My Bit of Heaven - by Kristl Walek

[Ragged Robin]

An epic team adventure Kristi; great story and photos illustrating your discoveries

[Kristl Walek]

The intensive seed work at this time of the year continues to take me out into the wild most days; although there is little time taken for photographs on these outings. I have been smelling autumn in the air for the past few weeks, which accentuates my need to stay on top of the collecting. The bags needing cleaning pile up and pile up at home, until, like today, I determine to stay put and work my way through some of them, lest I get buried and impossibly behind with my work.

I only have a few photographs to share today. An outing earlier this week for additional Trillium erectum seed before they were totally dormant took me to a site where I ran into a very nice hybrid pink Actaea. The Actaea pachypoda hybrids that I had encountered in the past in Ontario (picture one) were very different from this one--which obviously has a lot more Actaea rubra blood. Needless to say, the plant came home with me.

[Kristl Walek]

Another day took me fern spore hunting---and although I missed my timing with two of the ferns, I thought you might like to see them in habit. Gymnocarpium dryopteris (formerly Dryopteris disjuncta) is a small, delicate fern; very pretty carpeting the forest floor. It is normally only 10-15cm tall, rising from a single stalk and divided into a three-part frond.

Phegopteris connectilis (formerly Dryopteris phegopteris), the Northern Beech Fern is easily identifiable because the two lower pinnae of a single frond point downward (and upward).

My timing for the Polypodium virginianum was better; although to the amateur spore collector it bears pointing out that close observation of the sori is required. Because this fern is evergreen, one can find various stages of sori on the fronds of any single colony. If you are unsure, the age of the leaf will be your other clue (the freshest leaves will be from this season).

Picture one is actually the old sori still remaining from last year. To most eyes, this would be interpreted as ripe sori from this year. The second picture is of near-ripe sori from current season. Last picture is sori from this season, but still not ripe.

[Kristl Walek]

Yesterday, collecting Linnaea borealis seed, took me to a beautiful area, where I spent some time walking through woods, on a near perfect, cool, late summer day. This was almost solidly Tsuga canadensis, mostly bare on the forest floor, except for mushroom populations dotting the ground. Eventually as I neared water, the woods became solidly covered with moss, undulating over rocks, fallen trees and exposed tree roots.

Beautiful rock crevices were seen next to the water, and even in the water.

This place was magical and still.

I live for these moments in nature.

[Kristl Walek]

Even though I was late for the Linnaea (should have been collected the week Graham was here), there were still seeds to be found. In fact, collecting them late like this was easier; as the "stickiness" of the seed had lessened with time and I did not have to cut off each individual seed stalk.

The collecting is cumbersome, nevertheless, and 3-4 hours of mostly solid harvesting yielded what will probably end up being about 1 gram of seed. Anyone who has done botanizing will know that most wild plants rarely flower and fruit at the same time. To ensure survival, there is always some staggering. And even now, with seed almost gone, some plants were still flowering, or just in bud.

And if the seed is gone in one area; analyze the growing conditions, exposure, and area where you find yourself. Going to another spot that is less exposed, moister or cooler might often mean the seed is still intact there.

The spot I chose this day ended up being a micro-hot-spot for some very good, uncommon species all growing in a relatively small area. Aside from the Linnaea, I found Chimaphila umbellata, Pyrola elliptica (or asarifolia) and Pyrola rotundifolia (which is not easy to come across).

[cohan]

wow, lightning! glad to hear you are already feeling better, and had a good visit with graham, which i am just about to get to...
lots of lightning here, though i have never heard of it striking quite that way..scary!

[Graham Catlow]

Yesterday, collecting Linnaea borealis seed, took me to a beautiful area, where I spent some time walking through woods, on a near perfect, cool, late summer day. This was almost solidly Tsuga canadensis, mostly bare on the forest floor, except for mushroom populations dotting the ground. Eventually as I neared water, the woods became solidly covered with moss, undulating over rocks, fallen trees and exposed tree roots.

Beautiful rock crevices were seen next to the water, and even in the water.

This place was magical and still.

I live for these moments in nature.

Yes Kristl 'Magical' is the only word for the scenes you showed.
Graham

[Kristl Walek]

This has been my first year of having left-over (still moist packed) seed of Trillium erectum and T. cernuum (from 2009 harvest), kept at room temperature in large zip locks, in moist vermiculite.

Today as I was turning over my stock by packing the fresh harvest from this season, I noticed that both species had germinated (this would be approximately one year since harvest). The germination in the T. erectum bags is quite profound---although I don't know yet, what eventual  percentages will be. T. cernuum, at this point, is is much smaller percentages. I also assume this will be root emergence only---although I will keep them both at room temperature for a while to see what happens.

So, this is an utterly fascinating (profoundly exciting for me) discovery!!!! I still have to think this through--what this potentially means in terms of propagation of these species. But I do know I would never have discovered it were it not for my belief in moist packing of ephemerals. Normally, 2 cold periods are required for both T. erectum and cernuum, in the natural course of events.

[Kristl Walek]

Hurricane Earl did not make it's way up the Fundy coast, as was predicted, for a while, which would have brought it (very) close to home. Instead, pushed east by a cool front from the west, it followed the more usual course of the eastern shore.

In a province with a tiny population of under 950,000; 200,000 residents being without power post hurricane is rather significant. As of yesterday, about 40,000 still had not had electricity restored.

Even though it was a very wide hurricane,  in my area, no power was lost at all, in the end; not even a flicker of potential outage. It rained here for most of the day as Earl passed, and winds were certainly bearable. We were lucky this time.

And I was particularly lucky, as I did not have to spend the hurricane time alone, waiting to see what would happen (which is perhaps the worst thing---just waiting---not knowing).

My daughter Alisha had arrived  from Ontario 2 days prior to Earl, to spend the next few months with me- indeed a very happy event for me.

Yesterday (the day after Earl), weather was sunny and dramatically cooler, and the day brought the constant roar of motorcycles passing my house on their way to the "Wharf Rat Rally" in nearby Digby, which annually brings up to 100,000 bikers to that town for the labour day weekend, with most sleeping in tents.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/nova-scotia/story/2010/09/02/ns-hurricane-biker-rally.html

It was a perfect day to head out for seed collecting somewhere north to avoid the motorcycles, who were all heading south. A custom order for 1kg of Arctostaphyllos uva-ursi seed took us to a spot not far from home; where we spent a lovely, windy afternoon working our way through a small section of a large colony of plants.

What a treasured experience for me to spend this day doing what I love so much with someone I love even more. I cannot remember the last time I felt so rich.

Afterwards, we drove across the North Mountain to the Fundy shore; so she could experience the ocean and also to see how things felt there post-hurricane. As usual, we were alone on the beach, tide out, walking over rocks encrusted with barnicles, the waves significantly wilder than I had ever experienced them since my arrival.

In the evening, we popped Arctostaphyllos berries, laughing and talking---and I slept sounder than I have in some time.

[Maggi Young]

My daughter Alisha had arrived  from Ontario 2 days prior to Earl, to spend the next few months with me- indeed a very happy event for me.

 Hurrah! Now isn't that just the BEST news?!!

[Kristl Walek]

My daughter Alisha had arrived  from Ontario 2 days prior to Earl, to spend the next few months with me- indeed a very happy event for me.

 Hurrah! Now isn't that just the BEST news?!! (Attachment Link)

You know, Maggi, as do a few other forumnists, just *how* happy this event is, for me.

I have indeed had a rather difficult first year in this fair province; to the point where I have recently seriously considered moving again (and this would only be borne of sheer desperation and counter to my goal of not making up my mind until at least 2 years had elapsed).

I often describe my life here in what could be the title of a new book "Lost in the Annapolis Valley, Nova Scotia."

I told Alisha that she might, perhaps, help me see things here with fresh eyes---but alas, she has counter-intentions of trying to convince me to move to BC (where she intends to head next to join her brother, who is already very happy in that province).

 

[maggiepie]

Kristl, am glad Earl missed you and very happy for you to be having your daughter with you for the next few months.
I can understand how much that would mean to you.
My elder daughter was here from Australia for a week last month and my younger daughter will be here for a visit at the end of this month.
I can hardly wait.

[Maggi Young]

Kristl.... my advice is to feed Alisha plenty of pizzas full of olives ( so she is kept busy picking them off!) and she may relax enough to become a NS supporter..... and if in the end, you do take off to BC to be with your beloved children... then rest assured we will be wishing you every success there too.

I must say I admire your courage and tenacity to stick to your original intentions to give this relocation a solid try. You're a strong woman, KW!!  And goodness knows, you have shared some fantastic lessons on the place with us already, for which we are so  grateful.  

[Ragged Robin]

Kristi, I am so pleased for you and your daughter, with the beautiful name 'Alisha', to have a chance to spend time together....how hugely important this is and I hope you have some wonderful adventures and walks together. 

[cohan]

really glad to hear of your daughter's visit -tonic for the soul! i think of you often when i'm out on my (much smaller scale) collecting expeditions-great to think you will have beloved company!
b.c.--where in b.c.?