The hot weather has me totally shut down. I feel uninspired and have stuck close to home this weekend.
Saturday I slept in way late ( for me) so visited the Hazel Wolf Preserve, which is a close by wetlands area. I was enchanted by tons of damselflies and dragonflies at the marsh
The woods were pretty quiet but I did have an interesting encounter with a pair of Piliated Woodpeckers. One was tucked inside this hole. I neither saw nor heard evidence of young birds.
A Douglas Squirrel harvesting a cone.
This morning I got up early and went to see some Broad-leaved Helleborine. My friend Ron Hanko ( http://www.ronaldhanko-orchidhunter.blogspot.com/ ) reported this sighting in his blog. I knew I would be able to find the flowers and did so without too much difficultly. Gaye is another blogger from New York ( http://www.livingretiredinwesternnewyorkstate.blogspot.com/ )and earlier this season she found some Helleborine on one of her favorite rambles. Through some discussion we found that she had some on her property too. How nice to have an orchid blooming in your own yard.
At the park, what a bounty! The spot I found near a drainage ditch was filled with invasive English Ivy. I have to wonder if the orchids rode in with the ivy plants. There were at least 25 plants in varied state of bloom. Some were quite purple, others mostly green with a blush of pink. Some so heavy with flowers, they appear to have toppled.
I was happy to see and experience these new plants. I am getting ready for a trip in 10 days and hope to see these and other orchids in their native habitat. Having a feel for their size and how they fit and blend in the environment, I hope I will be able to spot them on my rambles.
Gaye, I hope your plants continue to thrive. Ron, thanks my friend for the great tip.
Oh my gosh! Those are beautiful. They look much lusher than mine are. Almost ready to send the seeds to you, I think.
ReplyDeleteThank you for all of the lovely photographs.
Hey Marti,
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome and another great post. Am especially envious of the Pileated Woodpeckers - saw some this summer near Edmonton in a nature preserve but they were gone before I had a chance for a photo.
They were really caught up working this tree. The woods were so quiet I could hear their pounding and I could sneaky feet up to the tree. It was easy to figure where they were due to the chips flying.
ReplyDeleteI was thinking it was a single bird but then spied one feeding on the inside of the trunk in the hole. Must have been pretty buggy.
Your photos take my breath away. And how great that nature is so generous with photo ops where you live, so we can enjoy it all here.--Inger
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