Arrowhead Provincial Park
451 Arrowhead Park Rd
Huntsville, ON P1H 2J4
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After packing up our site we decided to hike the Mayflower Trail before heading to our next park. It was quite overcast and definitely looked like it was going to rain so we drove to the Homesteader’s Trail parking lot and started our hike at the Amphitheater.
There were several types of ferns and fern allies throughout the trail. I believe this one is the Cinnamon Fern which loves wet habitats.
These small puffballs appear to have been eaten by some forest dweller. Squirrels, chipmunks, deer, bears, slugs and insects all commonly eat mushrooms in the forest. Even that fly on the stick may live on or in a mushroom.
I love old, worn signs but the trail definitely needs some more signage. Several times we had to check to see if we were still on the trail and heading in the right direction.
The beginning of the trail was very enjoyable, with its winding route around the deep, spring-fed Mayflower Lake. Thousands of years ago this lake was actually a small bay in a much larger glacial lake. The trail was narrow with some muddy areas, so hiking boots are recommended, especially if it has rained recently.
This Candlesnuff Fungi was seen in various places on the trail, quite often on or around dead wood. The branches in this fungi are fairly straight but often they would appear more like antlers. The white power is a pore that will disperse during the summer, leaving the black, straight stalks to survive the winter.
Another trail sign that looks in better condition and has a very cute little hiker with his backpack. 
As we hiked around the ponds we didn’t realize that the Arrowhead plant was actually an aquatic plant that we should have been looking for at the water’s edge. We did see other aquatic plants, like this white Fragrant Water Lily. We also heard bull frog and green frog’s call around the pond.
After climbing a fairly steep hill, after leaving the lake, the trail opened up and took us along the power lines. This part of the trail was somewhat overgrown and there were a lot of biting insects chasing us through the narrow trail. It was definitely a disappointing part of the hike and I hope that they will reroute it back through a more natural environment.
This Swamp Dewberry (native) was found along the edge of the forest. It is related to blackberries and raspberries, which are all very important summer food for songbirds. This plant is also known as a Bristly Dewberry and the fruit is red or black in colour.
This American Toad, which was quite colourful compared to many I’ve seen, was hiding under some leaves until Maya sniffed it out.
The native Wild Basil is part of the mint family and has clusters of rose-purple flowers above each of its leaf axils (the place where the leaf stalk and the stem of the flower meet). Like commercial basil, the leaves can be dried and used as a seasoning but is much milder in taste.
A small butterfly was resting on this leaf, waiting for the sun to hopefully peek out behind the thick clouds that were definitely bringing rain to the region within the area.
We found another American Toad along the path. Notice how different this toad’s colouring is compared to the one shown above. In Ontario there are only two species of toads and one of them is not only endangered but it has only been found along the north shores of Lake Erie. This means that almost every toad you have ever spotted in Ontario is an American Toad. The range in colour is a product of humidity, temperature and stress level. The American Toad is usually brown on its back with a white or yellow belly.
The Mayflower Trail has a lot of potential for a short, one kilometre trail. With some work, better signage and moving the top part of the trail back into the woods, it will be a great addition to Arrowhead’s trail system.
