Beth McGee ferried me over to Troop('s) Island on Monday July 6. I didn't do a tour of the island or look for specific species of plant or bird. I wanted to spend time in the centre of the old growth forest near the giant yellow birch and just look and listen. I brought along a chair to sit in and just waited for things to happen.

There was no disruptive noise present. The only sound emanating from the forest canopy was the sweet melody of the Swainson's Thrush. At times a Hermit Thrush joined the chorus. Other times Northern Parula and Black-throated Green Warbler would also join in. It was magical.

I walked around the giant yellow birch and tried to photograph it but no lens can do it justice. I used a 15mm wide angle lens on a full frame sensor without vertical perspective correction but the top portion of the tree was still out of the frame.

From where I was walking I could see the eastern and western shores of the island(St. Margaret's Bay).

Troop Island

Troop Island Old Growth Forest Visit

The Old Growth Forest

Troop Island Old Growth Forest Troop Island Old Growth Forest Troop Island Old Growth Forest

The Giant Yellow Birch

Courtesy of Wikipedia

Betula alleghaniensis

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Betula alleghaniensis
Yellow Birch foliage
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Angiosperms
Class:	Eudicots
Order:	Fagales
Family:	Betulaceae
Genus:	Betula
Subgenus:	Betulenta
Species:	B. alleghaniensis
Binomial name
Betula alleghaniensis Britt.
Natural range of Betula alleghaniensis
Synonyms
B. lutea Michx.

Betula alleghaniensis (Yellow Birch), is a species of birch native to eastern North America, from Newfoundland to Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, southern Quebec and Ontario, and the southeast corner of Manitoba in Canada, west to Minnesota, and south in the Appalachian Mountains to northern Georgia.

Yellow Birch bark

It is a medium-sized deciduous tree reaching 20 m tall (exceptionally to 30 m) with a trunk up to 80 cm diameter. The bark is smooth, yellow-bronze, flaking in fine horizontal strips, and often with small black marks and scars. The twigs, when scraped, have a slight scent of oil of wintergreen, though not as strongly so as the related Sweet Birch. The leaves are alternate, ovate, 6-12 cm long and 4-9 cm broad, with a finely serrated margin. The flowers are wind-pollinated catkins 3-6 cm long, the male catkins pendulous, the female catkins erect. The fruit, mature in fall, is composed of numerous tiny winged seeds packed between the catkin bracts.

Betula alleghaniensis is the provincial tree of Quebec, where it is commonly called merisier, a name which in France is used for the wild cherry.

The name "yellow birch" reflects the color of the tree's bark.^[1]

The wood of Betula alleghaniensis is extensively used for flooring, cabinetry and toothpicks. Most wood sold as birch in North America is from this tree. Several species of Lepidoptera use the species as a food plant for their caterpillars. See the list of Lepidoptera that feed on birches.

Troop Island Old Growth Forest

Here are two of my photographs from last year's visit to give perspective to the size of the tree. The model is Mike Lancaster. All the other photos are from this visit.

Giant Yellow Birch

John Himmelman in the Yellow BirchJohn Himmelman in the Yellow Birch John Himmelman in the Yellow BirchJohn Himmelman in the Yellow Birch

Troop Island Old Growth Forest

The Old Growth Forest

Troop Island Old Growth Forest Troop Island Old Growth Forest Troop Island Old Growth Forest Troop Island Old Growth Forest

The Giant Yellow Birch

Troop Island Old Growth Forest Troop Island Old Growth Forest

Swainson's Thrush

Swainson's Thrush Swainson's Thrush

Hermit Thrush

Hermit Thrush

Hermit Thrush Hermit Thrush Hermit Thrush

Black-throated Green Warbler

Black-throated Green Warbler

Northern Parula

Northern Parula