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veronicastrum

Wild About Funks Grove

veronicastrum
14 years ago

Last Saturday we got to make another trip to Funks Grove. The new camera came along and I took 80 photos. It was fun to play with the camera and see the results when I got home.

So here's a little taste of what we saw and what caught my eye.

One of the things that fascinates me is the diversity to be found on the forest floor. In this photo, the strap-like foliage on the left is wild leeks (Allium tricoccum), the small whitish flowers are spring beauties (Claytonia virginica) and the red flower about dead center is red trillium. You can see smaller trilliums in the photo as well.

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Look at how this remnant of a fallen tree has weathered.

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We were fascinated by the twists in the trunk of this fallen tree.

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The new camera is great for taking close ups of intriguing foliage like this Mayapple.

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I think my friend Chelone must have been there before me, because I saw her pants hanging on the line to dry.

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You can almost imagine these roots coming to life and making the tree walk away.

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We weren't the only ones to walk through the woods, there was evidence of other visitors.

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I love the grace of Uvularia grandiflora.

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Since it was an overcast day, it was easier to capture the blue of the Mertensia virginica.

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Can you tell I had fun? I could post several more, but perhaps I should close this for now.

V.

Comments (12)

  • dodgerdudette
    14 years ago

    Wonderful V. !! Isn't a cool new camera fun ? I find myself snappimg photos on my lunch hour. Can't even pick a fave, but Chelones pants are right up there...

    Kathy in Napa

  • Lara Noles
    14 years ago

    These are beautiful V! I know I'm loving your new camera. Such interesting subjects and great composition. That mayapple shot if so cool and I love the handprints too. Oh and the tree roots...

    I'm all for seeing more!

    Eden

  • saucydog
    14 years ago

    I have that song by Fatboy Slim stuck in my head "Check it out now, he's a funk soul brother" but instead it's "Check it out now, she's in the Funks Grove, brother" LOL....I think they must use this song in commercials.

    I love to go for a walk in the woods before the mosquitoes get :) I enjoyed this very much.

    I think it's interesting to see what is "up" there, as you seem to be a good month ahead of us.

    Chelone's pants was pretty funny, but the racoon prints were sweet.

    Saucy

    Here is a link that might be useful: Check It Out - Fatboy Slim

  • Marian_2
    14 years ago

    I love those pics! More ! More!
    I studied them closely to see how many of the wild plants I could id, and see several that I have in my 'wild flower bed' and more that inhabit our woods.
    I espacially love the Dutchman's breeches. I have a plant that struggles each year, but very seldom even gets to the blooming stage. It won't again this year, because I clumsly trod on it while covering the neighboring hosta from the freeze awhile back. :-(
    I see either Erodium or Geraniums. And Dentaria, Toothwort(in bloom to the upper left of the picturesque tree remains), and a ginger to the lower right of same remains.
    I have U. grandiflora, and it is spreading nicely in the wild flowerbed, and elsewhere.
    I have no Mertensia, nor have I seen it in the wild here. Would love to have some.
    We have the Spring Beauties, but rather sparsely. More this year due to the loss of so many trees and limbs.
    Our two patches of 'yard' May Apples are really spreading, and I love it!
    I am thinking the 'twisted' tree had a very large grape vine strangling it. They do that here. Nolon has done considerable complaining about the grape vines in the trees he is cutting.
    I don't have red trilliums, but have Toadshade Trilliums. They will soon open their flowers.

    Do post more of your pics.

    Marian

  • woodyoak zone 5 southern Ont., Canada
    14 years ago

    I particularly liked that 'walking' tree trunk! I'll have to check for Spring Beauties here - they appeared unexpectedly one year and I forgot to look for them yesterday when I was walking around. The trilliums are up here too but not showing any color yet. A walk in the woods is always a lovely thing in spring - thakns for the show....

  • denisez10
    14 years ago

    Exquisite, V, what an animated bunch of photos, like a forest of Ents! (Saucy, you're a hoot!)

  • deanneart
    14 years ago

    Gorgeous photos of a magical place! thanks for sharing these!

    Deanne

  • veronicastrum
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Nothing garners more photos quite like a little flattery! Thanks for all the nice comments.

    I'll start with another mosaic from the forest floor. Do you see last summer's cicada shell in the middle?

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    There was quite a bit of wild ginger, Asarum canadense, all about. I checked under several leaves but did not find any flowers.

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    Marian, good catch on the toothwort! I wasn't sure what it was because it isn't too common by me but obviously it thrives a little further south.

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    Here's a another one I was not familiar with:

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    I did not see too many of these flowers, and they were somewhat confined to one area. Anyone have a name?

    V.

  • triple_creek
    14 years ago

    These are excellent V. And you are so knowlegable too. I like the way you see things. It's amazing what goes on in undisturbed areas. Post as many as you want. We won't get tired of looking at them. Norma

  • prairiemoon2 z6b MA
    14 years ago

    Wow, lovely woodland plants, V.! It looks like an 'untouched' area. I was looking at your photos yesterday and as I was on my way to a nursery, I passed a number of areas of small wooded spaces between neighborhoods and I thought about your photos and as I have often wondered before, why it is that these areas are barren of any native wildflowers. There is just nothing there but trees surrounded by leaves on the ground. Not even weeds. I see this a lot.

    I love the Dutchman's Breeches, one of my favorites. There actually isn't one that isn't a favorite. [g] I have to agree with Norma, you have an interesting way of looking at things. The tree roots getting up and walking away...exactly! I would enjoy any more photos you have too.

    Saucy...DD and I watch 'So You Think You Can Dance' together and other than that, I wouldn't know that song. We have the car radio on oldies all the time or I'm listening to my own music on the computer. Now I have that song stuck in my head along with a visual of a dance routine they did to it. [g]

  • Marian_2
    14 years ago

    V, your last pic may be a Rock Cress, Arabis.

    I have toothwort in my back flowerbed. It isn't real showy, but I like it.
    I see the cicada shell. Our ex DIL spent one summer going around our yard and gathering them up. She lined them up on our outside window sill. :-) Kind of funny.

    I sure wish I had taken my camera on my trek into the hollow. One of the pics I would have taken would be the ferns. Lots of them down there. Maybe I'll get brave enough to attempt it again.

    Our wood's floor is more sparsely inhabited than what you are picturing. I think a lot of that is due to an over grazing by various critters.

    And speaking of 'critters', we see those 'coon tracks a lot, but they have been more scarce since we no longer feed outside cats. O'possums are more scarce also.

    Did you see bear signs?

    I would like to see more of your pics. As you probably know, wild flowers are one of my 'loves'.

    Marian

  • chelone
    14 years ago

    I have meant to post here before but haven't. I so love the little wild things in the woods. There is something so sweet about their messages of springtime cheer, I think it's the emphemeral nature of them. And yet they're as tough as nails, enduring winter and then popping up to do their thing before taking the rest of the year off.

    Great shots, I love the Trillium and the Mayapple... not so crazy that you decided to take a picture of my drawers on the line, however... :/

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