Wetlands

Ellison, from the northern reaches by the bay to the southernmost tip on Penfield Road, is largely protected wetlands. Much of the year a great deal of the park is soggy, accessible only to those in tall boots and galoshes. The grasslands of summer are small swamps in spring and fall and skating rinks in the winter. The banks of Irondequoit Creek regularly overflow, covering even the raised paths in the Blossom Road section, making the entire park best accessible by canoe. Catfish are stranded in the grass when the waters recede. None of the pooled water is suitable for human swimming, and it precludes picnics and strolls, but it is a blessing for dogs and ducks. (Remarkably, they often play together in these ponds, and once my greyhound Spirit waded peacefully for half an hour among flirting mallards, who were far more interested in a spring date than in this curious, leggy beast.) This Sunday, the water was perfect for a grassy splash.