On our first full day at Charleston Lake Provincial Park, we headed out early in the morning to hike the Beech Woods Trail. The trail was 1.5 kilometres long and took us up and down gradual inclines while we walked through a mixed hardwood forest. Along the way, we enjoyed learning about the wildlife that lives in the forest from very informative interpretative panels. We learned that the cicadas we were hearing were the male Dog-day Cicadas and they sang to us throughout our walk. Cicada actually means “tree cricket” and these large, loud insects are herbivores that spend most of their lives underground.
The trail also took through a few open areas and at least one alvar that sometimes has Rat Snakes sunning themselves on the rocks. Unfortunately, we didn’t spot any that day. These medium sizes constrictors feed on rodents and birds and are nonvenomous.
For some reason, we did not hike the trail again but we would definitely recommend it. All of the trails at Charleston Lake were fantastic and unique and we can’t wait to show you some more in upcoming posts and videos.
