Featured Natural Area: Lakeside Park near St. Mary’s Hospital, Kitchener

Lakeside Park is a centrally located destination for those that seek the water. Since my family and I discovered the park in March, it has been the preferred destination for an evening picnic and a short hike. It is very close to St. Mary’s hospital and is a pretty short detour by bike off the Iron Horse Trail.

In March, I was taken by the colours of the dogwood and dried grasses, which became the inspiration for a life size puppet and a shawl. Additionally, a positive encounter with a “homeless” man living in the woods there in winter was the inspiration for one of our new songs, “Camouflage of Convenience”. A remarkable huge and hollow tree that the kids climbed up into, seemed absolutely dead in March and we were surprised to find it as a living willow tree in summer (photos below).

You can learn about this diverse and living wildlife oasis here, on the City of Kitchener website: http://www.kitchener.ca/en/livinginkitchener/Lakeside_Park.asp

There are scores of regionally significant breeding and migratory birds, including the Pied-billed Grebe, Chimney Swift, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Common Nighthawk, Barn Swallow, Great Blue Heron and Belted Kingfisher. We observed scores of Mallard Ducks and some Canada Geese. Turtles, mink, monarch butterflies, beaver and a population of bats also live there.

As for the human residents in the area, they are very dedicated to protecting and tending to their beautiful park. The archived newsletters and the 2014 Management Plan have been invaluable resources for me, in terms of identifying the flora and fauna that lives among us. In May, I had the pleasure of getting to know some of these locals at an event that they hosted. A generous resident offered their garage for my felting activities, as it was unseasonably cold.

Of course the park’s Shoemaker Pond resonates with me, considering my new venture in felting shoes, a history of creating puppets with shoes and telling stories about shoemakers.