Chilling in the Bruce, Part 6

Flowerpot Island

Thursday was to be the best day weather-wise, according to the predictions, so we had chosen this as the day to visit Flowerpot Island, a short ride across the lake. The predictions were correct as it turned out, the morning was bright and sunny, with no wind. The hotel agreed to serve our breakfast early today, so that we could make the one-hour drive to the town of Tobermory in time for the 9:30 AM ferry.

Great Blue Heron ferries in Tobermory.

Several ferries make regular trips to Flowerpot Island and the surrounding islands during the summer season. We boarded the Blue Heron VIII at 9:15 AM and got underway at 9:30 sharp. The ferry cruised around Tub Harbor slowly to show us one of several shipwrecks that can be seen through the crystalline blue waters of the harbor. There are many other shipwrecks in the Fathom Five Marine National Park which surrounds these islands. There was a lighthouse at the entrance of the harbor, and another lighthouse on an island not far off shore.

Lighthouse on Tub Harbor

Shipwreck in Tub Harbor

A closer look at the sunken ship in Tub Harbor

After that our boat left the harbor to take us past a number of small islands. I was glad to have heeded the advice to wear every layer I had brought with me for the boat ride--the moment the boat sped out into open water, the wind chill on the deck was hair-raising--but the upper deck had the best seats in the house!

Islands near Tobermory

Approaching Flowerpot Island

The formations on Flowerpot Island

After cruising past a few other islands, Flowerpot Island appeared into view--the "flowerpot" formations are on the eastern side of the island, and our boat approached from the other side cruising past the big flowerpot and then the little flowerpot to moor in a small man-made harbor where we were dropped off.

Our return tickets were for 2:30 PM and we agreed to meet back at the dock by 2:15--about four hours to take a look around and have lunch. Fortunately, there were only a few trails, and the Calypso orchids we were hoping to see were found on the Marl trail.

Plaque at Flowerpot Island.

We started out and right off the trail, came across several plants of the western rattlesnake plantain orchid (Goodyera menziesii) by its side, but with no flower spikes--the flowers wouldn't appear until mid-July. Along this trail we saw shining club moss, and several spikes of striped coral root orchid (Corallorhiza striata), an orchid I'd never seen before.

Rattlesnake plantain (Goodyear menziensii or M. oblongifolia)

Shining club moss (Huperzia lucidula)

Striped coral root (Corallorhiza striata)

Detail of the striped coral root flower.

Several of the group split up to continue up the trail while our botanists were keying in information to identify a plant which was finally determined to be a spiny swamp currant (Ribes lacustris). Along the ground I saw emerging plants of bunchberry (Cornus canadensis) and twinflower (Linnaea borealis), but again with no flowers. Quite a number of snakes were sunning themselves, enjoying the warmth of the day.

Black snake

Yellow-striped garden snake

Bunchberry and twinflower on the ground.

I met others from the group walking back towards us, excited that Larry had found a couple of Calypso orchids in the woods up ahead. I went forward trying to locate the spot, and luckily found another of our group marking the precise spot. It was surprising to see how tiny the orchids were--the plants were no larger than an ordinary violet! But what they lack in size they certainly make up for in charm.

Calypso orchid (Calypso bulbosa)

Another view of the Calypso orchid

View of Calypso orchid next to a tree trunk.

The shot just above gives a good idea of the actual size of this tiny and rare orchid. We also saw another unusual small plant, goldthread (Coptis trifolia), with a white flower--the roots have the appearance of yellow threads, hence the common name.

Goldthread (Coptis trifolia)

After sighting the Calypso orchids I continued on the Marl trail to look at a large pond where I saw a number of water snakes. The trail ended at a rocky beach, where I found another lady from our group eating her lunch--it was the perfect spot for it, so I joined her and we enjoyed the view towards Tobermory. We saw a much larger ferry crossing right in front of our shingle beach and I guessed that this must be the ferry taking cars & passengers across the lake to Manitoulin Island.

The view from our lunch spot.

Time was passing much too fast, and before we knew it, it was close to two o'clock--time to hurry back to the dock to rejoin the rest of the group. We made it back just in time to board the ferry and learn that the rest of the group had backtracked to get a closer view of the flowerpots, which I would have liked to see close-up, but our lunch spot had been so peaceful and lovely, it didn't matter.

Caves carved by the waves on Flowerpot Island.

Some of the caves carved by the waves were visible as we pulled out of the harbor on the return trip. The ride back to Tobermory was more direct, faster and warmer than the trip going out, the temperature had risen to be very summer-like. It was still early afternoon, and we decided to stay for a while to explore the town.

Art gallery in Tobermory.

A quick glance revealed two art galleries across the quay, I walked over to check them out. The first one was nondescript on the outside, with some beautiful high-end Raku pottery and a lot of touristy items. The second gallery was more what I consider a real art gallery, with an appealing garden in front--the owner was obviously an artist himself, and had his easel with a half-finished painting on it by the cash register. There were many reproductions and some original paintings, much too expensive for me. I found a case with some fascinating soapstone sculptures by Inuit carvers that were reasonably priced, so I decided to buy one to bring back for Herb as a souvenir. I think the owner was pleased, it was probably his only sale for the day--it being early in the season, our group seemed to be just about the only tourists in town.

On the drive back I saw a gas station that was open (not a frequent sight here) and since my tank was getting low, I stopped to fill up. The owner was quite surprised when he saw my Virginia license plates--he probably didn't get drivers from this far away very often. When I paid, I told him it had been many years since I'd seen a full-serve gas station.

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!