Spotted Wintergreen

Spotted Wintergreen

This was a new species for me – but it is not rare around here. I first saw on with two white, spherical flower buds held on short arched branches from the top of a vertical stem. It looked just like a miniature model of an old-fashioned gas street lamp! Since,...
Belted Kingfisher

Belted Kingfisher

The Belted Kingfisher can be seen on the lake all through the year. They sit on a branch or post near or over the water. When they see a small fish near the surface they dive in so quickly that it is difficult to see what happens. You will need patience to see it,...
Slime mold

Slime mold

Slime molds are not plants, animals or fungi. They belong to a separate kingdom in the living world – Protista.. They behave in extraordinary ways. They can: Live as isolated, single cells – in which case, you would never know they were there because they...
Iris

Iris

This dwarf crested iris (Iris Cristata) is in a patch of plants growing on the western edge of the steam just outside the quarry fencing (alongside the trail shown as dotted on our trail map) . I have found two patches of irises along this stream bank. The flowers are...
Canadian bloodroot

Canadian bloodroot

One of the first flowers of Spring in the park was Canadian bloodroot (Sanguinaria Canadensis). A patch of it is by the old amphitheater where three paths come together. The name comes from the fact that the underground rhizome is blood red and gives up a red sap....