🎶 On the 12 days of Christmas, the Carp Hills give to you . . . a diversity of life in its many forms. 🎶
Each day from December 25 to January 5 we will highlight a plant, animal, fungi, or bacteria that makes the Carp Hills home. We will feature the unusual, the overlooked, and the unappreciated.
Over the 12 day period this post will be updated daily with a new entry that contains more information and links than what we post on social media.
12 days of Christmas in the Carp Hills – Part 1. Days 1 through 6.
7. Seventh day of Christmas – Sedges.
8. Eighth day of Christmas – Snowshoe Hare.
9. Ninth day of Christmas – Salamanders.
10. Tenth day of Christmas – Decomposers.
11. Eleventh day of Christmas – Native wild felines.
12. Twelfth day of Christmas – Ruffed Grouse.
7. Seventh day of Christmas in the Carp Hills.
On the seventh day of Christmas the Carp Hills give to you . . . sedges!
Good heavens, you say. What is a sedge?
Sedges are grass-like plants. “Sedges have edges; rushes are round; and grasses are jointed all the way to the ground.” There are exceptions of course, but most sedges have triangular stems. The edges can be felt as you roll the stem between your thumb and finger.
By number of species, sedges comprise the largest group of flowering, vascular plants in the Ottawa area.
- There are over 150 known species that grow in Ottawa (out of over 5000 species worldwide).
- 65 species in Ottawa are Regionally Significant, growing in 10 or fewer locations.
- 9 Regionally Significant species are known to grow in the Carp Hills. Three of these are Regionally Rare (less than 5 known locations). Filiform Cottongrass (Eriophorum tenellum) is a Regionally Rare sedge that grows only in the Carp Hills (in two fens) and in the Mer Bleu bog.
Sedges grow everywhere: in forests, wetlands, meadows, shorelines, arctic tundra, sand dunes, and salt water environments. However many sedge species grow only under specific conditions, so ecologists can use them as habitat indicators. Sedges take many different forms, but some species look so similar that they can only be distinguished by examining the seed head with a hand lens.
Sedges feed waterfowl. Their seeds provide food for animals. Many are host plants for moths and butterflies. Some foster diversity by creating habitat like tussock mounds that host other species. Their rhizomes anchor soils and dunes, preventing erosion.
Read more about sedges in the Carp Hills in our fen series.
8. Eighth day of Christmas in the Carp Hills.
On the eighth day of Christmas the Carp Hills give to you . . . a wascally mammal that’s not a wabbit.
Snowshoe Hares inhabit the Carp Hills in areas with coniferous forest, the habitat they prefer. They are primarily a boreal species, but their range extends south into Ottawa’s natural pine, fir, and spruce forests. They should not be confused with the smaller, shorter-eared Cottontail Rabbit, which prefers edge habitats and our lawns and gardens!
Snowshoe hares are most active at night, staying hidden in brush during the day, which is why they are rarely seen except referentially by their distinctive tracks in the snow. They will break cover and run if threatened. We once counted 4 hares streaming past us in early May on the Carp Barrens all heading in the same direction, possibly fleeing a predator. They can reach a top speed of 45 kph.
Snowshoe Hares famously moult twice a year and change colour: white fur in winter and brown fur in summer. Cottontails stay brown all year.
Plenty of Snowshoe Hare tracks can be found around the Crazy Horse Trail in winter. They tend to make and use the same trails through the woods. As you walk the trail look carefully in the brush. You may spot a wascally hare blending in with the snow cover.
Learn more about Snowshoe Hares.
9. Ninth day of Christmas in the Carp Hills.
On the ninth day of Christmas the Carp Hills give to you . . . an elusive, but charismatic amphibian.
In a healthy woodland, salamanders comprise one of the largest sources of biomass of all vertebrates.
But if there are so many, where are they?!
Salamanders hibernate underground and live in moist wooded places unseen in the leaf litter. They are amphibians so they must lay their eggs in water. They choose ephemeral ponds, which are temporary woodland pools that form in the spring from meltwater. These ponds are important because they don’t contain fish that would eat the salamander eggs. The Carp Hills have many ephemeral ponds.
Many salamanders in a forest indicate a healthy ecosystem. Salamanders breath through their skin, absorbing oxygen in water along with any pollution. This is one reason why it’s critical to keep dogs on leash and to clean up dog poop from trails, because it will contaminate the woodland water system.
Salamanders are an important protein source for many creatures. In turn, salamanders eat forest floor invertebrates. Their loss from forest ecosystems could affect invertebrate diversity, soil dynamics and nutrient cycling.
There are two common salamander species in the Carp Hills: Blue-spotted salamander and the Eastern or Red-spotted Newt. The (yellow) Spotted Salamander has also been observed, but does not seem to be common.
Read more about salamanders in the Ontario Reptile and Amphibian Atlas, published in 2023.
10. Tenth day of Christmas in the Carp Hills.
On the tenth day of Christmas the Carp Hills give to you . . . Nature’s cleanup crew giving the gift of renewal!
Celebrate the underappreciated, but mighty decomposers: fungi and bacteria.
Decomposers play a crucial role in ecosystems by breaking down organic matter into simpler substances that release nutrients, such as carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur, back into the ecosystem. These nutrients are then available for use by plants and other organisms.
Without decomposers, dead organic matter would accumulate and nutrients would become locked in the remains of dead organisms, hindering the growth of new life. Decomposers also detoxify harmful substances and control the spread of diseases by breaking down harmful substances and infected hosts. They contribute to the formation of healthy soil by creating humus, which is prized by gardeners.
Fungi fascinate us with their alien shapes and bright colours. 13% of iNaturalist observations in the Carp Hills are fungi and lichens. 109 fungi species (research grade, iNaturalist) have been identified so far. This is a small number because most fungi are difficult to identify through casual photos. Many Carp Hills fungi break down wood like the spectacular North Tooth and the delicious Chicken-of-the-Woods (Laetiporus sulphureus). Even mycorrhizal fungi like the Black Trumpet (Craterellus fallax), which form a mutualistic relationship with tree roots, help break down dead plant material in soil.
The eDNA project conducted by citizen scientist Mike Nash has given us a small window into the bacteria species that make their home in Carp Hills ponds. Stenotrophomonas maltophilia helps breakdown complex organic matter. It has been studied for its potential use in bioremediation, helping to clean up environments contaminated with pollutants.
Millipedes and many beetles are also decomposers. One found in the Carp Hills is the American Carrion Beetle (Necrophila americana). They are attracted to carrion and are often among the first insects to arrive at a dead animal. The beetles help break down the carcass by feeding on the flesh and tissues. Fungi and bacteria take over from there.
[Information on decomposers was researched with help from ChatGPT.]
11. Eleventh day of Christmas in the Carp Hills.
On the eleventh day of Christmas the Carp Hills give to you . . . native wild felines.
Bobcat (Lynx rufus) or Canada Lynx (Lynx canadensis)? There are reliable accounts of native wild felines sighted in the Carp Hills in the 1980s, but nothing more recent except inconclusive scat observations. As recounted in our history of Hidden Lake, Walter Zeitz regularly saw what he called a lynx on his many ramblings north of the beaver pond.
Houses and human activity have increased significantly around the Carp Hills since the 1980s. Thomas Dolan Parkway bisected the Carp Hills when it was extended from Dunrobin Road to Carp Road. Saddlebrook Estates was built into the interior and new developments were added along the north rim of the ridge off Marchurst Road.
Bobcats inhabit the southern part of Canada because deep snow restricts their movements. They are tolerant of human habitation and versatile in their habitat. They prey mainly on rabbits and rodents.
Canada Lynx is primarily a boreal species with large feet suited for deep snow. They specialize in preying on Snowshoe Hares. The southern extent of their range overlaps with the northern range of Bobcats.
Are there Bobcats or Lynx in our area? The Carp Hills and surrounding farmland interspersed with woods are home to suitable prey and offer good habitat for both species. The photo of a Bobcat spotted in Dunrobin in 2021 suggests that the answer may be Yes!
Photo of a Bobcat spotted in West Carleton.
Learn more about Bobcats in Canada.
Learn more about Canada Lynx in Canada.
12. Twelfth day of Christmas in the Carp Hills.
On the twelfth day of Christmas the Carp Hills give to you . . . drummers drumming like thunder and lightning.
You are hiking the Crazy Horse Trail. The sound of your footsteps on rock and leaf is suddenly interrupted with a startling whoosh and the rapidly retreating sight of a brown blur with flapping wings. You have probably flushed a Ruffed Grouse.
Whump, whump, whump. Ruffed Grouse are heard even more often than they are seen, especially in the spring. Males “drum” to attracts mates and warn other males away from their territory.
Contrary to popular belief, Ruffed Grouse do not beat a hollow tree to drum. Standing on a rock or tree stump the male rapidly moves its cupped wings back and forth. The “wings achieve the same speed as the sound waves generated by their passage through the air. This causes the sound waves to “pile up” into a penetrating shock wave, also known as a sonic boom.” (Adirondack Almanac.) This is similar to the phenomenon that produces thunder: a lightning bolt slashing through the air rapidly heats the molecules causing them to expand faster than the speed of sound to create a shock wave.
The mixed spruce, poplar (aspen), and birch forests of the Carp Hills provide ideal habitat for these birds. They are primarily vegetarian, eating leaf shoots, acorns, and woodland fruits, but must feed their young protein-rich invertebrates.
There is so much fascinating information about these birds. Listen to recordings of their drumming and calls and learn more at the All About Birds web site.
Watch a video of a Ruffed Grouse drumming.
This concludes our 12 Days of Christmas series. We hoped you enjoyed learning about only a fraction of what makes the Carp Hills unique, special, and worth conserving.