3706 is located on the eastern edge of North Mountain which is enclosing the Annapolis Valley. Scot's Bay and Cape Split are just north, and the farmlands of Blomidon and Medford are below the cliff the property sits on.
The property sits on a south south-east facing slope. Weather is cooler than in the valley below.
Forest
The forest is a semi-dry, fertile Acadian Forest [1] made up of primarily White Ash, Maple, Beech, Birch and Spruce.
The Beech suffer from Beech Bark Disease[2].
| White Pine | |
|---|---|
| Soil Preference | Moist & Sandy but tolerates most |
| Shade Tolerance | Moderate |
| Frequency | None |
| Restoration Plan | plant in understory and promote |
| Maple | |
|---|---|
| Soil Preference | Deep and Fertile |
| Shade Tolerance | High |
| Frequency | High |
| Restoration Plan | Promote canopy trees in beech thickets |
| White Birch | |
|---|---|
| Soil Preference | Moist |
| Shade Tolerance | Low |
| Frequency | High |
| Restoration Plan | Leave as is |
| American Beech | |
|---|---|
| Soil Preference | |
| Shade Tolerance | Medium |
| Frequency | High |
| Restoration Plan | Cut those with Beech Bark Disease to promote those with disease resistant genes |
| White Ash | |
|---|---|
| Soil Preference | |
| Shade Tolerance | Low |
| Frequency | High |
| Restoration Plan | Promote at forest edge. |
| Hop Hornbeam | |
|---|---|
| Soil Preference | moist, well-drained soil. |
| Shade Tolerance | High |
| Frequency | Low |
| Restoration Plan | Promote where present (southwest property edge) |
A Land Management Plan will be created to address the usage of the natural resources on the land, including the cutting of wood for Projects.
Soil
The soil found through the property is rocky and difficult to dig into. The clay / silt / sand composition has not yet been determined.
Flora
St. John's Wort
Wild Sarsaparilla
Mullein
Black Elderberry
Service Berry
Trillium
Funga
Chaga
A medicinal mushroom that grows on dying birch trees. Used for Chaga tea.
Turkey Tail
A medicinal mushroom that grows on fallen hardwood such as maple. Used for tincture and tea.
Fauna
Bald Eagles
A pair of Bald eagles roost nearby on the mountain and can be seen fishing in the Bay of Fundy below. The eagles will occasionally land in the yard.
Snowshoe hare
To Zanna's delight, there was a snowshoe hare[1] spotting on the driveway in the fall, indicating that the land might be an appropriate site for a rabbit farm. We've since seen tracks in the winter.
Bobcat/Lynx
What appeared to be Bobcat tracks have shown up several times over the course of the winter. We suspect a Bobcat as it is a predator of the Snowshoe hare. A Canada Lynx is another possibility though its range isn't recorded in the area.
Northern Flicker
We had a Northern Flicker[2] fly into a window of the house and it was unfortunately fatal.
American Goldfinch
Chickadees
Robins
Horticulture
Gardens
Fall 2020
This is what we put in the ground during in October and November 2020
Previous
Here is a non-exhaustive list of plants that were planted prior to acquiring the property:
- cedar
- yew[5]
- rhododendron[6]
- rose
- mullien[7]
- rhubarb[8]
- thyme[9]
- walking onion[10]
- holly[11]
- azalea
- blackberries
- feverfew[12]
- celandine
- lemon balm[13]
- chives[14]
- St.John's wort[15]
- oregano[16]
- nettle[17]
- black elderberry[18]
- Lovage[19]
- sweet alyssum[20]
- red currant[21]
- wild garlic
- lungwort[22]
- grape hyacinth[23]
- star magnolia[24]
- red elderberry[25]
- american fly honeysuckle[26]
- honey suckle[27]
- tulips[28]
- fringed bleeding hearts[29]
- periwinkle[30]
- lilac[31]
- daffodil[32]
- bittercress[33]
- violet[34]