Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Bass River Recreation Area, Connor Bayou

June 24 2013
This adventure was to Bass River Recreation Area to look for a Twayblade orchid.  Marie and I have several special places in Bass River Rec Area.  One area we have found Nodding Ladies' Tresses and Loesel's Twayblade, both of the orchid family.  This is a low wet area tucked away from the trails. 
We saw many wildflowers, here are just a few...


Prunella vulgaris, one of our favorites

We did find Loesel's Twayblade, it is very small and I didn't get a great picture.  It is in the orchid family and it is difficult to find.  So seeing it again this year among all the green was fun.


The name honors Johann Loesel, a seventeenth century Prussian botanist.
The distribution range in the United States is the northeastern states to Alabama and the midwest, Washington. The distribution range in Canada is British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec and Saskatchewan. This orchid can also be found in Europe.

On to another super secret place at Bass River Rec. Area, where in September we find Closed Gentian blooming.

Here we found Moneywort (Lysimachia nummularia) Primrose family.
Moneywort was introduced from Europe (long ago), this perennial plant is a non-climbing vine up to 3' long that freely branches at the base.


 Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnate) The color was perfect on these flowers.
 

This is another area down a long two-track, this pond was completely dry last year.
We saw a large patch of  Foxglove (also Tall or White) Beardtongue (Penstemon digitalis).



We saw tons of frogs and tadpoles here, really probably thousands!

Lots of dragonflies too.




We saw a colorful Tall Meadow Rue, We also saw Deptford Pink, Indian Hemp, Common Mullien, Moth Mullein, Thimbleweed, Whorled Loosestrife, Birdsfoot Trifoil, St. Johnswort, Soapwort, Black-Eyed Susan, hawkweed, Rabbit-foot Clover, Sleepy Catchfly, Everlasting Pea, and more.


 
After Bass we went to Conner Bayou Park (Ottawa County) to check out the new trail.
 
 Connor Bayou
 

 Bladdernut - large shrub sometimes a small tree.

 

 
 
 
 
 Yes another fun day.  I'm trying to get up to date on this blog but it isn't easy.  This is the reason I don't identify every photo but if you have questions just ask and I will try to answer them.

4 comments:

New Hampshire Gardener said...

Orchids are so easy to miss. I found one recently that I must have walked by 20 times last year. You've got some great photos of the tiny things though! Is the second picture from the top the thornless meadow or prairie rose Rosa blanda? Jerry has something similar on his blog that he didn't think was a rose, but I can't think of another flower that looks like that except flowering raspberry.
That's a greatshot of the tall meadow rue-ours has come and gone.

Anonymous said...

Your photos are always so good, and you keep finding places that I've never been to, or went to at the wrong time of the year.

Plants Amaze Me said...

Some of those little green-white orchids are easy to overlook and difficult to get a photo with all the green background.
I assumed the rose was Pasture Rose, Rosa Carolina, but after what Jerry had on his blog about it being thornless, makes me think this might have been the Rosa blanda. I remember it was taller than Rosa Carolina, which I had growing along the driveway, the rose at Bass was definitely taller so I bet it was the Smooth Rose.
Well I am a bit behind on the blog so the Tall Meadow Rue was from June 24, I'm thinking of doing a few very brief posts just to catch up but that isn't easy. There are so many things, flowers, bugs, and more out there.
Thanks for your help Allen, I think you are spot on with the rose.

Plants Amaze Me said...

Thanks, I try but I don't totally understand photography or cameras. I've had this Fujifilm camera for a year and just lately have been really appreciating what it can do. It is still a point and shoot, but has a 25mm wide 20x zoom lens. I have trouble sometimes with the light/dark of a picture, and when I take a close-up of a flower it wants to focus on the background.

I actually just like to take pictures, mostly the macro flower type, Marie is the one who does the identifying of the plants. I have learned so much from her in these last 7 years we have been going on our weekly adventures.

On a side note, what about this wonderful cool weather! It is great!
:)