bog trotting day 2

[cnycharles]

well, some are still from day 1, still some more after to edit and upload

grass pinks on jam bog

the realities of trying to trot across an open, floating bog mat!
a real bog often has floating sphagnum moss which rises and falls
with the changing water level. in newer areas where the sphagnum
hasn't been for very long, there is less moss 'floating', and you sink
down and through more easily. where there are shrubs and more plants,
the moss holds together, but when you move the bog will still 'quake' and roll
up and down, which can make some people very nervous! it is
always a good idea to test your steps before walking too quickly
so that you don't get any surprises like being up to your hips in wet
moss..... or the same in the black muck that often surrounds floating bogs

strap-leaved sundew

early coral root at long pond; an incidental discovery while we were trying to find a way through the wet onto the floating bog mat area. we never did find a way out as it had rained but did see some rose pogonias in flower in the distance

ken hull striking out in search of the perfect arethusa bloom at our next
stop which was rainbow shores directly by the eastern shore of lake ontario
the wind was blowing quite hard and there were two foot waves crashing onto the shore!
there were tall trees next to the shore and a number of bog/fen shrubs so
it wasn't so bad inside of the fen area though pretty chilly that day, but
you could hear the sound of the waves on the shore nearby over the wind
sounds through the trees

jerry pedini cornering a helpless arethusa in the underbrush. this particular one had a particularly vivid pink/purple color

the arethusa on the left was easily the tallest one on the bog

more tonight!

 

[Ozpaph]

thank-you. We dont have much of this anywhere near where I live (subtropics)

 

[SlipperFan]

How were the mosquitoes? I can't even step into my cultivated back yard!

 

[Clark]

Killer day for you!
Man you got more pics in a half day, than I did all week(my location was supposed to be photogenic).

Any blueberries?

 

[cnycharles]

First day the sites we were at don't usually have Mosquitos, though eames fen occasionally has stragglers. Second day was windy and at long pond if there wasn't a strong wind the bugs would show up and I would have to swat a little or walk faster. Nelson swamp (last stop) though a wet white cedar swamp usually only has few mosquitos

Clark, sorry you weren't able to find much at your last trip. I have many pictures from my last months trips not posted, but usually your fewer pictures are much higher quality

I think blueberries in ny are usually with blackberries in July, and some things have been delayed because of the cold winter


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[Clark]

Don't BS me.

Both bogs that had S. purpurea, had blueberries close by.
The one in south Jersey, berry season now.
The one in Maine, it was August and many berries.
yummy snack along the trail

 

[MaryPientka]

Thank you so much for the photos

 

[cnycharles]

Don't BS me.

I would never do that
Though people like my pictures, you could sell the images you post; the image quality is better though I like the wide angle views of my phone (my camera isn't pro level allowing easy wide angle) but the image quality is Ho hum

I do remember picking blueberries in the woods of pitch pine bog and huckleberries in the moose river plains wilderness area (adirondacks) along the road, also looking for small purple fringed on the tug hill and finding blueberries, always nice


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[NYEric]

Thanks for sharing. I am missing the trekking.

 

[cnycharles]

Thanks for sharing. I am missing the trekking.

We are going to Canada July 4th weekend! One fen is supposed to have thousands of showy ladyslippers (and yellow ladyslippers)


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[KyushuCalanthe]

Can't wait for the Canada trip pics. A. bulbosa is one orchid I've never seen in person and hope to one day. I know what you mean about cool angles with your phone camera. I recommend getting a mid-level mini-cam for the same purpose. Virtually any of them take reasonably good medium size jpegs, are easy to use, and you get some cool angles, especially with a flip screen type cam. Oh yeah, you can take really cool vids with them too!

 

[abax]

Intrepid explorers! I think you need hip waders instead of Wellies. I love
the grass pinks and rarely see them. Did you put a yellow sticky thing on
your hat????? I'm looking forward to the Canada trip photos too!

 

[cnycharles]

I would rather wear old sneakers and walk through the mud than wear hip waders, too hot and heavy! Ken wears hip waders everywhere, but he's always hot, sweaty and out of breath. He does swear that they are great for kneeling in the wet while trying to setup a low, closeup photo which is true, but you have the continuous discomfort of slogging while getting wherever you're going. I'd rather stand on my head or ear for a few minutes while trying line up those shots I have literally had my ear touching the water running from a spring ditch while focusing on a low flower; think I need to invest in a 90˚ view finder for such times

There weren't any deerflies other than at long pond and it was windy (and I was wearing a wide hat)

a wide angle videocamera would be nice, but i'd probably buy a step up camera or lens first (get better image quality). some of them do video but probably at the expense of huge memory use!

 

[cnycharles]

Tom, here are your in-person arethusa! (some call them dragon's mouth orchids) I actually am seeing them better editing the pics than in person, since it's so difficult to get up close to see the detail. We are at rainbow shores very near the shore of lake ontario's eastern edge; last photos will be at nelson swamp near cazenovia, ny. Usually there are many things to take pictures of at nelson swamp, but not this year

arethusa next to some horse tails which grow in alkaline damp areas

a tiny stem with a big flower!

arethusa well past it's prime

nelson swamp platanthera obtusata, which is tiny. were lucky to find one plant and in flower, usually more

wide view of obtusata and habitat

next, canada!

 

[Ozpaph]

They do look like dragons heads!

 

[Clark]

My favorite is the one with the horsetails.
There was one of these in south Jersey. Someone probably picked by now.
Nice round of shots Charles.

 

[abax]

VERY nice pics and a beautiful flower. I wish I could remember the brand
of a new kind of hip waders that aren't so heavy and stiff. I used to fly
fish with my mother and I hated those hip waders, but the new ones are
made of some kind of new-fangled material that's much more comfortable
and flexible.

 

[KyushuCalanthe]

Great Charles! I've looked for these in Maine, New Jersey, and even North Carolina, but never saw any. Lovely photos of this northern beauty.

 

[Clark]

I wish I could remember the brand
of a new kind of hip waders that aren't so heavy and stiff..

Neoprene
I have always used chest waders.
Sixty bucks ain't to bad for Angela and her gal pals.
http://www.cabelas.com/product/Cabe...=GoogleProductAds&WT.z_mc_id1=80006562&rid=40

 

[cnycharles]

I have heard there is an arethusa spot in nj but hadn't had time to check it out while it was flowering

I just heard that in Canada the showy ladyslippers probably won't be flowering by the time we get there

Thinking back, I think ken has chest waders


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