Wildflowers Abound in our Mountains

 Come on up to the Grant Cottage Visitor's Center on Mt. McGregor this Saturday, June 22, at 1pm, where I will be giving a photo presentation on the many wildflowers of the Palmertown Mountains, those of the deep forest as well as those of the open meadows and even those of the sphagnum-carpeted islands in Lake Bonita. And more!  Even a few pretty critters!

The Palmertowns are a range of mountains that follow the northern boundary of Saratoga County, NY, with the Hudson River flowing below in the valley. Although not contained within the "blue line" that defines the Adirondack Park, the Palmertowns are within the same geological uprising (the Laurentian Shield) as the Adirondack Mountains, and their ecology is similar to that of the Adirondacks.

The photo above was taken from high up in the Palmertowns, looking across the Hudson valley to a group of peaks called the Luzerne Range.

We will see many of the beautiful flowers that thrive in the deep forests that grow in this mountainous habitat, including the Painted Trillium (Trillium undulatum).

Blunt-leaved Milkweed (Asclepias amplexicaulis) and Wood Lily (Lilium philadelphicum) are just two of the species that love the sunlit meadows under the powerlines that cut through the Palmertown Mountains.

One of our prettiest native orchids, Rose Pogonia (Pogonia ophioglossoides) grows out on the sphagnum-covered islets in Lake Bonita, one of the small pristine lakes that nestle within the Palmertown Mountains.  Although boating is forbidden on Lake Bonita in order to protect its pristine waters, I was granted a permit from the state to paddle out to these little islets and document the amazing variety of bog-loving plants that flourish there. So I have lots of photos to share with you!