Saturday, July 16, 2011

Thousand Acre Swamp Wildflower Walk

What a great time I had on this walk.  Our two hour walk stretched into two and a half hours, and we still didn't cover all that we had wanted to.  Our group was small, only six of us to start, and two had to leave half way through, and then there were the two guides.  I have this bad habit of getting so interested in what people are saying that I forget to take pictures, but I did get some, mostly of plants that I had seen, but had not identified.  They're not very glamorous, but, here they are.
Enchanter's Nightshade, not a member of the Nightshade family, but named for a potion that a mythical enchantress made from it.
Clammy Ground-Cherry, the leaves really do feel cool and damp to the touch.
Indian Hemp.  This was supposed to be a picture of a dragonfly, but my camera focused on the plant behind the dragonfly.  Oh well.
Self-Heal, or Heal-All.  Very common.  You might even have some growing in your yard.
Wild Ginger, not the plant in the foreground with the jagged leaves, but the round leaved plant in the background.
Our old friend Swamp Milkweed
And, this plant, which our guides felt could be Bulb-bearing Water Hemlock.  Unfortunately, we saw it near the end of the hike, and we were already over time, so they didn't take the time to check it with Newcomb's.  I took these pictures, and posted them on the Swamp's facebook page, so, hopefully, they'll be able to do a positive identification.

So there we are, two and a half hours of enjoyment, walking along with people who were as interested as I am in plants and animals.  We certainly didn't see anything rare or endangered, but, it is, I think, just as much fun to put names to the common, everyday plants that we see, but really don't look at, every day.

8 comments:

TexWisGirl said...

and what a great way to do it - with guides who know what they're talking about rather than just a guess off of a guidebook! :)

Sharon said...

Looks like a good walk! I agree, some of the ordinary, we don't even notice them, because we see them all the time. I like your milkweed. I have problems with the camera changing what I am trying to focus on too. :-)

Terry said...

Enchanter's Nightshade! I'm loving that name.
It sounds like a great walk.

KB said...

Isn't it fun to look at those things in nature that you've just walked past for years and years? I keep finding more things in that category, and I love it!

I'm glad that you had so much fun!

Dreaming said...

Oh, what fun. Thanks for sharing. The milkweed looks far prettier than any I recall!

Janet said...

Its great the more you look the more you find ! Sounds like a lovely walk

Samantha said...

Thanks for sharing..that seems like a fascinating walk. I'm inspired to find out the details on our local flower walks!

My Mind's Eye said...

What wonderful pictures and commentary. Your knowledge of plants is amazing. I'd love to take a walk with you through your lovely trails.
Hugs
C