A ' NATURALIST 'S 
     
     PARADISE 
     
    
   
   
    
     by Bruce MacLaren, Charlottetown 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     Those who know me well know that, among my many hobbies, trout fishing and 
     
     wild flowers are high on the list. For many years trout fishing was in first 
     
     place, and maybe it still is. However in recent years wild flowers and wild life 
     
     in general are a close second. For many years now, every time I think of going 
     
     fishing, Indian Bridge comes to mind, and that’s usually where I end up. There 
     
     are trout there, and good trout; but there is also an abundance of wild flowers, 
     
     birds and; to a lesser extent, animals. It will be far from complete and sometimes 
     
     out of sequence, but I should like to share a season with you in an area I 
     
     think of as a naturalist's paradise. 
     
    

    
     Indian Bridge is across the Mbrell River on a dirt road linking Morell Bear 
     
     with Bangor. Some years it is not possible to get there by car till late April 
     
     or early May. 0n the first trip, if the snow is gone and you know where to look, 
     
     there will be Mbyfiowers and Teaberries. If you approach the bridge from the 
     
     Mbrell Rear side, you may be surprised to see, at the right hand corner of the 
     
     bridge, something that looks for all the world like Dandelions. It's much too 
     
     early for them, so look more closely and you'll see there are no leaves, and the 
     
     flower stems are scaly instead of smooth like those of the Dandelion. This plant 
     
     is called Coltsfoot and is found in few places in the province. 
     
    

    
     Early in May, in one particular spot, there's almost sure to be Early Coral 
     
     Root, not a rare plant but not too common either. Later on, below the bridge you 
     
     may find Spotted Coral Root, but it's less reliable than the early one. Towards 
     
     the end of May, if you’re lucky, you’ll find a fragile looking plant with pink 
     
     blossoms. It is Spring Beauty and Indian Bridge is one of two places in the 
     
     province where it has been reported. Oddly enough, it is of the same family as 
     
     Purslane, an annoying garden weed. 
     
    

    
     If you have gone upstream, as you should, you'll find a fairly long stretch 
     
     of rather slow moving water with several deep pools. As you leave one of these, 
     
     without a trout, you may hear a tremendous splash behind you. For a moment you 
     
     think that a monster trout has escaped you. Soon though, you’ll realize that a 
     
     beaver was either playing a trick on you or warning his friends that a stranger 
     
     is in the neighbourhood. Perhaps, further downstream, you may notice a small 
     
     bundle of weeds, grass, or both, that seems to be defying the laws of motion 
     
     because it’s moving upstream, usually at an angle. watch for a while and you'll 
     
     find it's a muskrat moving material for his house. Incidentally, if you like 
     
     'fiddleheads' there are two or three good places to gather them. 
     
    

    
     June is the month when the wild flowers come 
     
     into their own. It’s a bit hard to keep them in order 
     
     of appearance but here are a few that you're abnost 
     
     sure to find. Nodding Trillium: why this plant insists 
     
     on keeping its rather attractive bloom out of sight is 
     
     hard to imagine, but no doubt there's some good reason. 
     
     Painted Trillium appears soon after. Please don't 
     
     pick a bouquet. This lovely flower is becoming all 
     
    
   
   
    
     too scarce and it's useless as a cut flower anyway. 
     
     Yellow Clintonia will soon be along with its three