Eriophorum gracile

Eriophorum gracile, known in English as "slender cottongrass" or "slender cottonsedge" and in French as linaigrette grêle, is a perennial in the sedge family with showy fluffy white inflorescences, native throughout Canada and in the northern United States.

I photographed this cottongrass at Purdon Conservation Area in eastern Ontario.

Viburnum trilobum foliage

Viburnum trilobum, known in English as "highbush cranberry", "American cranberry bush", or "American cranberry viburnum", and in French as viorne trilobée, viorne pimbina, or pimbina, is a decidious shrub native to southern Canada and the northern United States. Although called a cranberry, it is not a true cranberry. (True cranberries are in the genus Vaccinum, like blueberries). Still, the highbush cranberries fruit look and taste similar to the real thing.

As you can see, I missed the prime flowering season. (This page has a good photo of a full corymb of flowers, as well as photos of the berries and fall colour).

The pretty flowers in spring, attractive maple-like foliage (click photo for a better look), fall colour, and edible berries, make this an appealing native shrub.

I photographed this plant at Purdon Conservation Area.

Osmunda cinnamomea

I photographed this plant in Purdon Conservation Area.

Onoclea sensibilis fronds

Onoclea sensibilis, known in English as "sensitive fern" or "bead fern" and in French as onoclée sensible, is a perennial fern native to North America and east Asia. The name "sensitive" refers to its sensitivity to frost, and I think the name "bead fern" refers to the appearance of the fertile fronds.

Sensitive fern was the first fern I learned to recognize. Its coarse fronds are quite different from the other native ferns in our area.

Sensitive fern grows in moist areas. I photographed these ferns at Purdon Conservation Area.

Cypripedium reginae

Cypripedium reginae, known in English as "showy ladyslipper", "pink and white lady's slipper", "royal lady's slipper", or "queen's lady's slipper" and in French as cypripède royal, is a rare perennial orchid native to southeastern Canada and northeastern United States.

Here's a dear lady's slipper just opening. It reminds me of a shy maiden ducking her head, with blushing cheeks.

Lady's slippers produce no nectar to entice pollinators; according to a sign at Purdon, they rely of the "curosity" of bees. If a flower actually is pollinated, it produces thousands of tiny seeds. However, they mostly reproduce vegetatively from rhizomes.

I hadn't seen showy lady's slipper in real life before I visited the Purdon Conservation Area in eastern Ontario. (When I was growing up we lived not that far away, but the Purdon has a large fen for the showy lady's slippers, whereas our land had lots of rocks with thin soil that the pink lady's slipper, Cypripedium acaule, favours.) Lady's slippers are particular about their growing environment and difficult to grow in the garden (unless you are a gifted gardener like Teza) so for most of us it is best to enjoy them in the wild. (Removing plants from the wild is bad in any case but especially for rare plants like this which are unlikely to survive transplantation. Because cypripediums are so difficult to cultivate, it's vital to make sure that if you buy one it wasn't just dug up from the wild.)

You're unlikely to see this many lady's slippers in any garden, not only due to the difficulty of growing them but the cost, about $40 per plant.

This is only a small fraction of the lady's slippers blooming now at Purdon. Truly an amazing sight.

Aralia nudicaulis: foliage

Aralia nudicaulis, known in English as "wild sarsparilla", "American sarsaparilla", "bamboo brier", "shot bush", "spreading spikenard", or "wild licorice" and in French as salsepareille sauvage or fausse salsepareille, is a perennial native to much of North America. Spreading by underground stems, it forms an attractive groundcover in dry woods. I took this photo in Purdon Conservation Area.

Sarracenia purpurea

Sarracenia purpurea, known in English as "common pitcher plant" or "purple pitcher plant" and in French as sarracénie pourpre, is a perennial native to a wide swath of Canada from Newfoundland to Alberta, and part of the northeastern United States. Pitcher plant is best known for being carnivorous: insects are trapped and drown in the water collected in the hollow leaves, where they are digested by mosquito larvae and other tiny creatures living in the water, releasing nutrients for use by the plant.

I have never seen this plant in real life, so it was an unexpected thrill to find it in the Purdon Conservation Area in eastern Ontario, which is best known for its showy ladyslippers (Cypripedium reginae, post coming soon!).

I hadn't realized how showy the flowers would be. A very pretty as well as interesting plant!