Tamarack time

Photo by Barry Wallace

Tamaracks ~ Kell Farm ~ 16th Sideroad west of Keele

This is one of those trees with multiple identities.   The Tamarack (Larix laricina) also goes by the names: Eastern Larch, American Larch, Red Larch, Black Larch, Takmahak and Hackmatack.   It is a cone-bearing tree with needles, that looks like most other conifer trees but is significantly different because it is a deciduous conifer.   It is light blue-green in colour, which turns golden-yellow in fall, before shedding its distinctive needles.   It stands out in late October and early November when most deciduous trees have lost their coloured leaves and it contrasts sharply with evergreen conifers.   Tamaracks are northern trees that are to be found across most of Canada between the Great Lakes and the northern tree limits.   They do very well in wet, peaty soils and swamps, but are also to found in drier upland loamy soils, such as the Kell Farm, north of King City.

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Barry Wallace