Downe's Flora

Scenes from the Downe's Bowl. Here is an upshot of a very tall, very old fir tree.

These Bleeding Hearts were everywhere.

This is a Salmon Berry blossom. The ripe fruit is red, sweet and resembles an anemic raspberry.

These old Maple trees are hosts to a variety of mosses and ferns.

At the bottom of the bowl is a swamp. Thrusting upward is a 40 ft. tall stump that is slowly rotting and falling apart.

The very wet soil has killed other trees too. It is wet down here all year round.

The black, rich soil is host to all manner of swampy flora. Here is evidence of a fire long ago.

The Skunk Cabbage blossoms are in their prime. They only grow if they are drenched in swamp water.

It has not rained for a few days but the little streams were running full and clear. The water table is high here as this is a drainage area for the whole Downe's Bowl area. 

The Trillium were in full force, in hues from pure white to mauve. This the Provincial flower of Ontario.

The lowly Dandelion is considered a weed, but when they bloom in spring, they bring a burst of colour to the grey landscape. We will take any colour we can get after a long and dreary winter.