Clear Pond - Part 1

I woke up one morning in a rotten mood and pouted for several hours until it dawned on me that I hadn't had the dogs out to the forest in quite awhile. I knew it would be a cure for my foul mood and the dogs would be ecstatic. So I put them in the car and drove 17 miles to the Adirondacks' lovely White Hill Wild Forest. I let the dogs out of the car and Jack, Fergus and Daphne led the way down the trail:

We'd just gotten started when I came across a clump of Pink Columbine. Wild Columbine is red, so I figured these must be leftover from when a Boy Scout camp was located here:

I'd noticed Lilacs still blooming along the road to this destination, so I already knew the area had an even later spring than where I lived, only 17 miles away. Still, I was shocked to see Canada Mayflower in bloom. But when I got home, I checked my field guide and decided that these were Three-Leaved False Solomon's-Seal, a related but later blooming species:

And there were lots of Bunchberry plants, a sort of miniature Dogwood, in bloom:

We arrived at the shore of Clear Pond in short order and Seamus waded in without hesitation. Daphne rushed to join him there:

Daphne and Jack tested the water:

And Daphne decided she liked it:

Clear Pond is a wild but accessible Adirondack gem. We had the entire White Hill Wild Forest to ourselves and, according to the register book, only one other person had been there in the last several days:

This Pink Ladyslipper surprised me because it was long past its normal bloom time. It was already faded and shriveled, though, so it was almost spent:

Brilliantly orange and yellow flowers were immediately identifiable as Orange Hawkweed, and the white flowers behind it were more Bunchberry (and one Oxeye Daisy):

We returned to the trail through the forest but took the next side trail to the water's edge, where Daphne again showed what a water dog she is. There was yet much more to see here, though, and I'll post Part 2 tomorrow:

Annual Ladyslipper Walk - Part 2

A friend and I were walking in Brasher State Forest, looking for Pink Ladyslippers (see also Part 1, posted yesterday). I brought along my five dogs and she brought her dog, Teddy:

And we found a great many orchids in bloom:

Fergus found some himself, possibly making him feel like a great flower hunter:

And of course, the Pink Ladyslippers were spectacular and mysterious. Imagine living in the north country, where winters are long and harsh - but every spring wild orchids bloom all through the forest:

There were also many young plants without flowers, promising a future filled with spectacular blooms:

Seamus is aging and having trouble with his back legs, but he rallied for the occasion and had a wonderful, fun time:

One tiny plant at the base of a large pine tree:

And Teddy helped by finding a flower:

One blooming Ladyslipper with two young plants which may bloom next year:

They seemed to like to bloom in places covered with pine needles:

My friend and Seamus walked together for awhile. I sensed that both of them had had their fill of Ladyslippers, so I turned us back toward the road:

And I was surprised at how little distance we'd traveled. Within minutes, we could see the car up ahead. It had been a good walk, producing lots of photos:

Annual Ladyslipper Walk - Part 1

I was about a week late this year, but our spring was much delayed and I hoped it would work out. This year I invited a friend along. After showing her the horses and cattle at the farm, we put the dogs in the car and drove to nearby Brasher State Forest to look for the wild orchids:

Besides my five dogs, she brought her dog, Teddy. They all had a grand time and behaved beautifully:

But Pink Ladyslippers were hard to find, and the few we did see were smaller and more pale than normal:

But we kept walking and watching:

And then more orchids began to appear:

Daphne sniffed a flower and Fergus sniffed Daphne's butt:

As the number of orchids increased, so did their size and color:

Some, in fact, were downright gorgeous:

Daphne truly enjoyed herself as we searched for Pink Ladyslippers:

They tended to grow most commonly at the base of pine trees, either big trees or seedlings:

The dogs were more interested in smelling what animal may have passed that way:

The farther we walked, the more numerous the orchids became. It was clear that our timing was good. But there was yet more to see, and I'll post Part 2 tomorrow:

Annual Pink Ladyslipper Walk - Part 2

The dogs and I were walking in the Brasher State Forest, taking our annual Pink Ladyslipper walk (see also Part 1, posted yesterday). We passed out of the White Pines and into a mostly Red Pine forest, as you can tell by the cones and seedling:

The little dogs were particularly excited as they ran through the forest:

And sometimes they calmed down:

There were so many Pink Ladyslippers in bloom that I took an abundance of pictures. Maybe it's just me, but I find these wild orchids to be thrilling. Imagine living in a northern climate with long, harsh winters - but once each year finding the pine forests filled with wild orchids:

Some were darker pink than others. Some were taller or shorter:

And the dogs had lots of fun while I was busy taking Ladyslipper photos and swatting mosquitoes:

Our native orchid:

Two adjacent Ladyslippers. Notice the crooked stalk on the one on the right:

But this was only to be a quick walk, so we turned back toward our car:

The forest floor was open and easy to walk:

A side view:

My favorite photo of the day was this one, with Daphne and a Pink Ladyslipper:

We were almost back to the road, and the dogs were slowing down:

But I kept stopping to take "just one more" photo:

Yes, I took a lot of Ladyslipper photos, but I weeded out two thirds of them:

An especially vivid pink color for our last photo. I hope to take this walk every year. The perfect date seems always to be on my birthday, which makes it easy to remember: