My Bit of Heaven - by Kristl Walek

[Kristl Walek]

Aster umbellatus, which you have seen before was here as well as some late-blooming Liatris spicata and Desmodium canadense.

4 species of Eupatorium were more or less in bloom.

Helianthus giganteus (the Tall Sunflower) was found in abundance, heads above most of the other herbaceous plants.

[Kristl Walek]

Helenium autumnale and the pretty annual Gerardia purpurea grew in the moister parts of the prairie along with the tall, tall Silphium terebinthinaceum.

Vernonia missurica is not as tall as many of its kin, and flowers considerably earlier.

Silphium perfoliatum and Ratibida pinnata were nearing the end of their bloom, but Celastrus scandens was still at the unopened orange berry stage, climbing up into everything it could use to give it support.

[Kristl Walek]

And just before I got lost in the prairie, I got very excited (could this have caused my disorientation afterwards???)

I came around a corner to see a large colony of what turned out to be Sassafras albidum, one of the 20 woody species I had on my wish list to see in the wild on this trip. While it is most normally grown as a single (small) tree, it can form shrubby thickets in the wild by root suckering (which is obviously what had happened here). It is a fantastic, long-lived tree, and *does* smell like root beer!!!

The green foliage, on distinct tiered branches, turns into flame colours in the fall. I wish it had been in it's seed producing year, as I would have loved to see the pea-sized, bright blue berries.

After the Sassafras, the prairie paths did funny things (or I did funny things on the paths???), and I found myself somehow out of the prairie and in the backyard of suburbia, literally walking past BBQ's and picnic benches in the rear yards of strangers. 5 small children playing in a sandbox showed me the way and I ended up walking two hours around the outside periphery of the prairie in the direction of my Toyota, or so I hoped.

But even this was not a wasted effort. Along the fringes of fenced Ojibway Prairie grew a profusion of climbing and twining native plants, enough to keep my interest on the long trek back to the beginning.

Parthenocissus quinquefolius, Vitis aestivalis, the fruit of a Smilax species (perhaps S. herbacea), Amphicarpa bracteata, Dioscorea villosa and Apios americana.

[Kristl Walek]

I spent the next 2 days in southern Ontario, scouting the back roads and conservation areas in the hopes of seeing some of the remaining 19 woody species I had on my list to see. I was not disappointed.

The tropical looking Asimina triloba was high on my list---and I even saw a tree with fruit (a delicious combination of mango, pineapple and banana).

Liquidambar styraciflua (Sweet Gum).

Tulip Tree (Liriodendron tulipifera).

Lindera benzoin (Spice Bush), with beautiful aromatic foliage.

Gymnocladus dioicus (Kentucky Coffee Tree).

Cornus florida.

[Lesley Cox]

Sporobolis heterolepis

Such a lovely name.

[Kristl Walek]

Euonymus atropurpurea (Eastern Wahoo), which has not yet started to colour.

The rare Pumpkin Ash (Fraxinus profunda) and Fraxinus quadrangulata (Blue Ash) with distinctive square stems.
F. quadrangulata seed is much in demand right now as worry mounts about the emerald ash borer---and this species apparently has some resistance.

And of course, the Oaks: Quercus bicolor, alba, shumardii and the wonderful, tiny Q. prinoides.

[Kristl Walek]

And I will end my journey with my favorite native Sumac. Unfortunately it is rare---but a beauty.

Shining Sumac (Rhus copallina) is a small species (just over 1m) with gorgeous shiny foliage that turns the most brilliant red in autumn. The fruit ripens much later than its kin.

The pictures of the late autumn colouring were taken last year when I visited this same site much later in the season. The last picture shows it's taller cousin, Rhus thyphina growing behind it on the top left.

[Katherine J]

Wonderful journey. And your diary... no words for thank your time and pics.

[Luc Gilgemyn]

You're turning us all into wilderness experts Kristl !
Thanks again for this seemingly never ending fairytail...

[mark smyth]

Kristl could you collect some Helianthus seeds for me? My two favourite books are on prairie plants of North America. After work I'll name them

[Lesley Cox]

The sumacs especially are superb but then, I am obsessed with autumn colour. Are the tree species anything to do with the sumac which appears as an ingredient in south east Asian cooking? If not, what is that and where does it come from?

[art600]

Thank you Kristl for taking the time to post such a wonderful series of shots of countryside, plants, and trees that most of us will never have the chance of seeing for ourselves. 

You always brighten up the day when you post, even if the sun is shining as it is today.

[Brian Ellis]

Well what a treat Kristl, nice to have you back from your travels, and thank you so much for sharing this with us.  As always there are some real beauties.

[Kristl Walek]

Kristl could you collect some Helianthus seeds for me? My two favourite books are on prairie plants of North America. After work I'll name them

Mark,
The only native Helianthus to my (non-prairie) area is the woodland species H. divaricatus--although I grow H. grosse serratus and H. maximiliani as production plants in the garden. Let me know which species you had in mind.

[Kristl Walek]

The sumacs especially are superb but then, I am obsessed with autumn colour. Are the tree species anything to do with the sumac which appears as an ingredient in south east Asian cooking? If not, what is that and where does it come from?

250+ species of Sumac---It is the middle-eastern Rhus coriaria that is the origin of the spice (readily available in Lebanese stores here in Ottawa).

http://www.taste.com.au/how+to/articles/52/sumac

The lemony flavour is of course not unique to that species---Rhus thyphina berries are used to make a lemonade type drink.

I too, am very fond of this genus and could not live without it's presence in my landscape, especially in the autumn. I look forward to sharing the colour glories when the time comes. One can already begin to see the very early signs in some of the woody species.