Regular readers of this blog are familiar with my travels along the deep cut rail trail in Westmoreland, New Hampshire where I go to see liverworts. For a change I decided to follow the trail in the other direction, just to see what was out there. This post is made up of photos that were taken on four different trips to this place.
After walking for a while you come upon soaring ledges. The minute I saw this stone I knew there was something different about this place because the stone is light colored. There is obviously a lot of feldspar here. If you see light colored, pinkish stone in this part of the state it is usually the mineral feldspar that you’re seeing. Feldspars can be found in sedimentary, igneous and metamorphic rock. Here we often find pure feldspar seams in granite but rarely entire hillsides of it.
The purple trilliums (Trillium erectum) along the canyon floor were a good sign that I’d probably find other wildflowers here.
I’ve been trying to identify this fern for over a year and I think I’ve finally settled on rattlesnake fern (Botrypus viginianus), but that may change as I watch it grow. Rattlesnake fern’s common name, like other plants with rattlesnake in their names, comes from the belief that it grew where there were rattlesnakes. It’s supposed to be very common and appears in every state in the continental U.S. and most of Canada, but I’ve never seen it.
I thought this streak of bright white on the stone was some type of lichen but it was caused by mineral deposits that easily wiped away like chalk dust. The bedrock in this part of the state is said to be calcium rich and I’m assuming calcium deposits were what I was seeing.
Jack in the pulpit plants (Arisaema triphyllum) were everywhere, including on the cliff faces. I’ve never seen them growing on stone and it seems odd, because the root is a bulb-like corm. You wouldn’t think it would have enough room to grow to any size on stone, but since these ledges were cut the mid-1800s there is probably plenty of organic matter built up on the horizontal surfaces. Mosses also grew as thick as I’ve ever seen them.
I always like to lift the top of the spathe to see how Jack the spadix is doing. Down inside the spathe is where the fruit forms on the spadix. I think a similar plant in the U.K. is called “Lords and ladies.”
I started to get perturbed about this until I realized that Native Americans probably wrote hieroglyphs on birch bark with charcoal.
If you’re the one who wrote this note and happen to be reading this, I’d appreciate nothing larger than 50 dollar bills. 200 of them will be fine.
Actually, I’m far more interested in these than I am money. I’ve been searching for many years for our native wild columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) and here an entire colony of plants was growing the whole time. The rich alkaline soil is very unusual in this part of New Hampshire and many rare plants are known to grow in this area. The trick is in finding them. Since it has only taken me since boyhood to find native columbine, maybe now I’ll move on to the showy orchis, which is also said to grow in the area.
Seeing something so rare and beautiful in its native habitat for the first time made all the years of searching well worth the effort. I probably spent five or six hours total in this spot enjoying and photographing them, and searching for other rarely seen plants.
According to Wikipedia the genus name Aquilegia is derived from the Latin word for eagle (aquila), because the shape of the flower petals are said to resemble an eagle’s claw. The common name “columbine” comes from the Latin for “dove”, due to the resemblance of the inverted flower to five doves clustered together.
These woods were alive with birdsong and seemed to shout spring. Walking here reminded me why this is my favorite time of year.
Perchance we may meet on woodland trails where drifts of trilliums and singing robins still greet the spring.” ~Don Jacobs
Thanks for stopping in.
A. canadensis is my favourite aquilegia and a big seller at the alpine nursery I worked in. We do have a native Arum and call it Lords and Ladies but another name is Jack in the Pulpit – and dozens of other names too. D
It’s a beautiful flower. I didn’t know it was being grown and sold there-that’s interesting. I also didn’t know that you called your similar arum Jack in the pulpit. I’ve heard cuckoo pint and several other names.
That is a very colorful jack! I’m surprised that wild columbine are rare in NH, they are a very common wildflower here.
They are even common in Parts of New Hampshire but much of the state has very acidic soil and they don’t like it. That’s why we rarely see them here.
Going that way turned out to be an excellent decision! Another pretty place and I love the columbines!
It just goes to show that following unknown paths can be worthwhile!
What an outing, especially with the columbines!!
It was great. I think you’d enjoy this place.
Love the Aquilegia, it is every bit as showy as the garden varieties and wonderful to see it in its natural environment. Amelia
Thank you. They seem to love rocky areas and ledges, for some reason. They were certainly worth searching for.
What a lovely place. We have aquilegias popping up all over the garden but ours are all purples and pinks, I also have cuckoo pint which is like your lords and ladies but less colourful.
I think you’d love these trails, but it would probably be a slow walk because of all the photo opportunities. It seems like columbines always revert to shades of purple and pink when they re-seed.
Oh, I’ve found columbine in the woods around my home but apparently they are a cultivated variety….solid purple. I’ve dug them up over the years and planted them in my garden. Must have been sown by birds. It’s neat what you can find with a slight change in direction.
That happened to me last year. I waited and waited for it to bloom and it turned out to a purple garden escapee. Pretty but not native.
I found columbines a few years ago on the Nashua River rail trail & felt as though I’d won the lottery. The plant wasn’t nearly as vigorous as the one you found, though! Thank you for the beautiful photos.
You’re welcome and thank you. I’m happy to know that they’re out there, even if I don’t see them!
[…] Hampshire Gardener posted a shot of Wild Columbine today, and I lamented in his comments section that some used to grow near the catchment pond on my […]
What a beautiful flower your Columbine is.
Thank you, I think so too. It’s kind of understated when compared to the hybrids but still very pretty.
I used to have wild columbine growing near my catchment pond, but I haven’t seen it in three or four years now. 😦
That’s too bad. You might be able to collect a few seeds and get it started again.
I’m going back to the May 14 posting. I think what you are calling Viola canadensis is incorrect unless it has a yellow center, which I didn’t see in your photograph. I’m inclined to call it the common Viola pallens (Northern White Violet). Also V. Canadensis is about 8-16″ high. How about the one you photographed? V. pallens is very small, 3-4″ at most.
Thanks David. Yes, those violets had a yellow center but it wasn’t pronounced. If you zoom in on that photo you can just see a blush of yellow on the upper and side petals.
I don’t remember them being too tall. In fact I’ve never seen a violet 8-16 inches tall, of any color, but you could be correct. I know right where they are so I’ll have to go back and pay closer attention.
Another post well-done, Allen….and I especially enjoyed the bit about the Columbine. You might remember one of my posts on the flower from out here…it is quite possibly my favorite flower. I’d love to walk those rail trails with you. I’m sure it would be a wonderfully spent afternoon.
I think yours were blue or purple, and it’s no wonder that they’re your favorite. They’re a beautiful flower. I think you’d love walking the trails here. Not only are there a lot of wildflowers but plenty of history as well.
Reblogged this on Dawn of Divine Rays.
Thank you again Agnes, for the re-blog.
You’re very welcome, Allen. Sending bright Reiki blessings your way. Namaste.
Thanks again, and the same to you.
Love your pictures, I think the fern looks like Netted Chain fern to me. See my post last year.
http://michaelswoodcraft.wordpress.com/2013/10/07/netted-chain-ferns/
The rock is cool, I bet in the winter the rock would be covered with ice!
Michael
Thanks Michael. I think the leaflets on this one look a little different than they do on the netted chain fern but that’s a nice looking fern that I’ve never seen.
Yes, if you want to see ice this is the place to come. There are huge columns of it in the winter that are 50 feet or more tall in some places. It’s also a magnet for ice climbers and it’s not uncommon to see 15 or 20 of them out here climbing in freezing cold weather.
The fern we call rattlesnake fern is a triangular fern (Botrychium virginianum), and bigger than the grape ferns. Got scientific name from a Missouri fern book published in 1982.
These fronds look quite triangular to me but these plants aren’t very big. In fact for a fern they’re quite small.The names Botrychium virginianum and Botrypus viginianus are apparently interchangeable for this fern, but I see that Botrychium virginianum is used more often.
Beautiful photos, as always.
Thank you Sue.
What an awesome spot! I’m sure glad that you’ve gone both ways down that trail, as it doesn’t matter which way you go, you come back with interesting things that you’ve found. I hope that the person that wrote the note comes through with the cash for you. 😉
There are some things most people just must do, whether it’s carving on the smooth bark of a beech tree to writing on birch bark, some people’s kids were not raised right.
Thanks Jerry. It really doesn’t matter which way you go on that trail. It’s an amazing place and I’ve seen quite a few plants there that I haven’t seen anywhere else.
I’m not going to count on getting the cash right away. I carved my initials in a tree trunk or two when I was a boy but I usually try to leave nature just the way I found it. There is a lot of travel by snowmobile and 4 wheelers on this section of trail so I’m sure someone just thought they were being funny. I hope they found that bark and didn’t peel it off a tree.
I’m no expert, but did you consider Fragile Fern, Cystopteris fragilis? I very much enjoy reading your posts.
Thank you Liz. Actually, you have a good eye for ferns because fragile fern and rattlesnake fern both have the top spot. I decided on rattlesnake fern because I didn’t see any scales on the stems. As I said to Celia below, I need to find a frond with sori on it so I can be sure.
Loved going on this walk with you. Beautiful finds, thank you for sharing with us.
You’re welcome Mary. I’m glad you enjoyed it.
Perhaps Fragile Fern, Cystopteris fragilis?
https://gobotany.newenglandwild.org/species/cystopteris/fragilis/
Thank you for your help Celia. Fragile fern was one of the two ferns vying for “first place,” but the fern in the photo doesn’t have any scales on its stems. I haven’t found a frond with sori on it yet but when I do that will tell me a lot.
When I read your posts, I think I would like to join you, but then, I think no, the ice, or no, the black flies or no,…..It would be fun to meet sometime, how about Paneras?
I’ll send you an email about that later on, Bob if that’s okay.
That old rail track is my favourite walk and I always enjoy the pieces you write about it.
The columbine looks a beautiful flower and was certainly worth the wait. Mind you, the jack in the pulpit was impressive too; much more so than our similarly shaped but much plainer lords and ladies.
Thanks Jim. I like these old trails and spend quite a lot of time on them. I know what you mean about your Lords and ladies plant. It looks like a Jack in the pulpit that has lost its stripes. Evolution works in strange ways sometimes.
Very nice, Alan. So many of my favorite things. Ferns, I will learn more about Michigan ferns. Your first Wild Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis). Congratulations! I grew up knowing these plants were good to eat, just the nectar part. Our family called them Honeysuckle and we had lots. My sister, Chris and I would do a Wildflower Dance when we found a long-sought species. Did you dance? Marie 🙂
Thank you Marie. No, I didn’t dance but my spirit soared and I’m still happy that I finally found them. I’m glad you didn’t eat any more of these plants than the nectar, because they’re very toxic.
Beautiful shot of the Jack in the pulpit !
Thanks! I’ve never seen so many in one place.
The wild Columbines are beautiful and Jack in the pulpit are one of my favorites. Glad you decided to explore another part of the trail. Any luck collecting on the IOU?
Not yet Laura. I’m hoping to hear something any day now. (but I’m not counting on it)
So glad you found and photographed that beautiful wild columbine, you must be thrilled.
Thank you Susan. Yes, I am pretty happy about finally finding this plant. I’m even happier about finding the kind of soil that they grow in because there are sure to be more rarities in that area.
It’s wonderful to see your shots of the native columbines–I’ve only seen the cultivated versions. Congratulations on your find.
Thanks Mike. It’s always great to find something you’ve never seen out there.