Bobcat tracks

    Woke up to a delightful morning of fresh snow sprinkled like icing sugar over the fields and an exciting surprise outside the chicken coop. Some unusual footprints of a definite feline character. Our (slightly educated) guess is bobcat (Lynx rufus) The prints are about 2-3 times larger than the prints of our house cat, Miau-miau.

    The cat prints (wild or domestic) have one toe higher than the others. The print is slightly more rounded and more a-symmetrical compared to a dog print (canine). These prints are about 5 cm long and about 25-30 cm apart. The pattern on the prints are in a narrow trail, with back paws stepping in the prints from the fore paws at times. The back pad has a scalloped pattern with three lobes. Four toes can be seen but no claw marks. With coyote or dog prints you see the claw marks clearly. Most cats can retract their claws and do so while walking.

Compare the photos below to tell them apart.

Bobcat tracks  Note one front toe slightly higher and scalloped pattern on pad. Tracks often doubled by front and back paws.

 

Bobcat track top, house cat bottom

Coyote track (above). Note oval shape and signs of claws.

 

 

    While we're on the topic of bobcat I thought I'd share with you a photo of a skull that we found in the woods here on the property the other day. We believe that this skull is also from a bobcat.

    The kids and I followed the bobcat trails into the woods to see if we could deduce what it had been doing. It's like a really good mystery where you have to follow clues and keep an open mind. By piecing together the clues the plot thickens. Last night around 1am I heard a sound outside I'd never heard before. It sounded like a combination between a cat and a screech owl. It started with a meowing and ended with a high pitched call. Having seen the prints outside this morning and doing some further research on the bobcat's call I now believe that what I heard was its call. The plot thickens...

 

    The bobcat is a solitary animal that only gets together with other bobcats for mating, this usually happens in February. The female will give birth to 1-7 (usually 2-3) kittens in late April-early May. After only 2 months the kittens wean. Their diet are other small animals, although they can kill foxes and deer too if they need to. Like all cats they are carnivores. Often they hide larger prey in caches and comes back to consume it at intervals.

Their scat resembles a dog's but it's often haphazardly buried with scratch marks in the ground around it. They mark their territory using urine, scent glands and scratches on trees. They can climb well and are even known to swim if need be. 

 

    I love that the forest around here have such a variety of animals and that we can see bears, coyotes, bobcats, weasels, deer and squirrels, to name just a few. We had three glorious elk roaming in the woods a few years back, but I think someone shot them. I heard gun shots in the back of the forest and haven't seen elk here since.This saddens me. Biodiversity is healthy and the more variety we have, the better the forest feels. The better the forest feels, the better I feel. The better I feel, the more I can do to care for the forest and its inhabitants.

 

 

 

Trembling Aspen

As I look out over the snow covered landscape I'm stricken by how beautiful the copse of aspen trees (Populus tremuldoides) are against the winter sky. They have a graceful and timeless beauty that I can gaze at for hours without ever becoming bored. The bark has a pigeon-blue/grey colour with striking black markings. It's often mistaken for paper birch (Betula papyrifera) at first glance. To tell their bark apart look to see if the bark is flaking off in strips. If it does, you have a birch and not an aspen. The aspen bark does not flake and is coated in fine white powder. Here on the farm the aspens have clean grey bark facing the south and they are encrusted with lichen and moss on the north side.

 

 

 lichen on north side of trembling aspen

Comparison paper birch and trembling aspen, birch on the left- note the papery bark. 

 chalky white/grey powder on aspen bark

Aspens are interesting in that they are able to clone themselves. They also produce seeds, but have the ability to shoot up a new tree from an older existing root, making a genetically identical clone. In Utah there is an aspen grove that has been estimated to cover 100 acres and weigh as much as 40 blue whales. Now that is one big organism! In fact it's considered the largest living thing on Earth. Its age is estimated to be 80 000 years old, making it the oldest organism as well. The sheer enormity of these facts blow my mind away! Aspens are popular with winter grazers such as deer and hares.

Aspen bark sourdough starter

I like using the bark as a sourdough starter. Often little aspens are toppled by heavy snowfall and are snapped. I like shaving off some of the bark of these trees. You don't need a lot to start an excellent sourdough, a handful is enough. The white powder on the outside is where the wild yeasts are located which will rise your bread. I add a handful of the bark pieces to 2 cups of flour and 2 cups of lukewarm water. I let this sit by the wood stove for a day or two. It will start to bubble away. I use a large tablespoon of the starter for a large loaf instead of regular yeast and let it sit for an extra day before baking it. If you use too much of the sourdough starter the bread will have a very strong flavour.

sourdough bread from aspen bark sourdough starter

A new beginning

    Only four more days until the New Year, 2021. Wow! That sounds so futuristic to me. As the world rapidly speeds up towards new and improved ways to live I feel like I am drawn towards a past that I never was part of. A past where everyone knew what wild plants to use for food, medicine and material. A past where it was not the ticking of time that determined the next step but rather the changing of the season. With Covid looming large over our communities and we all huddle down at home in our small bubbles it is easy to imagine what life was like before 24/7 commerce and connected webs of wires. A little calmer and a little bit more self-reliant perhaps? I love that I can go to the store if I need to, can skype or zoom with people on the other side of the planet and that there is help if my family or I need it. I am grateful for the luxuries of life. 

However, as the world is rapidly spinning towards mass destruction of plants, animals and people some change is needed. Now! Thinking about this almost paralyzes me, what will become of my children, the forests I love and the fresh water and all other amazing things this planet has to offer? Act now they say, but how.... 

....This is the way I know how. By teaching people to love nature around them as if it was a part of them (which of course it is). Only through becoming familiar and connected with the natural world will we be its champion and fight to keep it healthy. We are an animal as much part of nature as any other critter, the time to stand outside nature and pretend we don't need it is gone. We need each other and right now the natural world needs us to be its spokesperson more than ever. If we learn to identify our neighbours: the plants, the animals, the bugs and the people; we learn to care for them better and hopefully to live peacefully together.

On this blog I will post information about my corner of the world and its magical plants and animals and how to identify them, protect them and use them.

Wishing you a Happy New Year

Mikaela Cannon, 2020