Chilling in the Bruce, Part 8 (Final)

Carson Lake near Sauble Beach Community Center.

On our last day on the Bruce we did two short trips, the first to a pond behind the Sauble Beach Community Center, a classic wetland habitat. There were lots of horsetails (Equisetum arvense) on the trail leading to the pond, along with wild violets and strawberries. The boardwalk wasn't in the best condition, with boards missing here and there and plants growing through the slats. Boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum), water-horehound (Lycopus americanus), tufted loosestrife (Lysimachia thyrsiflora), cattails (Typha latifolia), and bur reed (Sparganium sp.) grew along the marshy edges of the lake, and waterlily leaves (Nympahea odorata) lined the ditches at the water's edge.

Ferns growing through the boardwalk

Horsetails with wild violets and strawberries.

Waterlilies

The days had been getting progressively warmer and today it was actually hot for these latitudes, probably in the eighties. There was very little shade by the small lake, but a bit farther on the trail led through some woods, and while the group was taking their usual time with identification and cataloguing of plants, I retreated to the shadier woods to enjoy the plants there. I saw some pink pyrola (Pyrola asarifolia) and enormous rattlesnake ferns that grew waist-high on the trail.

Pink pyrola (Pyrola asarifolia)

Rattlesnake and sensitive ferns (Botrychium lunaria and Onoclea sensibilis)

We went back to the Evergreen resort for lunch and then out again. In the afternoon we divided into two groups, one group explored the Tranquility Trail behind the resort, which I'd already seen briefly. I went with the second group to Petrel Point, just a bit north of the resort. On one side of the road was another fen, where we saw many of the same plants as at Oliphant Fen. Here the sundews and purple pitcher plants were plentiful, and the horsetails were developing their spore-bearing spikes. We saw variegated horsetails (Equisetum variegatum) and dwarf scouring rush (Equisetum scirpoides), a curious plant that feels bristly to the touch and could very well be used to scour pots and pans, hence its common name.

Slender-leaved sundews (Drosera linearis)

Purple pitcher plans (Sarracenia purpurea)

Dwarf scouring rush (Equisetum scirpoides)

 
The sun and heat in the open fen was hard to take after lunch, and we eventually retreated to a shadier area on the other side of the road. Here we were hoping to see some of the lovely queen lady slipper orchids, but unfortunately all that we found were a few buds emerging from the ground. How did we know these were queen lady slippers? For one, Sally remembered their location from previous trips, but the salient clue was that there was a wire fence around this small area--presumably to keep these precious orchids from unscrupulous poachers. There were a few more buds around the base of this tree, and some seed pods from the previous year's growth.

A queen lady slipper orchid (Cypripedium reginae) bud

We did come across a couple of unusual plants in bloom: naked miterwort (Mitella nuda) with tiny, lacy flowers, and three-leaved false Solomon's seal (Maiamthemum trifolia).

Naked miterwort (Mitella nuda)

Three-leaved false Solomon's seal (Maianthemum trifolia)

Marsh marigolds and false Solomon's seal.

Soon it was time to head back to the resort for our last evening there. We gathered at Emily's cottage for a recap of our adventures and some wine before dinner, and some in the group who were leaving early in the morning said their goodbyes at dinner. I had decided to try to drive back in one day, but wasn't sure exactly when I'd depart.

The following morning I decided to skip breakfast and hit the road early, so I bid farewell to our group before breakfast and departed, only to realize as I was half-way down the gravel road that I'd forgotten to leave my key at the front desk. I quickly back-tracked and dropped it off, and got on the open road at eight o'clock. I made excellent time, reaching the U.S. border crossing shortly after noon, and stopped at the nearest visitor center for a bite to eat and to call Herb (my cell phone service didn't extend to Canada). But I missed my exit south of Buffalo, and had to turn around, only to find there was no exit from the other direction. I finally found another road that would get me back on my route, but this was a much slower two-lane country road, and I lost about an hour of precious time. By the time I reached the Pennsylvania Turnpike at seven in the evening, I was starting to lose it, but was determined to go on. The last hour of driving was nerve-wracking, with fog and rain through the mountains, but I finally made it to Front Royal a little after nine in the evening, happy to be home!

Waterlilies at Centennial Park

Waterlilies at Centennial Park, oils on canvas panel, 9" x 12"

It was delightfully cool on this breezy morning as I headed to Centennial Park to paint the waterlilies. I've learned from experience that this variety of waterlily flower opens only in the morning hours--by early afternoon the flowers begin to close and they stay closed until the next dawn.

There were no waterlilies on the near bank of the lake, so I had to walk around to the far side to find this beautiful group of rafts. It was well worth the effort to paint this view. I'll try another painting of waterlilies soon, next time with a closer focus on the plants and flowers.

A Waterlily Jungle in Maryland

Maryland Waterlily Jungle, oils on gessobord, 12" x 9"

Yesterday I went out to Centennial Park to paint the waterlilies. At this time of the year they form large rafts on the banks of the lake. The more impressive expanses are on the far side of the lake, too far to walk loaded down with painting gear, so I'd settled for a few patches closer to the parking lot. The temperature was already climbing into the 90's and afternoon showers had been forecast. It wasn't until after had I set up my easel, I realized I'd forgotten to bring the turpenoid bucket--no way I can paint without cleaning my brushes, so I packed up and headed back home, with waterlilies on my mind.

At home I found some photos taken last summer on the way to Crisfield, on the eastern shore. Linda and I had seen a pond covered with hundreds of waterlilies in bloom, some of them pink, which is an unusual color for this variety, so we stopped to take photos. I wanted my painting to give the feeling that these waterlilies were wild, so I framed them against a backdrop of tall shady trees, and voila! I like to think in ancient times there once were jungles here in Maryland... whether the waterlilies were native or introduced, I have no idea, but if they were indeed native, perhaps there would have been waterlilies blooming in ponds in this jungle.

Send an E-mail to elemaza@verizon.net if you are interested in buying the painting. Shipping is additional, payment through PayPal.