Posts tagged ‘Wildflowers’

October 17th, 2011

Plants at Blomidon

On the first part of the Jodery Trail, which is mostly open, there are lots of pin cherries.

mystery wild flower gone to seed. Any guesses?

During our hike along the trails at Blomidon Provincial Park, one thing stood out, and that was fall colors. By that I mean the lack thereof!

“Scientists don’t quite know if global warming is changing the signs of fall like it already has with an earlier-arriving spring. They’re turning their attention to fall foliage in hopes of determining whether climate change is leading to a later arrival of autumn’s golden, orange and red hues.” Read the whole story on MSNBC.

A vernal pond? This spot was magical, but alas, it does not show well in the picture:(

The changes don’t necessarily indicate long-term trends. It could have been the heavy rain and hurricanes we had this year leading to fungal growth, which in turn, cause some tree s to forego the colourful display with leaves to turning brown and dropping earlier. However, there are some studies that indicate long-term trends. 

But in the last week, the fall colors came out, and many are already on the ground.

There are spots along the trail where the forest is all maple trees. There are four speices of maple in the park. I can't tell you want they are because we didn't walk the interpretive trail!

One of my favourite things to do when hiking in the woods is to pay attention to the smells. The types of plants in an area affect the smells. Some areas are full of that pine scent, others smell of rich humus, but my favourite smell is that sweet, cotton-candy smell! What causes that smell out in the middle of the forest? (Douglas fir trees?) (twin flower?)

I hate to admit it, but I don't know my trees! I most correct this gap in my knowledge.

Fireweed gone to seed.

I've always wondered what this black stuff is, anyone know?I think the black stuff is Black Knot Fungus.

Orange Hawkweed, sometimes called Devil's Paint Brush

September 8th, 2011

Hidden Beauties: Secret Waterfall and Bluebead Lilies

Sometimes a short walk will lead you to a hidden beauty, known only to the lucky few who have a home away from home behind the iron gates. I am not one of those “lucky” few, but with an outdated guidebook I was able find their secret! What I’m not showing you is the house that is built nearby (obviously fairly new), but if you look closely in the first picture you can see the small tip of a deck built on top of a flat rock overlooking the falls. I pretended it didn’t exist.

I plan to go back in the fall to explore more of the falls and follow the river. When I finally get a bike, I think this will be one of my destination goals.

Do faeries exist? I present Exhibit A, attesting to the fact that they are indeed, real. Turns out the Victorians where correct in their assumption that faeries sometimes live near waterfalls . . . or maybe it’s just evidence that dragonflies peruse the area.

Bluebead Lily

Bluebead Lily is a native, perennial plant commonly found on Nova Scotia’s shaded forest floor.  The berries are inedible and mildly toxic. The leaves are edible, but only when very young (a few inches tall).  I have never tried one so I can’t say anything about the taste. However, since they are slow to spread and sensitive to grazing white-tailed deer, it is perhaps best to leave this plant alone. The plant reproduces by seed or rhizomes. “Flowering in May and June, it takes over a dozen years for a clone to establish and produce its first flower, 2 years of which are dedicated solely to germination. The rhizome starts to mold after approximatively 15 years, but a colony often covers several hundred m². Few specimens establish new colonies.” (source) Needless to say, the plant is not easily transplanted, but you shouldn’t be stealing wild plants anyway, it’s not nice to mother nature and it’s illegal.

September 5th, 2011

Down at the Farm: Grass-Fed and Free Range

This weekend we drove down to visit the farm that we sometimes get our meat from. It’s no surprise that it is cheaper to buy their grass-fed meat directly off their property as opposed to getting it at organic grocery stores. It’s about a 20 minute drive from our house. Here are some of the critters we visited:

The wild boar were the most entertaining. They followed you (from the safety of their very, very large pen) and squealed, but if you made a sudden movement they spooked and ran away, only to turn around and come back to inspect you. I definitely wouldn’t want to hear one coming after me in the woods–I’ve seen too many kingdom movies where important characters get attacked by wild boar and die. There are lots of exotic animals at the farm, including emus, which make the freakiest sound I’ve ever heard come from an animal. It sounded like something you’d hear in Jurassic Park. I wouldn’t want to be chased by an emu either. We also got to look at the elk and deer from a distance. Of course, there are the normal farm animals: pigs, goats, lamb, cows, horses, chickens, ducks ansd geese.

It was a fun way to shop!

While there I also got a shot of Chicory and Birds-Foot Trefoil. Both are grown as forage crops for livestock so it’s not surprising to find them in this setting.

 Chicory is a perennial plant that is also grown for salad leaves, chicons, and roots, which can be made into a subpar coffee substitute. A native of Europe, Chicory has become naturalized in North America.

And Birdsfoot Trefoil (Lotus corniculatus):

 

Bird’s-foot Trefoil  (also known as Birdfoot Deervetch) are grown forage plants, as well as for pasture, hay and silage in agriculture. It is not native to North America and is considered an invasive species in some regions.

August 21st, 2011

Storm Clouds Rolling In and Other Backyard Events

A shot of storm clouds (bringing thunder and rain) coming in quickly. Run to get the laundry off the line.

That’s part of my backyard, and you can see my row of 18 highbush blueberries.

The storm was yesturday. It didn’t hit until suppertime so I was able to dig up my bearded irises to divide. Today I planted the extra 12 rhizomes in a new bed. I love free plants–from your own plants or from other people dividing up theirs.

Look what I dug up in the process:

Yellow-spotted Salamander

I was really exicted to find some Indian Pipe! I’ve been on the look out for it since seeing it in one of my wildflower books. And guess what, I found it in my backyard along the edge of the woods. Looks like fungi doesn’t it! I’ll have to check this spot early next year and see if I see the blooms (they’re over now).

Indian Pipe In August

In case you haven’t noticed, I started working on my Wild Plants of Nova Scotia page. Check it out.

Blueberry crisp is ready so I must go eat:)