Salamanders and Destroying Angels at Dickson Falls

A hiking trail that Wayne and I explored together last week in Fundy National Park was the 1.5 km Dickson Falls loop trail.

While walking along the trail I spotted an unusually bright white mushroom and Wayne asked a park employee we ran into a few minutes later if he knew what it was.  Turns out it was poisonous Amanita virosa which can resemble several edible species commonly consumed by humans, increasing the risk of accidental poisoning.

Amanita Virosa -  Destroying Angel

But maybe the charming views of Dickson Brook and Dickson Falls could be an elixir?

Our inside informer also told us where to find salamanders when we asked.  When we crossed the brook above the falls we discovered it wasn't such a secret as there was a large informational board describing them and where to find them.

Red-backed Salamanders can be found under rocks, logs, moss, dead leaves, or inside rotting stumps.   Unlike most salamanders, Red-backs do not spend any part of their lives in the water. They breathe through their moist skin so if you handle a salamander you should do so with wet hands to prevent damaging their skin with the acids in your skin.  After we found ours and just studied it from above, someone else found one and held it out to me but I declined.  I was a little disappointed that this fact was NOT on the informational board encouraging the public to find them in the brook.  Spread the word if you see people doing this.  I said nothing because I was unsure of my facts until I came home and researched it.

I found a pretty little wildflower alongside the trail but only one still had any color left, the others were all fading and drying.  Anyone know what it is?

We replaced six fuel injectors in the truck (almost $4,000!) and we leave Maine tomorrow for mountainous Vermont and I will pick up with current posts when we get there.  I'm saving the rest of my Canadian and Maine ones for when I get home.  I have photos from the past I want to add to them as this trip has brought up a lot of memories of our past trips.