,
In monotone the lizard shrills his tune.
The wild goose, homing, seeks a sheltering,
Where rushes grow, and oozing lichens cling.
Late cranes with heavy wing, and lazy flight,
Sail up the silence with the nearing night.
And like a spirit, swathed in some soft veil,
Steals twilight and its shadows o'er the swale.
Hushed lie the sedges, and the vapours creep,
Thick, grey and humid, while the marshes sleep.
1 - Johnson, E. Pauline. 1912. Marshlands. Flint and Feather - The Complete Poems of E Pauline Johnson (Tekahionwake). P.43. The Musson Book Company Limited, Toronto, Ontario. Accessed Mon., May 26, 2025.
County did you know … Squirrels and Rabbits Riddles Answers
by John F. Foster
1) I have gray or black-coloured fur. I have a tail that is long and bushy. I build drays of leaves in trees.
Who am I? Gray Squirrel
2) I have reddish brown fur. I have a chattering voice. I build food middens for winter.
Who am I? Red Squirrel
3) I have stripes on my back. I live in underground tunnels. I have bulging cheek pouches.
Who am I? Eastern Chipmunk
4) I have brownish gray fur. I make tunnel complexes under fields. I have paws adapted for digging.
Who am I? Woodchuck
5) I have brown fur. I have long movable ear lobes for hearing. I have a ball-shaped tail.
Who am I? Cottontail
6) I have fur that changes colour with the seasons. I have a good sense of smell. I have big back paws.
Who am I? Varying Hare
(Appeared in The South Shoreliner – Vol.6 No.2 – April, 2025)
Editor's Note
This is the 30th edition of The South Shoreliner. The editor would like to thank the following for contributing to this 30th edition of The South Shoreliner: David Attenborough, John F. Foster, Emily Pauline Johnson, John Lowry, Steve Burr, Cheryl Chapman, Watersheds Canada, Paul Jones. Contributions make the newsletter readable and interesting. For the next and upcoming newsletters, contributions of articles, photos and events are always welcome.
-- John F. Foster, The South Shoreliner Editor
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