Observations: December 10, 1998 Time: 10:30 am Weather: Bright, cold

What has cones and yellow needles every fall? Along the Frog trail in the fall, look for a softwood tree called Tamarack (Larix laricinia). It is also known as eastern larch, American larch and hackmatack. You can easily spot it because Tamarack is the only tree with needles that turn yellow and drop off in the fall, making it a "deciduous conifer". Tamarack grows to a height of 12-24 m. with a diameter of 0.3 - 0.6 m. on upland, loamy soils. You may also find it growing in cold, poorly drained areas like a sphagnum bog. Native Americans used the roots of this tree to sew birch bark for their canoes. The Tamarack provides strong wood that is used for fence posts, railway ties and for building boats. The buds, needles and seeds are eaten by ruffed grouse, while porcupines enjoy the inner bark.

Seaweed for lunch? Nori (Porphya umbilicus) is a thin, filmy red seaweed, which grows on loose rocks and pieces of wood underwater. At low tide, you can find this drab, brownish-red plant shiny and dry along Irving Nature ParkÕs rocky shores. Nori has been commercially cultivated as a food in Japan and China for centuries. One of the most versatile of the edible seaweeds, Nori is a rich source of minerals and vitamin C. Japanese wrap the blades of this alga around rice, fish and meat fillings, or add it to soups, chowders and sauces.

Sea Dogs on the loose! Harbour Seals, familiar winter residents of Irving Nature ParkÕs shores, are known as Ōsea dogsĶ because of their expressive, dog-like faces and barking cry. Anytime after November, at low tide, up to 200 Harbour Seals (Phoca vitulina) splash and dive in the water or lie basking in the sun on the rock outcroppings near the parkÕs Observation Deck. Although they live in salt water, Harbour Seals sometimes swim up the St. John River searching for food. Seals, like all marine mammals, evolved as land animals, then returned to the sea. Their arms and legs became modified into flippers. Like us, seals are warm-blooded and breathe oxygen. Adult seals may weigh as much as 113 kilograms and grow to a length of 1.5 metres. Harbour Seals gather each winter into loosely organized colonies to mate. Usually only a single pup is born on land to each couple in late spring. Pups remain on land until they have built up a layer of blubber (fat) to insulate them from the cold water. Harbour Seals wiggle on their bellies awkwardly on land, but they are excellent swimmers, with bursts of speed up to 15 knots! (27 kph). They eat fish such as herring, and dive for invertebrates on the bottom. A dive can last as long as 15 minutes before the Harbour Seal comes up for air. During a deep dive the sealÕs metabolism changes, the heart rate slows dramatically, and the blood flow to the extremities is cut off to conserve oxygen. If you walk to the Observation Deck this winter, you can watch these lively sea dogs having fun.

The Naturalist's Notebook is a regular publication. If you have any questions or topics that you would like to see addressed, please call John Gilbert, Manager, Fish and Wildlife, J.D. Irving, Limited, (506) 632-7777.