Oswego? Why not we GO.

[Rooftree]

........Bob, that's where we wanna to go, to get away from it all. (And to look for plants)

Since the end of May, Bob and I have made multiple trips up along the Oswego River above Martha. Mainly because not all plants are in their primre at the same time. This week we explore some additional areas to see if a return trip is in the cards for next year.

Before I get any further, when we made our first in May, no side roads were blocked off. On our next trip about a month later, every single road (at least to Buck Run Bridge) was blocked by those plastic posts, except the road coming in from Calico. I don't want to say more, we would get off from the subject of this post.

These photos are from our latest trip.

As we hiked down a deep hill (an oxbow) through thicket, we came to this view. Usually when I see grassy bogs, ones without hummocks, the edges are very squishy. Once you find a way through that, the ground gets more stabled further out, but you still have to be careful.

Bob, what are you checking out. I can tell you that's the Oswego River, at least one branch of it.

Bob dipping his hat in the water to help stay cool.

 

[bobpbx]

For those of you who took a canoe down this river in the 1970's, you would not recognize it today. Rice grass is rampant. Changes the whole look. The photo is mostly rice on the river margins.

Annual Wildrice

www.fs.usda.gov

 

[bobpbx]

Ron does like to get close to the water, and sometimes in it too.

 

[bobpbx]

This is a false asphodel in fruit. Saw them here and there.

 

[bobpbx]

This is absolutely the best stand of southern bayberry that I have ever seen. This is at the margin of a cedar swamp, so it has filtered sun and water. Nice combo for it.

 

[Scroggy]

That is very interesting wetland up there. The pitcher plants are very luxuriant growing on sphagnum right at water level. I got some nice pictures of false asphodel a few years ago, although I would have had to swim an oxbow to reach them.

 

[Rooftree]

Ron does like to get close to the water, and sometimes in it too.

I did bring along a pair of shorts to wade in the Oswego. But, I said what the heck, I'll go in what I'm wearing. The bad part was I was barefooted walking on a stony bottom. Next time, I'll bring my water sandals or an old pair of sneakers. These pants are quick drying. They were dried within 15 minutes.

 

[Rooftree]

A couple more photos.

A common plant you'll find in wetland bogs is the Pitcher Plant. While out, I got to take at least one photo. This photo is the pitcher or pitfall trap of the plant. It's the leaf of this carinivorous plant specializes in trapping insects, filled with digestive fluids.

This is a photo of a curly grass fern, an endangered plant of NJ. Bob and I didn't see any, but while I was out in early May along the Oswego I found a popuation of about 200. This plant can be very easily missed for being so small. You have to be bent ovrer with you nose to the ground. Or just get lucky. (Bob can see them standing up) At the botton of the photo is a Spatulate-leaved Sundew, another carinivorous plant you'll find in wet areas.

 

[Teegate]

Anyone who viewed this thread earlier today and Rooftree's post was not showing, go back and look at his first post as it is now working. I was making changes to it early this morning because some of the photos for some reason were rotated, and after thinking I had fixed the photos, and saving it, they did not work. I had no time to work on it again until now.

 

[woodjin]

Great photos!! That false asphodel is especially nice