We got sprinkled on a bit, my friend Dana and I, but mostly the sunshine illumined our walk around Moreau Lake's back bay this past Friday. And this year, the water levels in the lake allowed us to walk on the sandy shore most of the way around, before moving up the bank onto a forested trail. Both habitats treated us to some wonderful floral finds. And so did the dirt at the edge of the parking lot! Here's a brief account of our botanical adventure.
The back bay of Moreau Lake lies in the shelter of this forested mountain, and the water back here often remains unruffled by winds that might be whipping up waves on the main part of the lake. And this time of year, the still water lies beneath acres of Fragrant Water Lilies (Nymphaea odorata).
There are years when the lake-level is so high, we cannot walk around the back bay close to the water. But this year, broad swaths of sandy and pebbly shore allowed us to investigate what plants were taking advantage of the exposure to air to make their appearance. The rarest of these plants is so tiny it would be overlooked except by diligent searchers for it, even though it grows by the thousands all around the lake (despite its status as an Endangered species in New York State). I left the tip of my shoe in my photo of this Small-flowered Dwarf Bulrush (Cyperus subsquarrosus) to demonstrate just how tiny it is. (It's that swirl of slender pale-green curving leaves tipped with itty-bitty chubby brown spikelets.)
The abundant population of Canada St. John's Wort here was much more obvious, thanks to the deep-red color of the vertical flower stalks.
The flowers of Canada St. John's Wort are very small, but so brightly colored, with yellow petals and crimson buds, they are very easy to see and delight in.
Another abundant bloomer along these sandy shores (despite its designation as a Rare species in New York) is this lovely wildflower called Small-flowered Agalinis (Agalinis paupercula). Its purple flowers are very similar to the much-more common Slender Agalinis, but its twin blooms are borne on very short stalks, while those of Slender Agalinis are borne on much longer slender stalks.
The floating individuals of this beached wildflower called Water Smartweed (Persicaria amphibia) had mostly already gone to seed, so I was delighted to find one up on the shore that still held its thick cluster of tiny pink florets.
At this point, we started to feel a sprinkle of raindrops and so we climbed a trail up to the forested path that would shelter us somewhat as we completed our circuit of the back bay. These dainty yellow flowers of Panicled Hawkweed (Hieracium paniculatum) lined our path as we ascended into the woods.
Few flowering plants bloom in the deep shade of the woods this time of year, and I almost overlooked the flowers of this blooming wildflower, called Naked-flowered Tick Trefoil (Hylodesmum nudiflorum). Actually, I could barely discern the small purple blooms arrayed against the leaf litter. Unlike the related Pointed-leaf Tick Trefoil, whose flower stems emerge from the leaf stems, the flower stems of this species emerge from the forest floor beside the clump of their leaves.
The small spindly flowers of the Naked-flowered Tick Trefoil are difficult to photograph, without a plain surface behind them. This nearby broad leaf helped me out, even if not perfectly.
Considering how much rainfall we've received of late, I was surprised we found so few mushrooms along the forested trail. A colorful exception was this Two-colored Bolete (Baorangia bicolor), a large brightly colored fungus that would have been hard to miss. Actually, this mushroom became a THREE-colored Bolete as its yellow pore-surface turned blue where my fingers had touched it.
Later, after Dana and I went our separate ways, I saw this large speckled mushroom in the grassy verge surrounding the parking area. Those speckles and knob atop the cap signaled to me that this was a Lepiota mushroom. To determine the species I would have had to dismember it, so I left both the mushroom and its specific name behind
Before driving away, I circled the parking area to see what botanical treasures might be lurking in the forested edges, and I did not have to search very diligently to notice the vividly colorful berry clusters of several Round-leaved Dogwood shrubs (Cornus rugosa). I have long puzzled over the bright-red tiny hard "berries" that remain long after the pale larger berries have been consumed. A quick Google search informed me that those small red fruits are the persistent, aborted, unfertilized fruits that remain on the reddish pedicels.
Spotting what looked to be some arching stems of Solomon's Seal (Polygonatum sp.), I lifted a leafy stem and discovered these dark-blue berries dangling from the stem. Since most of the berries appeared to be in pairs, and the habitat was dry, would it be safe to assume that this is P. biflorum?
And here was one of the prizes of my day, right at the edge of the asphalt: a large spreading patch of Round-leaved Tick Trefoil (
Desmodium rotundifolium) studded with its pretty purple flowers! In the past, I have had to climb quite a hike up a mountainous powerline clearcut to find a sparse population of this species sprawling across thin-soil-covered rocks. And here, a bonanza bounty of this lovely native wildflower, just a few steps from my parked car. Yay!
And this was a VERY abundant patch!
Here's a closer look at Round-leaved Tick Trefoil's pretty purple flowers.
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