St. Regis Flow With The Dogs - Part 2

I was hiking along the St. Regis River with the dogs in Santa Clara, New York (see also Part 1, posted yesterday) and the dogs were having a grand time splashing in the river:

Seamus has the longest legs and likes the water the most, but even he doesn't go into the deep water. They are all happy to just play, get wet and cool off:

Daphne splashed out to some Bullhead-Lilies:

Fergus looked abandoned when Jack ran off to try some new swimming spot:

And sometimes the dogs were calm, just exploring and drinking the clean, cool water:

We got back on the trail again and I found lots of Wild Blackberries. Alas, none of them were ripe yet:

And there were entire fields of Spreading Dogbane, a poisonous but pretty plant:

We came to another water access, and this one had a nice view of a mountain in the distance:

This photo was an accident but when I got home and saw it, I loved it. Jack and Daphne were pushing their way through the ferns and Oxeye Daisies. The yellow flowers in the foreground were St. Johnswort:

We made another detour down to the water's edge:

This is the place where we always see abundant Cardinal Flowers - but not this time. I couldn't remember what their leaves looked like, so I couldn't check for plants without flowers. We were probably too early and I'll have to go back later. Nevertheless, the dogs sure had fun. I'll post Part 3 tomorrow:

Happy Dogs In The Fort Jackson State Forest - Part 1

I woke up one morning and found that our hot July weather had suddenly cooled off, the breezes were blowing and it was a perfect time to go somewhere with the dogs. I put all five of them in the car and drove 3.7 miles to the Fort Jackson State Forest and then another .8 miles into the forest. I stopped and parked when I saw a grassy lane leading off into the trees, a lane which we'd never explored before:

The dogs, of course, were ecstatic and required a few crabby words from me to keep them from running too far ahead. But they soon calmed down:

And the scenery was beautiful - mostly White and Red Pine with Reindeer Lichen and moss on the forest floor:

I found several patches of Wood Strawberry in full bloom. I don't remember ever tasting their berries, but I understand they are smaller and less tasty than the Common Strawberry:

The walking was level and easy, even for an old codger with leg braces. I'm sure the dogs wished I'd go faster, but they found interesting smells to occupy them while I caught up:

There were piles of brush from former logging operations but mostly it was just lovely woodlands:

And we were having a great day:

St. Johnswort was in bloom along the lane:


My legs and ankles were doing better than expected, so we continued on:

Seamus heard a sound and went on point, but nothing came of it:

And on we walked, into a Red Pine forest:

We rounded a bend and I still felt like going farther. I'll post Part 2 tomorrow:

Whitehill Wild Forest - Part 2

My sister and I were hiking with the dogs in the White Hill Wild Forest and had left behind the lovely shores of Clear Pond (see yesterday's post), following the trail into the Adirondack forest. We kept seeing this interesting flower. I looked it up when I got home and learned that it is the Whorled Wood Aster, Aster acuminatus:

The day was so hot and muggy that it would have been unbearable if it wasn't for the shade the trees gave us:

We crossed numerous small streams, where I struggled because of my braces and the dogs got cool and wet:

Another small, common, woodland flower (with a mushroom). I looked it up when I got home and learned that it is Dewdrops, Dalibarda repens, in the rose family:

We passed several beaver swamps, lovely and wild, alive with all manner of aquatic wildlife:

And the dogs scrambled across the rocks to investigate:

My sister and I stayed near the trail and just appreciated the view:

Daphne and Jack went exploring:

Clover and Daphne climbed rocks and Jack took a drink. Seamus, bulky and with a thick, black coat, was getting uncomfortable. We got him back into the shade as quickly as possible:

Another interesting plant, this one with opposite leaves and red colored flower buds. I thought I knew what it was but confirmed it when I got home. It was the Marsh St. Johnswort, Hypericum virginicum, the only St. Johnswort which doesn't have yellow flowers:

The forest floor had lots of interesting fungi, but few as colorful as this golden mushroom:

And then we arrived at Little Rock Pond:

Daphne and Clover climbed down a very steep rock to get near the water, making me nervous. We still wanted to get all the way to Long Pond, so we kept hiking. I'll post Part 3 tomorrow:

Wildflowers Around The Farm

The yard around the house is big, but far from manicured. There are weedy sections everywhere and I delight in them, for they display amazing wildflowers all summer long. So one day I took my camera and recorded a few of the wildflowers which beautify the wild patches. The first is Deptford Pink:

And Sundrops, a day blooming relative of Evening Primrose:

Common St. Johnswort:

Cow Vetch:

A white Aster, species unknown. Feel free to add a comment if you can identify it:

Orange Hawkweed:

Queen Anne's Lace, or Wild Carrot:

Rough-Fruited Cinquefoil:

Yellow Goats-Beard:

White Clover:

Bouncing Bet:

Red Clover:

Bladder Campion. This bloomed profusely all over the property earlier in the season, but there were only a few, sad looking specimens left this late in the summer:

A Bedstraw, species unknown. Do you see those amazing brown seed pods near it? I don't know what they are, but they are fascinating:

Early Goldenrod:

Common Milkweed:

Butter-and-Eggs:

This plant is extremely common and looks to be in the mint family, but I can't identify it. You'd think it would be easy because of its square stems and distinctive leaves, but I've been unable to find it online or in my field guide. If you know what it is, please leave me a comment: