Pics of Summer Flowers ... The Wetlands

It's easy to overlook the smaller flowers in favour of their gaudier cousins, but one does so at the risk of missing the breadth and diversity of life, the multitude of species that have evolved and adapted in so many different ways to the same environment by way of the sieve of countless years of natural selection. (OK ... millions, not "countless" years, but one also runs the risk of being poetic contemplating, in the words of Douglas Adams, "Life, the Universe, and Everything" ...)

Like many others of its family Kalm's Lobelia (Lobelia kalmii) likes to get its feet wet and may be found in a variety of wetland habitats. These photos were taken at the Stoco Fen.

Another denizen of (but not restricted to) the Stoco Fen is the Marsh Bellflower (Campanula aparinoides). While not the largest or showiest of our wetland flora, it nonetheless has a delicate charm and beauty all its own. Overcast skies and a paucity of color and contrast made this blossom a difficult subject to photograph.

I first stumbled across these tiny yellow flowers along the sandy north shore of Stoco Lake two summers ago and until today their identity was unknown to me. Today I blundered across my mystery plant while researching other wetland flora on the Internet ... this is Water Stargrass (Heteranthera dubia), a member of the family Pontederiaceae, related to the much more conspicuous Pickerelweed.

Pickerelweed (Pontederia cordata) is common wherever there is still or slow moving shallow water along lake or river shorelines. This is a view just to the east of the boat ramp on Stoco Lake.

Closeup shots of the flower spike

Today I encountered another "new" wetland plant growing in nearly the same place I found the Water Stargrass. This one didn't take too long to identify, it's a Water Plantain (Alisma plantago-aquatica). The flowers look similar to those of Arrowheads and Wapato (members of the same family, Alismataceae, a.k.a. Water Plantains) but are much smaller and grow in a panicle.

A closeup shot of the leaves ...

... and the flowers.

A couple of Water Plantain's more visible cousins, Wapato (Sagittaria latifolia) ...

... and Arumleaf Arrowhead (Sagittaria cuneata); these emergent plants also prefer quiet, shallow waters.

Whorled Loosestrife (Lysimachia quadrifolia) is a cousin of the dreaded Purple Loosestrife. This specimen was photographed at a marsh about one kilometer east of Actinolite and seemed to be the sole representative of its species at this locale. However, I later chanced upon several of these flowers along the shore of the Clare River near Otter Creek.

The colorful flowers of the Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) are hard to miss. A favourite of many species of insects, this is obviously a plant that relies on pollinators to reproduce.

On the other hand the flowers of Pondweed (Potamogeton) are anything but showy. But since pondweeds can reproduce asexually by turions (overwintering buds) and broken off pieces of the stem the flowers are little more than an afterthought, nature's backup in case all else fails.

A Tricky Tachinid

At first I didn't know what to think of this fairly large (about 15 mm), long-legged fly found nectaring at Queen Anne's Lace. The wing venation pointed to a Tachinid, or possibly a Flesh Fly or Blow Fly ...

... but I didn't know what to make of the mouth parts. However, it seems that some tachinid flies do indeed have long beaks: this is Ptilodexia sp. and although not uncommon this was my first encounter with this species. The larvae are parasites of scarab beetles.

Tachinids are the second largest family in the order Diptera (a.k.a. flies ... di → two, ptera → wings). Tachinid fly larvae are often parasites of other arthropods, including insects inimical to human interests, making these flies "beneficial" from our viewpoint. A more typical tachinid, Panzeria sp., members of this widespread genus are parasites of various species of moths.

A mating pair of Gymnosoma sp., the larval host species are sheild bugs and stink bugs, and it's thought by some that the adults might be Batesian mimics of larval stinkbugs.

Another Batesian mimic: at first sight I mistook this Cylindromyia sp. for a wasp. This tachinid fly also parasitizes stink bugs.

Archytas sp. larvae feed on various species of moths ...

... whereas Juriniopsis sp. are more selective in their tastes, parasitizing moths of the family Arctiidae (Tiger, Lichen and Wasp moths).

The Stoco Fen

The Stoco Fen is a law unto itself, a singular habitat supporting some distinctive species that can't be found in other local wetlands though they are situated as little as a few hundred meters down the road. The difference is apparent even at a distance; whereas other local marshes sustain cattails, alders and willows, the fen's graminoids tend to be lower growing species and the prevalent shrubs are white cedar and tamarack.

Two of our smallest dragonflies inhabit the fen. North America's tiniest, the Elfin Skimmer (Nannothemis bella), was still flying on July 27th.

Our other diminutive dragonfly is the Eastern Amberwing (Perithemis tenera). With the humidex factored in the temperature was in the low 40's and this female was obelisking to in an effort to regulate her body temperature. By pointing its abdomen and wings toward the sun the insect reduces the amount of surface area exposed to radiation.

Although common at other locales near Tweed, our largest butterfly, the Giant Swallowtail (Papilio cresphontes), is likely breeding at or near the fen. Several individuals were encountered during this brief visit and their bright colors and lack of wear and tear on their wings indicates that they have just recently emerged from their chrysalides.

A closer examination the flora reveals how different the Stoco Fen is from other more typical local wetlands. Two representatives of the Heath family (Ericaceae) are resident here. Bog Labrador Tea (Rhododendron groenlandicum) can be identified by its leaves, with their rolled under edges and brown undersides.

The alternately arranged leaves of Bog Rosemary (Andromeda polifolia) distinguish it from Bog Laurel, which has opposite leaves. The flowers and fruits of these two plants are also quite different (it was too late in the season to get photos of the flowers ... next year).

This is the first (and to date only) site that I've found the Sticky False Asphodel (Tofieldia glutinosa). Named for the sticky, rough feel of its stem this small lily is a wetlands indicator species.

Since three of our four species of Lady's Slipper are denizens of the Stoco Fen it's reasonable to expect other orchid species in this habitat. My copy of Wetland Plants of Ontario calls this orchid a Swamp Pink but the more commonly accepted name seems to be Grass Pink (Calopogon tuberosus). Unlike other orchids, the specially modified lip is at the top of the flower rather than the bottom.

The delicately tinted little orchid in the next two photos is a Rose Pogonia (Pogonia ophioglossoides).

It appears that I've reached an impasse in my efforts to research the reasons the Stoco Fen so different from neighboring environments. Members of the heath family such as Bog Labrador Tea and Bog Rosemary, and orchids such as the Grass Pink and Rose Pogonia, tend to prefer acidic soil conditions. On the other hand, according to the sources I've found on the Internet, the Small White Lady's Slipper, one of the fen's species of interest, favours rich, highly calcerous soils.

There's good reason to think that the soil in the fen is anything but rich. In addition to the ubiquitous Pitcher Plants there are other plant species growing in the fen that find it necessary to supplement their nutrient intake by capturing and digesting insects, for example, the Flat-leaved Bladderwort (Utricularia intermedia). Of course, a plant that grows in water-filled roadside ditches isn't necessarily the best indicator species of soil conditions in general.

A closeup shot of the submerged bladders and leaves.

Due to its small size at first I completely missed this Round-leaved Sundew (Drosera rotundifolia). The tiny white blossom, on the end of a stem little thicker than heavy thread, is only a few millimeters in diameter. Luckily I had a friend with me who made up for my oversight and pointed out the location of the flower he'd just photographed ...

The leaves are arranged in a basal rosette, a bit difficult to see as they are hidden amongst other vegetation in this photo. (The "other vegetation" looks like it might be Grass of Parnassus ... time will tell.)

With a liking for acidic, low nutrient soils the Round-leaved Sundew is another of the plant kingdom's meat eaters. The hairs on the leaves are coated with sticky droplets that attract insects. The leaf eventually curls around the adhered insect and produces enzymes that extract the nutrients from its body.

Dragonhunter (Hagenius brevistylus)

The largest of the clubtails, the boldly colored Dragonhunter is a specialist at preying on other dragonflies as well as moths and butterflies.

This male measured 85 mm in length. In addition to its large size, the massive thorax and long back legs make this dragonfly easy to identify in the field. The larva is also distinctive, as seen in this sequence of images of a Dragonhunter naiad undergoing its final molt and making the transformation to adulthood.

As a rule dragonflies aren't very docile and co-operative but this one was suffering from a hangover as a result of a collision with a vehicle.

A closeup of those beautiful translucent green eyes ...

... and a detail shot of the terminal abdominal segments. As their binomial name suggests, Hagenius brevistylus males have small claspers. The claspers aren't necessary to identify this dragonfly as its other physical attributes are so conspicuous that there's little chance of mistaking it for another species.