Nature Notes – Cathance River Preserve in Spring

Posted
April 20, 2015

Posted in

View of Cathance River

View of Cathance River

Spring is here! Days are getting longer and warmer, and the grass is showing! Well the grass is showing on our lawns, but not so much at higher elevations. Even at some of the lower elevations, if the trail is shaded and in the woods, you will most likely encounter snow well into late April.

Jeff and I visited the Cathance River Preserve in Topsham, Maine on Sunday, April 12th. The Cathance River Nature Preserve and Trails are open to the public every day from dawn to dusk (no pets allowed). On this day there was still quite a bit of snow on the trails, but snowshoes and traction were not necessary. Waterproof boots are encouraged!

Cathance walk April 2015 (7)

Dicranum Polysetum aka “bad hair day moss”

The Preserve (230 acres!) has a variety of marked trails, loops ranging from approximately .75 miles to 1.05 miles. The trails are marked with color coded blazes and easy to follow. New trail signs were erected recently.

One of our favorite loops is the Heath Loop (.75 miles), especially this time of year as the wildlife awakens, the birds become more abundant, and flora are poking through the snow. As Maine Master Naturalists, Jeff and I are always busy identifying whatever is poking through the snow. On this trip, we found many of the hardy mosses were alive and well. We saw fresh deer tracks, evidence of beaver and porcupine activity too. We are looking forward to seeing the turtles return to sun themselves in the bog. A variety of grasses, sedges, rushes and ferns will soon become abundant.

Cathance walk April 2015 (4)

view of the Heath bog

You can access the Barnes Leap Loop (1.05 miles) from the Heath Trail. Part of the trail follows the course of the river. We have seen beavers swimming in this section of the river.

For directions and more information on the Cathance River Preserve visit their website.

Spring is a season of awakening in Maine. Step outside and become part of it!