Taylor Lake Trees

Taylor Lake Trees

22 June 2014

    The variety of trees and shrubs on our walk around Taylor Lake, described in the previous post, provided great enjoyment for everyone, and in some instances tested our identification skills.

    One of the easiest of all trunks to recognize, thereby facilitating identification of the tree, is that of a mature Shagbark Hickory Carya ovata, with its characteristic long curling strips of very shaggy bark. 

    This fine specimen has graced the woodland for many years.

    Less familiar to most of us was Poison-sumac Toxicodendron vernix and I am sure that most of us would not have recognized it had Larry not pointed it out. In fact, it's not beyond the realm of possibility that some of  us might have handled it in the way one does, to examine the structure of the leaves and stem more closely. Thank goodness we did not, since this plant rivals poison ivy (it is in the same genus) in its ability to deliver serious skin irritation and painful blisters.

Prairie Lily

Prairie (Wood) Lily Lilium philadelphicum

Taylor Lake, Waterloo County

22 June 2014

    Miriam and I joined a plant walk led by Larry Lamb, a veritable botanical encyclopedia, through the meadows and woodland surrounding Taylor Lake, where the Carolinian Zone reaches its northern limit. Hence, numerous species not found mere kilometres away are located in this very special area. In fact the sheer diversity of species that are rare and unique to the area led Larry to exclaim that it should be declared a national park!

    There are many photographs to pore over and we will need to get out our field guides to identify some of the species, but the flower that caused Larry the most excitement was the Prairie Lily shown below. While not endangered across the continent as I understand it, it is nevertheless very rare in this area, and was cause for great excitement.  Its beauty certainly impressed even those among us who did not appreciate its rarity.