Chilling in the Bruce, Part 5

The Bruce Alvars.

On the third day we visited the Bruce alvars--this is a Swedish word for rock formations with large flat plates of limestone broken up by cracks which support some very unusual vegetation. It's only recently that these formations on the Great Lakes were recognized as being similar to those found in Sweden and Estonia.

There is very little soil on the surface of these plates, making a harsh habitat for plants, baking in temperatures of over a 100 degrees in the summer, cold and windswept in the winter, with spring flooding which lasts a long time, delaying seed germination. Soil accumulates in the large cracks, known as "grykes," that can support a variety of trees such as jack pines, white cedar, quaking aspens, prostrate junipers, and there are some rare plants that are unique to the Bruce Alvars.

VNPS members explore the alvars.

Jack pine (Pinus banksiana)

On our first site at the crossing of Dyer's Bay Road, the trees were mostly jack pine and quaking aspens with low prostrate junipers (Juniperus horizontalis) and serviceberry. On the alvars we saw bearberry, columbines in bloom, calamint, Seneca snakeroot, wild strawberries, lyre-leaved sage, early saxifrage, and harebells. In places one had to step carefully to avoid stomping over the hundreds of yellow lady slipper orchids--quite dwarfed here compared to the ones in the rich woods. Ebony spleenworts, mosses and other ferns grew in the shelter of the grykes.

Ebony spleenwort (Asplenium platyneuron) growing in a gryke

Bearberry (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi)

Yellow lady slipper buds (Cypripedium calceolus)

Wild columbines (Aquilegia canadensis)

We were reluctant to wander in too far--in this unmarked terrain it would be easy to get lost, and I had no desire to find any of the endangered Massasauga rattlesnakes that live here. We stopped for a quick lunch at Crane River Park and then went back to the other side of Route 6 to check out the plants there.

Plaque at the Dyer's Road crossroad.

There was a boardwalk here, where we came across flowers of the rare native lakeside daisy (Hymenoxys herbacea) with its charming yellow flowers. We also found lake iris, big leaved aster, and death camas.

Lakeside daisies on the alvars.

Close-up of lakeside daisies.

Reindeer moss (Cladina rangiferina)

The light drizzle that had started as we were setting out on the boardwalk continued, becoming steadier--I was feeling so chilled by then, I began to lose interest. Lovely as the lakeside daisies were, once we had seen these, our spirits began to flag, and around three everyone decided to call it a day and head back to the resort. A good call, as we drove back on Route 6, the drizzle became a heavy downpour. I was one of the designated drivers and was having a hard time staying awake. I was so exhausted and chilled by the time I got back to my cottage, I got in bed under the covers and slept until dinnertime.

Chilling in the Bruce, Part 4

Plaque at Bruce's Caves

We stopped for lunch at a covered picnic shelter by a lake, where one of the birders in our group spotted a beautiful loon swimming along the shore. Unfortunately, the loon was just too far away to photograph, and I hadn't brought my new telephoto lens along today, so I settled for just observing him through my binoculars. The iridescence of his black and white mating plumage was lovely as he dipped his beak in the water looking for small fish, and he lingered along the shore for a long time.

After lunch, we drove a short distance to visit Bruce's Caves. The plaque above tells the story of eccentric Robert Bruce, youngest son of an impoverished Scottish noble family. Given a small allowance to live on, he chose to emigrate to Canada, where he bought land in the peninsula that now bears his name. He lived in this cave for a number of years before he was able to build first a small shack, and later a larger cottage where he lived to the age of 84. While living in this cave, he would arrange to spend the winters in the local jail to survive the cold.

Our group at Bruce's Caves

These caves were carved under the cliffs of the Niagara Escarpment by erosion from the waters of the Great Lakes at a time when the water level was much higher, rather than by filtration, as most limestone caves usually are. Here we found many of the same plants found in the previous rich wood sites, along with some new ones: large-flowered bellwort, sharp-lobed hepatica, two-leaved toothwort, and rose moss.

Large-flowered bellwort (Uvularia grandiflora)

Miterwort (Mitella diphylla)

We had a hard time trying to identify the large-flowered bellwort until we found one flower. I'd seen rose moss before growing in Virginia, but this patch had fruiting bodies, which was unusual. Other flowers were just so lush, it was impossible to resist photographing them.

Two-leaved tooth wort (Cardamine diphylla)

Rose moss (Rhodobryum roseum) with fruiting bodies

Wild ginger flowers (Asarum canadense)

Large-flowered trillium (Trillium grandiflora)

At the end of the trail Bruce's Cave showed as two large openings separated by one pillar. The cave was quite large and deep, a good-sized suburban house would have fitted inside, and I wondered if the rubble on the floor had accumulated since Mr. Bruce's days or if he had lived there with the cave in the exact same condition. Had he cleared enough rubble for a space to sleep, a chair and a fire, at least?

Bruce's Caves

Exploring the inside of Bruce's Cave.

On the way back we examined a hop-hornbeam tree in full bloom and found some female flowers hiding under the foliage, something that although I have several of these trees growing in the woods behind my yard, I'd never seen at this early stage.

Hop-hornbeam tree with pendant male catkins.

The female flowers of the hop-hornbeam

With the chilly rain still penetrating the woods, we returned to the Evergreen Resort to warm by the fire.

Chilling in the Bruce, Part 3

Red elderberry blooms in the woods.

Driving up a steep curve, we explored the Edmonston Side Trail. The variety of plants made this wet wood a most beautiful wild garden: long spurred violets (Viola rostrata), possibly white trout lilies (the flowers were long-gone), foam flower (Tiarella cordifolia), wild ginger (Asarum canadense), and miterwort (Mitella diphylla) carpeted lush woods with red elderberry and alternate-leaved dogwood (Cornus alternifolia) in the understory.

Long-spurred violet (Viola rostrata)

White Trout lilies seeding? (Erythronium americanum)

Edmonston Side Trail

Violets and ferns

Foam flower (Tiarella cordifolia)

Maidenhair ferns, ostrich and sensitive ferns, the rare hart's tongue fern (Asplenium scolopendrum), northern holly fern (Polystichum lonchitis) and ebony spleenworts (Asplenium platyneuron) hid in crevices among the mossy rocks.

Holly fern (Polystichum lonchitis)

Alternate-leaved dogwood

Hart's tongue fern

Northern maidenhair ferns (Adiantum pedatum)

Ebony spleenwort

A gorgeous clump of yellow lady slipper orchids decorated one place on the trail! 

At some point along the way it began to drizzle, but I was so absorbed in taking in the wealth of flora surrounding us that I didn't notice it until we were about to return to our cars. I quickly drew out my raincoat from my pack and put it on. 

Morels

As we were walking along the road back to our cars, one young lady in our group came across a huge morel (Morchella esculenta) by the side of the road and gathered it--they are fair game to pick though this is a nature preserve. I figured where there was one, there might be more and began looking closely at the ground. About twenty feet farther along the road ditch, I came across three more, a bit smaller, and gathered them. I'd never tasted one, and was curious to know if they were as delicious as their reputation has it. It kept in the refrigerator of our cottage for a few days until I was able to get our chef to cook them for me with my breakfast--they were well worth the wait!

Chilling in the Bruce, Part 2

On Kemble Rock Road

The wind died down and the water was calmer on our second day, though it was cloudy. We drove out through the town of Wiarton towards the western side of the Bruce and the rich woods of Kemble Rock Road. The Niagara Escarpment is a rock formation that runs from western New York state through the Bruce Peninsula and across the Great Lakes to the west. The harder dolomitic stone of the escarpment forms sheer cliffs that tower above the softer shale which has eroded over the centuries. Our route today traced the edges of the Niagara Escarpment.

Serviceberry (Amelanchier sp.)

We drove through beautiful groves of flowering Bradford pear, apple and service berry trees--whether naturally spread or planted long-ago and gone wild, it was hard to tell, but they dominated the open fields. We stopped at one rocky outcrop to examine the plants growing under an enormous beech: Herb Robert, bulblet and Woodsia ferns, liverwort, jack-in-the-pulpits, an incredible array of shade-loving plants. 

Herb Robert ((Geranium robertianum)

Bulblet fern (Crystopteris bulbifera) and liverwort 

Stopping at another stretch of woods under sugar maples, basswood and hop-hornbeam trees we found blue cohosh, trout lilies past bloom, ramps, Trillium grandiflora, several kinds of violets, ferns, sedges, doll's eyes in bloom, and downy Solomon seal. The edge of the Niagara Escarpment bordered one side of the wood.

Blue cohosh (Caulophyllum thalictroides)

Doll's eyes (Actaea pachypoda) setting seed

Ramps (Allium tricodium) with flower stalk

Canada violets (Viola canadensis)

Downy Solomon's seal (Polygonatum pubescens) with yellow violet

Rattlesnake fern (Botrypus virginiana)

Edge of the Niagara Escarpment

Chilling in the Bruce, Part 1

Lake Huron at the Evergreen Resort.

Back in January, the Virginia Native Plant Society (VNPS) had announced their upcoming annual trip would travel to the Bruce Peninsula in Canada. The Bruce is a strip of land lying between the northern shores of Lake Huron on the west and Georgian Bay on the east. Due to its geological origins and climate, it has some of the most unique native flora on the planet, so when I found that VNPS would be visiting the area, I signed up immediately. Here was my chance to see first-hand some of the most unusual and rare plants in North America!

I took two days to drive there, making an overnight stop in Buffalo, NY so that I could stop to see Niagara Falls along the way. When I was a child, Niagara Falls was billed as one of the seven wonders of the world, and I didn't want to miss it--it's one for everyone's bucket list. The morning was overcast, and a light drizzle was falling when I arrived at the state park--the advantage of coming early on a rainy day was plenty of parking and no lines, so I purchased a ticket for the Maid of the Mist tour to see the falls close-up and was able to board with no waiting.

The American Falls at Niagara

The falls are still as awesome as when the first European explorers saw them, despite having moved some seven hundred feet farther upstream due to natural erosion, but the rather touristy-industrial development on the Canadian side hasn't improved the landscape.  As one passes under the falls, the spray is such that the tour operators include a disposable plastic raincoat with the price of the ticket--another fellow tourist kindly obliged me to take this shot. It was overcast and there were no rainbows, but as the wall of spray hit my face, I opened my mouth to take it in--ahh, here was a taste of Niagara Falls!

Below Horseshoe Falls

I spent only a couple of hours in the park, just long enough to see the falls and then went on to cross the border into Canada, where the border guard asked about my destination. As I talked about my intended route the guard asked me if I was aware of the tolls on this road--turned out it was the most expensive route possible! I thanked him as he directed me to the visitor center just beyond to get a map and directions for an alternate route without tolls.

The clouds began to clear, though the traffic became heavier as I drove on the Queen Elizabeth Way towards Toronto. My exit at Hurontario Street took me through endless suburbs with street lights at every corner, and it was slow going until I left Brampton behind, but the route provided the opportunity to stop to fill up my tank. I'd been advised to buy "petrol" whenever possible, since unlike in the states, one never knows how far it may be to the next station.

Once in the countryside, I had the chance to observe that it was still early spring in these latitudes. The rolling countryside was mostly farmland and hay grass, dotted with old farmhouses and small hamlets. One elaborate Victorian house seemed to have had its charms overtaken by modern road improvements. The trees' leaves were just starting to unfurl, and as I drove further north, the trees were almost bare. Before turning off at the town of Sauble Beach, I caught a glimpse of Lake Huron and a dune.

I arrived at the Evergreen Resort in mid-afternoon and checked in, being directed to the cottage I was to share with Tana, who hadn't arrived yet. The chilly wind was whipping up whitecaps on the lake, the water coming up high over the rocks at the shoreline. I was glad I'd thought to pack my thermal underwear and both of my polartec vests, as well as two jackets.

The sunny lounge at Evergreen Resort

By dinnertime our group of twenty had all arrived and we met in the lounge by a roaring fire to introduce ourselves and discuss the next day's plans. We would carpool in five cars and caravan to the sites, rotating drivers and cars over the entire week so as to minimize our impact on the fragile sites--there was very little parking space at some of the places we would visit.

Next morning was still quite windy, so after breakfast we set out for Walker Woods, a mixed forest of evergreens and deciduous trees sheltered from the wind. The forest consisted mostly of white cedar, fir, spruce, hemlock, Canada yew, maples, ash trees and buckthorn alder. Marsh marigolds and buckbean were about the only plants in flower, though a panoply of gaywings, twinflower, ferns, sedges and low shrubs underneath were in bud. The moss and pine needles made a spongy carpet among  pools of water here and there.

Marsh Marigolds (Caltha palustris)

Buckbean (Menyanthes trifoliata)

I had my first glimpse of the dwarf lake iris--these endemics don't seem to bloom in masses as one would expect, and there were so many plants new to me: fly-honeysuckle, with pairs of delicate pendant cream flowers, Canada mayflower, wild sarsaparilla, a list too long to include, but here are photos of some of the highlights.

Dwarf lake iris (Iris lacustris)

Wild Sarsaparilla (Aralia nudicaulis)

Fly honeysuckle (Lonicera canadensis)

Starflower in bud (Trientalis borealis)

On our way back to the resort for lunch we stopped at a sandy clearing along the resort's gravel drive to find a patch of gaywings (Polygala paucifolia) in full bloom. Red-osier dogwood and bracken ferns were leafing out, red elderberry was blooming here.

Gaywings (Polygala paucifolia)

After lunch we drove out to see Oliphant Fen--a fen has water flowing through it as opposed to a bog, which has standing water. The wind chill was more noticeable here, close to the lake shore. We saw a number of plants by the roadside that most people would overlook as mere weeds, such as bastard toadflax, shrubby cinquefoil, silverweed, ragwort, wild strawberries and leaves of grass-of-Parnassus.

Oliphant Fen

Purple Pitchers (Sarracenia purpurea) and butterwort (Pinguicula vulgaris)

Primroses (Primula mistassinica)

In the watery fen were purple pitcher plants in bud, some lovely primroses and a few yellowish leaves of rare butterwort, but with no flowers. The larches (tamarack) were just starting to put out their new leaves, and some sand cherries were opening their flowers.

Young tamarack tree (Larix laricina)

The wind chill was starting to get to us, by around five we were ready to call it a day, but not before stopping at the entrance of the resort to photograph a patch of bright red Indian paintbrush flowers.

Indian paintbrush (Castilleja coccinea)

Indian paintbrush