Morgan Arboretum - 80th Birthday

2 November ... with "Headchogs"

Nov 02, 2025

Sunday 2 November

“Whilst Out Walking” … here is somewhere nearby where we go to notice nature.

Forests in November - nature preparing for winter, piles of leaves underfoot to wade through, the scent of damp earth and moss. Woodlands are havens for both wildlife and people, but their beauty is fragile. With the right care, they are filled with birdsong, sunlight and life. With good conservation practices, we can keep these habitats healthy and keep these special places thriving and safe for everyone to enjoy.

I first came upon the Morgan Arboretum in late March 1998, less than a week after stepping off the plane from England. It is a truly splendid place which celebrated its 80th birthday last Sunday. As part of the celebration events I led a party on a walk under the trees and “lectured” them on some of the things we found on our way … I don’t think that I bored them, as I got a round of applause at the end. I thought that this Sunday I would share some images from that afternoon.

This being Canada, what better to start with than a specimen of the Morgan Maple.

Nothing is more emblematic of this country than a red maple tree. The Morgan Maple, also known as Acer x freemanii ‘Morgan’ is a hybrid cross of two native North American trees: Acer saccharinum (silver maple) and Acer rubrum (red maple) that was developed at the Morgan Arboretum, hence its name, and was introduced to the public in 1972.  Because of its hybrid vigor, it is hardy to zone 4, making it suitable for relatively cold climates while still thriving in a range of soils and site conditions. This fine specimen grows in Dales Field at the foot of the slope running down from the arboretum’s Conservation Centre.

The photo above shows the advance guard of the merry band that followed me around for a couple of hours. A few thousand years ago that slope was a seashore embankment with a sandy beach at the base. After the ice-age when there was about a mile of ice overhead (yes, really) had ended and the melt-water formed and retreated, the land below, relieved of the weight of ice, gradually rose over the centuries. What is now Montreal Island was once below water, then became a series of small islands and eventually the land rose high enough for all the bits to join together. Not far to the north of this point there is another former shoreline in the forest near the base of which volunteers some eight years ago created a new trail and cleared and planted a small copse filled with native shrubs and trees selected to bear fruit to support wildlife. It has been popular as a demonstration plot for people interested in wilding their own gardens.

Some of the bushes we planted there were winterberry, a native form of holly without the prickles. As we dug holes in which to plant these, some 18 inches below rich loam we discovered a layer of white sand. The old beach. This made us wonder if those bushes would survive, especially as all the horticultural texts will tell you that winterberry likes a bit of shade and to have their feet in damp soil. It turns out, after some years growing there, that they like this particular location very much, despite it being a lot drier than we anticipated, especially this summer. One of the members of the group that I was leading around, turned out to be a geologist. He stood there and looked at the site and said, “well I can tell you now that there is probably a more than adequate runoff of subterranean water, coming down that slope and seeping along the sand/loam interface, and that more than likely is supporting these bushes”. I hope I got that right, there’s always something new to learn.

Turning our backs on the native fruit bushes, and still at the bottom of the old shoreline, there is the above area which volunteers have planted over the years with a sea of native plant species, mostly prairie plants. The white seed heads that you can see are several species of goldenrod, much beloved of small birds at the moment.

When I first came to the Arboretum following storms and when trees had fallen, it was common practice to tidy up and clear them away. This was possibly a hangover of the mindset prevalent when the Arboretum was first formed when the intention was that it would be a research and training area for, and I quote. “Woodlot Management”. Never let a fallen tree go to waste was the watch word back then. Today, research is focussed on forest ecology and so long as fallen trees are not blocking trails, they are pretty much left to return to the soil with the aid of insects fungi, over a period of years. I particularly like these trees, which are sugar maples, because they are heavily worked by at least five different species of woodpeckers who are always a joy to watch.

This small structure deep in the forest is the sugar shack where maple sap is collected and boiled down to give us maple syrup for our pancakes. Not so much syrup is produced these days as for various reasons as there are fewer students willing and able to do the quite hard work of collecting the buckets and bringing them to the boiler. Maybe in future years ways will be found to give us more than just a few notional gallons.

Much has changed in eighty years. The Arboretum is not only the largest green space on the island of Montreal but also the largest arboretum in Canada with an area of some 245 hectares, or around 600 acres. Today it is a multi-use green space used by the university for environmental sciences research and teaching purposes, while at the same time providing a much valued space for the public to walk under the trees and enjoy this rare urban forest environment. Most importantly of all, though, it provides essential and increasingly rare habitat for the many animal and plant species that are still living amongst and around people in this splendid city.

Under the trees, the Arboretum provides some 25km of diverse trails, some relatively heavily used and others rather less so. Some short and some long, giving opportunities for everyone to find a trail to suit their needs. In the winter, two of the main trails are groomed for cross country skiing and a moderately long snowshoe trail also exists, while the “main” trail is accessible to walkers all year around.

Although the Arboretum is about flowers and trees it is also rich with birds and insects.

Elsewhere, this week:

A surprising number of species of birds are being seen in the neighbourhood this “almost winter” period, and many more in the garden than is normal. It’s quite exciting.

The Carolina Wrens, after a summer nesting away from the garden - but not too far away as we would hear them - are returning for the winter. The seem to know that they will get some square meals here as the snows cover their preferred ground-based food sources.

I would have like to have a black gray squirrel too, to complete the set

Pleurotus (Oyster Mushrooms) … of which there are too many species to be any more precise

Long-leaved Speedwell (Veronica longifolia) - not a native but it seems to be well naturalized and there are not many colourful flowers of whatever origin that flower at this time of the year. Probably a garden escapee.

Lichens - one of which is perhaps Boreal Oakmoss. Lichens look better in the warmer months but are more visible now the leaves are leaving.

Hedgehog or Headchog?

Although it wanders off the straight and narrow from time to time, the purpose behind my newsletter has always been to encourage people to notice the wildlife living in their gardens and down the road. There are, however, several “Offshoots and Byways” that lead me astray and are acknowledged in the title. Here is an important one. The author of the article linked to below is an academic who studies the way children interact with nature. This post of hers seems rather important in what it says … as well as causing some merriment in this household: