Bognor Marsh and tale of the The Turkey Tail

I hiked a 5.1 km loop around the wondrous Bognor Marsh, which features an open marsh, semi-flooded wetland, grassy meadows, and the Niagara Escarpment. The Marsh was originally a hardwood forest, but was continually flooded, creating a swamp, then a marsh. Once on top of the ridge, the world changes into a place of varied forests, erratic rock that was dragged here by glaciers 12,000 years ago and a world of fungi still at work digesting the fallen trees. Without the various fungi, such as the Turkey Tail, our forests would not be healthy. Fungi are needed to decompose rotting wood, remove diseased and weak trees, and supply nutrients through the soil to help healthy trees to thrive. Unlike plants, fungi have no chlorophyll and can’t make sugar from sunlight the way trees do. In exchange for nutrients and water, trees send life-giving sugars down to its roots to feed these fungi. It’s a mutualistic relationship 600 million years in the making. And we think that we are a smart species – not even close to these incredible life systems. Hike a Marsh, you will be happy that you do! Signing off, “Hiking with the Viking”. Hike: Sydenham Bruce Trail Club, Map #30, Woodford