I walk very carefully when I visit, not because of the muck (which is unavoidable), but because I don't want to step on too many plants. After all, there are a few endangered species in the mix. Luckily once I got in there I found a good elk trail and stuck to it.
This place is diverse. Big time. I found this great checklist online that's helping me identify things. Click on the checklist link for a full species survey of the area.
This is the Macloskey's violet, Viola macloskeyi
And nestled underneath those lovelies are Drosera rotundifolia (!). Tiny.
Much more subtle are these little spike rushes, Eleocharis pachycarpa.
The elk trail lead me back into the old spruce forest. There I saw an A-frame fort, coming along nicely.
And, the most "exotic" of native wildflowers, the elusive Calypso orchid, Calypso bulbosa. I do have a secret patch of these, but this one was all alone and nowhere near the patch.
It's named after Calypso, the beautiful blind enchantress from the Odyssey. She was secretive, and so is this little dragon of a flower; their blooms are unpredictable. While this lone plant in the dark forest had a bloom, my secret patch had none.
3 comments:
That Calypso orchid is a gem, but even more exciting is the sundew. I don't know why, but whenever I see them I get a real rush. We have them in the swamp on the far side of our lake (in PA); they live on the bases of the hillocks where the blueberries grow like weeds!
Hi GofLM, what a fantastic place. Who is building the a frame? Like Ellen, the sundew was exciting, mainly because it was something I recognized. But that orchid is so wonderful. So glad you got some good shots of it.
Frances at Faire Garden
Mmm, wild blueberries.
I don't know who's building the a frame. There's a little charter school not too far away. Maybe some kids? I'd noticed it a couple months ago, but it wasn't as developed then.
I've only run into one other person all of my days adventuring in that forest.
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