Plants of Quetico and the Ontario Shield 9781487578329

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Plants of Quetico and tbe Ontario sbield

Published for the Quetico Foundation by University of Toronto Press Toronto Buffalo London

Plants of Quetico and tbe Ontario s(Jiefd sbanwalsbe

© University of Toronto Press 1980 Toronto Buffalo London Printed in Canada

Reprinted in 2018 ISBN 0-8020-3370-9 (cloth)

ISBN 978-0-8020-3371-0 (paper)

Canadian Cataloguing In Publication Data Walshe, Shan, 1935Plants of Ouetico and the Ontario Shield Bibliography: p . Includes index. ISBN 0-8020-3370-9 bd . ISBN 978-0-8020-3371-0 (paper) 1. Botany - Ontario - Quetico Provincial Park. 2. Quetico Provincial Park, Ont I. Quetico Foundation IL Title QK203.05W34

581 9713'117

C80-094540-9

Quetlco Foundation Serles 1. The Indians of Quetico by E.S. Coatsworth 2. Quetico Geology by V.B. Meen 3. Canoe Trails through Quetico by Keith Denis 4. Indian Rock Paintings of the Great Lakes by Selwyn Dewdney and Kenneth E. Kidd 5. Quetico Fishes by E.J. Crossman 6. Wilderness Canada edited by Borden Spears The funding of this project was made possible by a number of contributors . Special mention should be made of John B. Ridley, CM , the Quetico-Superior Foundation, and

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the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources the Canadian National Sportsmen's Fund

In memory of Alfred S.L. Barnes, RPF for his work with the Quetico Foundation and his untiring efforts to preserve the natural ecosystems of Quetico Provincial Park

The publication of this book marks 21 years of leadership of John 8 . Ridley, CM as Chairman of the Quetico Foundation . It stands as a memento of his deep interest in the preservation of our wilderness areas .

Foreword

In the 1930s a group of businessmen, scientists, and persons interested in the outdoors initiated discussions with various levels of government with a view to stimulating and increasing public interest in, and knowledge of, the wise use and management of our natural resources. Ultimately, the group became part of a government-sponsored committee and was established as the Quetico Foundation in 1954 under letters patent arranged by the Government of Ontario. The Foundation has, as one of its objectives, the fostering of the public's interest in the scientific values of our wilderness areas, because public appreciation is one of the most effective ways to preserve such values. To this end, one of the Foundation's programs is to provide the public with literature dealing with our natural resources. Thus, to date, the Foundation, with the help of others, has published a series of books, as listed at the beginning of this, the latest publication. In January 1973, Shan Walshe, the author of this volume, prepared a report for the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources on the plant communities of Quetico Provincial Park. He submitted a copy to me and it was subsequently considered by the Foundation's Scientific Advisory Committee in January 1974. The Committee and I decided that the production of a book dealing with the flora of Quetico would be very useful and in accordance with the Foundation's objectives. It would be a valuable companion volume to the Foundation's series of field and other books. JOHN B. RIDLEY

Chairman The Quetico Foundation

Contents

Foreword vii Preface xi Acknowledgments xii Introduction xiii Content of the book and method of use xiii Reference books xiv History of plant-related studies in Quetico Park xvi The vegetation of Quetico in a provincial , regional, and local context Plants of lake, marsh, and shore 3 Plants of the 'portage community' and floodplain Plants of the forest 29 Plants of rock ridge and cliff 43 Plants of the bog 51 Plants of lime-rich areas 61 Plants in autumn and winter 67

xvii

19

Check-list of the vascular plants of Quetico 71 with notes on abundance, habitat, distribution, aesthetics, and former uses for food, medicine, crafts , etc. by Indian, voyageur, and early settler Index

136

Preface

In travelling the wilderness of Quetico Park, savouring its solitude, enjoying its great beauty and the harmony of its environments, it is difficult to realize that some 12,000 years ago the area was under a thick cover of glacial ice. As this thick cover melted away, the present pattern of lakes and waterways evolved. So, within a relatively short span of time, the flora and fauna of today became established and adapted to the different habitats that exist within the park. Shan Walshe, with the precision of a scientist, the feelings of a naturalist, and the eye of an artist, has combined his talents to gather factual knowledge about, and an aesthetic appreciation of, the several plant communities of Quetico Park. The volume has been prepared to assist travellers in identifying some of the many floral species that may awaken their curiosity. Quetico Park lies in the northwestern part of the Great Lakes-St Lawrence or mixed forest region, and so the usefulness of this guide is not restricted to the park boundaries. It will be found to be of equal value throughout the Muskoka-Haliburton area, northern Ontario, and the adjacent areas of the United States. WALTER M. TOVELL

Royal Ontario Museum and Chairman, Scientific Advisory Committee The Quetico Foundation

Acknowledgwients

I shall be forever grateful to Mr Jack Ridley and the Quetico Foundation for helping to make this book a reality. For inspiration, encouragement, and technical assistance I wish to thank the following persons: Clifford, Isabel, Molly, and Larry Ahlgren, Jeff Allen, George Argus, Felix Barbetti, Paul Barclay-Estrup, Mike Barker, Mary Barkworth , I.J. Bassett, B.R. Baum, Eva Beckett, Tom Beechey, Arthur Boissonneau, Bernard Boivin, Don Britton, Ernie Brodo, Bill Brooks, Dan Brunton, Sally Burns, Roy Cain, Sean Callaghan, Neil Campling , Michael Cobus, W.J . Cody, W. Collins, David Crowe, Joan Crowe, Jim Cruise, Doris DeGagne, Keith Denis, Sandy Dougall, Robert Drexler, Dave Elder, Vince and Barb Elliott, the late Charlie Erickson. Claude Garton, Jack Gillett, Jean Goff. Dan Gregory, Erich Haber, Doug Haddow, George Halemba, Bob Halliday, Ed Hansson, Andy Harjula, Walter Hartley, Peter Hawker, Bob and Leone Hayes, Joan Hebden, Bud Heinselman, Quimby Hess, Angus Hills, Webb and Bernice Hyatt, Bob Ireland, Algol Johnson, Jack and Elsa Kosola, Pam Krannitz, Cedric Larsson, Ian MacDonald, Bill Magie, Paul Maycock, Mary McKay, J. McNiel, Joe and Vera Meany, Tom Miyata, Bill Muir, G.A. Mulligan, Tom and Sandy Nash, Jon and Marie Nelson, Terry Noble, Mike and Pris O'Brien, Shirley Peruniak, Hilary Petrus, Bessie Plunkett, Tony Resnicek, Rob and Holly Rupert, E. Small, Jim Soper, John Sparling , Murray Speirs, Bruce Thacker, Roger Thew, Ron Thorpe, Walter Tovell, Eleanor Walshe, the late Capt. Jack Walshe, Margie Walshe, S. Warwick, 'Skip' Wittler, Fergus Wilson, and Pauline Gashinski . I would like to express additional thanks to Douglas J. Haddow for the photograph of grass-leaved goldenrod (page 7) and heal-all (page 26), to Shirley Peruniak for large-toothed aspen (page 48), and to Margie Walshe for Trousers Lake (pages 134-5).

Introduction

In this modern world, and at the beginning of a new decade, rapid change is leaving many of us with anxious, questioning minds. The old way of life inexorably gives way to the new; familiar objects vanish ; beloved landscapes disappear before the bulldozer. Throughout the ages, whenever change and decay have burdened his soul, man has found solace in the constancy of nature. Today, in the vast, remote wilderness of Quetico Park, canoeists and hikers are finding a haven from the hectic, fast-changing scene; in the Ouetico, the traveller can take comfort in the thought that he is gazing on virtually the same unspoiled lakes, forests, and towering granite cliffs seen by Indian, voyageur, and early settler. This volume is a partial reflection of my own close acquaintance with the park during ten wonderful summers spent paddling its waterways, observing nature, and thinking of days long gone. It endeavours to capture a little of the beauty and spirit of the wilderness, while also imparting practical information.

CONTENT OF THE BOOK AND METHOD OF USE The main part of the book consists of photographs of a selection of 194 Quetico plants, arranged in approximate order of abundance for each of the six habitats associated with the region : lake, marsh, and shore; the 'portage community' and floodplain; the forest; rock ridge and cliff; the bog ; and lime-rich areas . The Check-List following the photographic section provides information on the abundance and distribution in Quetico Park, the habitat, and the uses by Indian, voyageur, and settler for food, medicine, and crafts of each of the plants illustrated, as well as of all other plants known tooccurin

xiv / Introduction

the park (a total of 658 species). The Index at the back of the book will serve as an aid in locating any plant in the check-list by either its common or scientific name, and a brief section at the front places the vegetation of the area in a provincial, regional , and local context. Throughout the book, as an aid to the novice botanist, I have used common names for all species, translating the Latin name into English to give a meaningful identifying label when no standard common name exists. REFERENCE BOOKS A great many reference books were used in the preparation of the volume. It

Introduction I xv seems inappropriate to include a complete bibliography, but I should mention two books for consultation by the reader who wishes to delve deeper. For line-drawings of plants that could not be illustrated here, 11/ustrated Flora of

the Northeastern United States and Adjacent Canada (3 vols. , Hafner Pub-

lishing Co., New York, 1963) by H.A. Gleason is extremely useful. It covers all Quetico vascular plants except snow-white cinquefoil and saskatoon. Olga Lakela's A Flora of Northeastern Minnesota (University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, 1965) is an excellent study of the plants of the area immediately to the south of Quetico. The floras overlap to a great extent, but it is interesting to note which southern species present there are absent in Quetico and which northern species found in Quetico are missing from the Minnesota flora.

xvi / Introduction HISTORY OF PLANT-RELATED STUDIES IN OUETICO PARK Since Claude Garton undertook the first study of the Quetico flora in 1957. operating out of French Lake, Basswood Lake, and Lac la Croix, a number of other systematic investigations have been made. In the 1950s and 1960s Olga Lakela and Clifford Ahlgren collected extensively along the southern border of the park adjacent to the International Boundary. In the 1960s and 1970s further collections were made throughout the park by the Associated Colleges of the Midwest, under the direction of Robert Drexler and William Muir, and in the vicinity of French Lake by park naturalists Dan Strickland, Dan Brunton, Bill Ekins, and others. Additional, related work was done in the 1970s: an Ontario Land Inventory survey of the soils and surficial geology of Ouetico by Arthur Boissonneau in 1970; an ecological survey of the Baptism, Trousers, Cache Lake area in 1971 by Don Cuddy and Richard Norman; and a second ecological survey in the Beaverhouse Lake area in 1973 by Bob Davidson and Dave Perraton . The above studies have all provided valuable information for the preparation of this book. Additional material was gathered during the summers of 1970-79 in my canoe trips through the park, usually in the company of Doug Haddow, but also with the assistance of others at various times: Mike Barker, Dave Elder, Bruce Thacker, Peter Hawker, Neil Campling, Jeff Allen, Bob Day, Dan Gregory, Pam Krannitz, Susan Trevredyn-Tait, Hilary Petrus, Paul Money, Cedric Larsson, Sandy Dougall, Alan Wormington, George Holborn, Shirley Peruniak, Margie Walshe, and Angus Hills, renowned 76-year-old expert on the soils of Ontario.

Tbe vegetation of Quetico in a provincial, regional, and local context Ontario has a greater variety of vegetation regions than any other province of Canada. On the shores of Lake Erie one can stroll through forests of magnolia, sassafras, black gum, and tulip tree. On Hudson Bay one encounters arctic tundra. In between lie the great mixed forest and northern coniferous (boreal) forest regions . THE REGIONAL SETTING As one proceeds westward in northwestern Ontario from Thunder Bay towards Rainy River the climate becomes warmer and drier. Elements of the boreal forest give way to those of the mixed forest and the prairie. Quetico, lying half-way between these areas, does not have as northern a flavour as Thunder Bay or as southern and western a flavour as the Rainy River plain, but displays elements of each. The northern influence

Officially Quetico is in the mixed forest zone but so close to its northern limit that the vegetation is overwhelmingly boreal in nature. Although arctic disjunct plant species so characteristic of the cold shoreline of Lake Superior are largely absent from the region, the boreal forest species - jack pine, black spruce, trembling aspen, and white birch - dominate in close to 90 per cent of the forested area. Associated with this northern forest are several genuine boreal plants, which are absent or extremely rare to the south. Examples are mountain clubmoss (Lycopodium se/ago), smooth woodsia ( Woodsia glabella) , glaucous bluegrass (Poa glauca), sun-stimulated sedge ( Carex heleonastes), floating marsh marigold ( Caltha natans), and dwarf blueberry ( Vaccinium

xviii /The provincial, regional, and local context

caespitosum). An exciting arctic species recently discovered in Ouetico is snow-white cinquefoil (Potentilla nivea). The southern influence

The mixed forest trees - red pine, white pine, red maple, red ash, yellow birch, white elm, silver maple, and basswood - are dominant in only 10 per cent of Quetico's forests. Of these, yellow birch, silver maple, and basswood are quite scarce and local, and seldom noticed by the casual observer. Red and white pine are usually found on warmer, richer sites close to the shores of lakes and rivers. They therefore are frequently encountered by the canoeist, who gains the impression that they are more common than they actually are. Uncommon shrubs and plants of this mixed forest association include ground hemlock, round-leaved hawthorn ( Crataegus rotundifolia), snowberry, winterberry, alternate-leaved dogwood, gray dogwood, downy arrowwood, nannyberry, black chokeberry, Virginia creeper, poison ivy, bittersweet, large-fruited bog cranberry, tuberous white water lily, jack-in-the pulpit, blunt-lobed hepatica, cream bells ( Uvularia sessilifolia), carrion flower, wild ginger, smooth yellow violet, lance-leaved white violet, swamp milkweed, dodder, and black snakeroot. The western influence

Not many miles to the west of Quetico Park lie the prairies of Manitoba. The Quetico itself receives approximately ten inches a year less precipitation than the Toronto area. It is thus not surprising that western plants adapted to hot, dry conditions are present in the Quetico flora. Examples of the bur oak-aspen forest characteristic of the eastern edge of the prairies turn up occasionally in the park, as do Manitoba maple, northern pin oak ( Quercus el/ipsoidalis), saskatoon (Amelanchier a/nifolia), smooth sumach, alum root, prairie goldenrod ( Solidago missouriensis), hoary puccoon, common sunflower (Helianthus giganteus), linear-leaved collomia, western waterwort (Elatine triandra), inland rush (Juncus interior), big bluestem, and freshwater cordgrass. Even prickly pear cactus is found on Rainy Lake, twenty miles west of Quetico. THE LOCAL SCENE Climate

From the northeast corner of Ouetico towards the southwest the climate becomes warmer and drier, the elevation lower, and the lakes and rivers generally richer. There is therefore a greater abundance and variety of

The provincial, regional, and local context/ xix

southern and western species in the southwest corner of the park (this is the only section of Quetico where basswood is known to occur).

Bedrock Two-thirds of the park (the beige area on the geology map) is underlain by granite, an acidic bedrock which is very resistant to erosion. Cracks and footholds for vegetation are scarce and the acidic environment discourages many plants. There is little variety of species. Two fairly extensive areas of softer, metasedimentary bedrock (peach area on map) are present, one in the west, the other in t_he east. Here the topography is flatter, soils are generally deeper and richer , and there is greater diversity of species. In the southeast corner of the park in the Cache Bay-Man Chain Lakes section is an extremely interesting area of green stone bedrock (green area on map). Minerals of many types occur locally here: gold, copper, iron, asbestos, and, most important for vegetation, lime. White cedar, merely a small, stunted 'scrub' tree in the granite areas of Quetico, reaches a diameter of 40 inches where lime is present. Such sites are, however, so small and local that few plant communities are present. These support only a handful of lime-loving species: smooth woodsia, Ellen Cathcart's woodsia, smooth cliffbrake, maidenhair spleenwort, limestone oak fern, and encrusted saxifrage. Other 'lime-lovers' which are often present in abundance in the surrounding localities (to the east in the Thunder Bay area, to the west on the Rainy River plain, and to the south in parts of northern Minnesota, where lime is a common element in the bedrock or soil) are largely absent from the Quetico flora, including showy lady-slipper orchid, bog-candle orchid , round-leaved orchis, arrowgrass, and sage-leaved willow.

Soils A very shallow soil covering of sand generally less than three feet deep occurs over much of Quetico. In areas of metasedimentary and greenstone bedrock this sand is richer and less acidic than on granite. Deeper soil (up to 150 feet in depth} occurs very locally on a few eskers and on the Steep Rock moraine, which stretches from Pickerel Lake in the northeast to Trousers and Zephira lakes. Small pockets of clay deposited by glacial Lake Agassiz are occasionally found in local depressions throughout the park, especially towards the west and southwest. As this clay is less acidic and considerably richer in nutrients than sand, it supports a much greater variety of plants, many of them mixed forest species. One of the most interesting and most diverse of Quetico's plant communi-

xx / The provincial, regional, and local context

ties is found on rich alluvial silt deposited on the levees and floodplains of some rivers. Species such as Manitoba maple, hops, carrion flower, nannyberry, and grove sandwort ( Arenaria lateriflora) have been found only on these alluvial sites. The levee of the Wawiag River near its mouth supports an excellent example of this community.

Microclimate In addition to the factors mentioned above local microclimate has a decided influence on the distribution of Quetico plants. Southern species such as poison ivy and Virginia creeper flourish in the warmer-than normal environment found beside a fast-flowing stream in the 'portage community.' Arctic and boreal species (e.g . snow-white cinquefoil and smooth woodsia) linger in crevices in north-facing cliffs where the sun seldom penetrates.

HUDSON"BAY

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Ch icago • KILOMETRES

The provincial, regional, and local context/ xxi

RARE ONTARIO PLANTS Among the flora of Quetico Park are a number of endangered Ontario species. Thirty-two are listed in The Rare Vascular Plants of Ontario by G.W. Argus and D.J. White (Botany Division, National Museum of Natural Sciences, Ottawa, 1977): floating marsh marigold ( Caltha natans), Mount Katahdin sedge ( Carex katahdinensis), sun-stimulated sedge ( Carex heleonastes), linear-leaved collomia ( Col/omia linearis), ram's-head lady-slipper orchid ( Cypripedium arietinum), least waterwort (Elatine minima), intermediate spike-rush (Eleocharis intermedia), narrow-leaved waterweed (Anacharis nuttalli), glaucous Joe-Pye weed (Eupatorium purpureum), Rocky Mountain fescue (Festuca ovina var. saximontana) , limestone oak fern ( Gymnocarpium robertianum), large-spored quillwort ( lsoetes macrospora), shore plantain (Littorella americana), racemed muhlenbergia grass ( Muhlenbergia racemosa), leafy water milfoil (Myriophyllum farwelli), blunt-fruited sweet cicely ( Osmorhiza depauperata) , Columbian panic grass (Panicum columbianum), poverty panic grass (Panicum depauperatum), very elongate panic grass (Panicum perlongum), twin witchgrass (Panicum philadelphicum), somewhat hairy panic grass (Panicum subvillosum), George Vasey's pondweed (Potamogeton vaseyi), northern pin oak ( Quercus e/lipsoidalis), smaller grass-leaved arrowhead ( Sagittaria graminea var. cristata), slender bulrush ( Scirpus heterochaetus), John Torrey's bulrush ( Scirpus torreyi), prairie goldenrod ( Solidago missouriensis), jointed bur-reed ( Sparganium androcladum), awlwort ( Subu/aria aquatica), New England blue violet ( Viola novae-angliae), smooth woodsia ( Woodsia glabella), and Ellen Cathcart's woodsia ( Woodsia cathcartiana) .

xxii/Th e provincial . , reg·ional, and local context

. reg ional, and loca I context/ xxiii The provincial,

"

KILOMETRES

Plants of Quetico and tbe Ontario shield

Plants of lake, mars4 and sbore

A canoeist in Quetico spends more time on the water than anywhere else. As he paddles along, certain flowers stand out above all others. In July one cannot fail but see exquisite water lilies set against a background of dark water, the almost continuous shoreline fringes of snow-white meadow sweet, and gaudy yellow spikes of swamp candles. In August the shoreline is ablaze with the whites, blues, and purples of asters intermingled with the yellows of goldenrods. Rich marshes yield the greatest variety of water-loving plants. Because these are scarce and very local in Quetico Park I've jotted down the locations of some of the best: Moose Bay of Crooked Lake and Deux Rivie res Creek at north end Tuck River of Sturgeon Lake Mouth of Wawiag River at Kawa Poohbah Creek Rice Bay of Lac La Croix Bay Bearpelt Creek north of Wolseley Andrews Creek Lake Allan Creek

4 I Lake, marsh, and shore

Lake, marsh, and shore / 5

6 / Lake, marsh, and shore

Water shield Brasenia schreberi

Sweet gale Myrica gale

Common bugleweed Lycopus uniflorus

Sweet gale Mynca gale

Lake, marsh , and shore / 7

Wild blue iris Iris versicolor

Spearwort buttercup Ranunculus 1/ammula

Fragrant white water lily Nymphaea odorata

Grass-leaved goldenrod Solidago graminifolia

Touch-me-not, jewelweed Impatiens biflora

8 / Lake, marsh, and shore

Royal fern Osmunda rega/is

Floating pondweed Potamogeton natans

Flat-topped white aster Aster umbellatus

Softstem bulrush Scirpus va/idus

White-panicled aster Aster simplex

Pipewort Eriocaulon septangulare

Lake, marsh, and shore/ 9

Turned-back sedge Carex retrorsa

Arrow-leaved arrowhead Sagittaria latifolia

Wedge-leaved arrowhead Sagittaria cuneata

10 / Lake, marsh, and shore

Marsh spike rush Eleocharis palustris

Three-way sedge Dulichium arundinaceum

Water parsnip Siumsuave

Freshwater cordgrass Spartina pectinata

Swamp candles Lysimachia terrestris

Lake, marsh, and shore/ 11

Wide-leaved floating bur-reed Sparganium fluctuans

Winterberry flex verticillata

Marsh cinquefoil Potenti/la palustris

Large-fruited bog cranberry Vaccinium macrocarpon

Sundrops Oenothera perennis

Purple bladderwort Utricularia resupinata

12 / Lake, marsh, and shore

Tufted loosestrife Lysimachia thyrsiflora

Hedge nettle Stachys palustris

Sweet flag Acorus calamus

Boneset Eupatorium perfoliatum

Giant mannagrass Glyceria grandis

Great water dock Rumex orbiculatus

Lake, marsh, and shore/ 13

Red-disked yel!ow water lily Nuphar rubrodiscum

Marsh marigold Caltha palustris

Aquatic beggar-ticks Bidens becki

Northern ragwort Senecio pauperculus

Horned bladderwort Utricularia cornuta

14 / Lake, marsh, and shore

Marsh St John's wort Triadenum virginicum

Reed grass Phragmites communis

Mare's tail Hippuris vulgaris

Spotted water hemlock Cicuta maculata

Big bluestem Andropogon gerardi

Dodder Cuscuta gronovi

Lake, marsh, and shore I 15

Monkey flower Mimulus ringens

Wool-grass bulrush Scirpus cyperinus

Marsh calla Calla palustris

Floating marsh marigold Caltha natans

16 / Lake, marsh, and shore

Meadow sweet Spiraea alba

Joe-Pye weed Eupatorium maculatum

Tapegrass Vallisneria americana

Water lobelia Lobelia dortmanna

Wild mint Mentha arvensis

Hooded ladies' tresses orchid Spiranthes romanzoffiana

Lake, marsh, and shore/ 17

Common skullcap Scutellaria galericulata

Common houstonia Houstonia longifolia

Wild rice Zizania palustris

Swamp milkweed Asclepias incarnata

New England blue violet Viola novae-ang/iae

Water smartweed Polygonum natans

Plants of tbe porwge communi~' and floodplain

Most portages in the Quetico are located in valleys along small streams which form the drainage channels between lakes. Here, in rich , basic soils, is often found a black ash-red maple-white elm forest containing an understory of many southern species such as poison ivy and Virginia creeper. This plant association occurs so regularly along Quetico's portages that I have come to call it the 'portage community.' Present also on the nutrient-rich alluvial deposits of river levees and floodplains , the 'portage community' is virtually absent elsewhere in Quetico because of the predominance of sterile, highly acidic, sandy or peaty soils. In September the conspicuous yellow leaves of the black ash, so common in this community, can be seen from afar and serve to direct the autumn canoeist to the next portage.

20 I The 'portage community' and floodplain

The 'portage community' and floodplain / 21

Black ash stand at portage

Fraxinus nigra

22 / The 'portage community' and floodplain

Virginia creeper Parthenocissus vitacea

Silver maple Acer saccharinum

The 'portage community' and floodplain/ 23

Spikenard Ara/ia racemosa

Red baneberry Actaea rubra

Red baneberry (white-berried form) Actaea rubra

Red-osier dogwood Cornus stolonifera

Red-berried elder Sambucus pubens

24 I The 'portage community' and floodplain

Nodding trillium Trillium cernuum

Cream bells Uvularia sessilifolia

Black snakeroot Sanicuta marilandica

The 'portage community' and floodplain / 25

Buroak Quercus macrocarpa

Calico aster Aster lateriflorus

False Solomon 's seal Smilacina racemosa

Northern lungwort Mertensia paniculata

26 I The 'portage community' and floodplain

Sensitive fern (light colour) Onoclea sensibilis

Purple-stemmed aster Aster puniceus

Heal-all Prune/la vulgaris

Fringed loosestrife Lysimachia cilia/a

Choke cherry Prunus virginiana

Ostrich fern (dark colour) Matteuccia struthiopteris

The 'portage community' and floodplain/ 27

Wild ginger Asarum canadense

Wild ginger Asarum canadense

28 / The 'portage community' and floodplain

Hops Humulus lupulus

Carrion flower Smilax herbacea

Greater goldenrod Solidago gigantea

High-bush cranberry Viburnum opulus

High-bush cranberry Viburnum opulus

Plants of the forest

Most forest plants bloom in early spring while yet there is abundant light on the forest floor. Some of my fondest memories are of almost solid carpets of the beautiful yellow flowers of blue-bead lily mixed with the delicate whites of goldthread , bunchberry, starflower, and wild lily-of-the-valley. It is a pity that most canoeists miss this breathtaking display of early spring flowers. I would urge flower lovers to come to Quetico during the last week of May and the first two weeks of June.

30 I The forest

Feathermoss carpet under black spruce Black spruce Picea mariana

The forest I 31

Blue-bead lily (Clintonia borealis), wild lily-of-the valley (Maianthemum canadense), bunchberry (Camus canadensis)

32 / The forest

Blue-bead lily Clintonia borealis

Blue-bead lily Clintonia borealis

Wild sarsaparilla Aralia nudicaulis

Bush honeysuckle Oiervilla lonicera

The forest / 33

Goldthread Coptis trifolia

Goldthread Cop/is trifolia

34 I The forest

Twinflower Linnaea borealis

Large-leaved aster Aster macrophyllus

Star flower Trientafis boreafis

Wild lily-of-the-valley Maianthemum canadense

Wild lily-of-the-val ley Maianthemum canadense

The forest / 35

One-flowered pyrola Moneses uniflora

Pink pyrola Pyrola asarifolia

Nodding pyrola Pyrola virens

36 /The forest

Round-leaved orchid Habenaria orbiculata

Prince's pine, pipsissewa Chimaphila umbellata

White-flowered pyrola Pyrola elliptica

American vetch Vicia americana

Saskatoon Amelanchier alnifolia

The forest/ 37

Fly honeysuckle Lonicera canadensis

Twisted stalk Strep/opus roseus

Wintergreen Gaultheria procumbens

Showy mountain ash Sorbus decora

38 / The forest

Forest horsetail Equisetum sylvaticum

Ground-cedar clubmoss Lycopodium complanatum

Ground pine clubmoss Lycopodium obscurum

The forest/ 39

Spotted coral-root orchid Corallorhiza maculata

Interrupted fern Osmunda claytoniana

Bristly clubmoss Lycopodium annotinum

Sir William Hooker's orchid Habenaria hookeri

40 / The forest

Running clubmoss Lycopodium clavatum

Hazelnut Cory/us cornuta

Mountain maple Acer spicatum

Naked mitrewort Mitellanuda

The forest / 41

Dwarf rattlesnake plantain orchid Goodyera repens

Pinesap Monotropa hypopithys

Hairy c li mbing honeysuckle Lonicera hirsuta

Wood anemone Anemone quinquefolia

42 / The forest

Fringed blue aster Aster ciliolatus

Indian pipe Monotropa uniflora

Creamy vetch ling Lathyrus ochroleucus

Oak fern Gymnocarpium dryopteris

Prickly wild rose Rosa acicularis

Downy arrow-wood Viburnum rafinesquianum

Plants of rock ridge and cliff

It is marvellous how some plants are able to survive and even flourish in tiny crevices in bare bedrock where soil and moisture seem almost non-existent. I've seen cliffs in Ouetico so bedecked with such a concentration , arrangement, and variety of colour as to surpass the best domestic rock gardens. Usually the higher the cliff or ridge the more species are present. Excellent rock ridge communities may be viewed at the following locations: North shore of Quetico Lake West shore of pond south of KahBeaverhouse Lake pictograph shahpiwi Lake cliff Northwest shore of Yum Yum Lake Agnes Lake narrows North shore of entire Man Chain West shore of Cache Bay Lakes system

44 I Rock ridge and cliff

Lac La Croix pictograph cliff

Rock ridge and cliff / 45

Bedrock ridge on Agnes Lake

46 I Rock ridge and cliff

Pink corydalis Corydalis sempervirens

Wild columbine Aquilegia canadensis

::;1em1ess 1aoy-s11pper orchid Cypripedium acaule

Harebell, bluebells of Scotland Campanula rotundifolia

Rock ridge and cliff I 4 7

Low bindweed Convolvulus spithamaeus

Three-toothed cinquefoil Potentilla tridentata

Rock polypody Polypodium vulgare

Spreading dogbane Apocynum androsaemifolium

Velvet-leaved blueberry Vaccinium myrtilloides

Late sweet blueberry Vaccinium angustifolium

48 I Rock ridge and cliff

Rough cinquefoil Potentifla norvegica

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Hoary puccoon Lithospermum canescens

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Large-toothed aspen Populus grandidentata

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Compass goldenrod Solidago nemoralis

Rock ridge and cliff/ 49

Common pussy toes Antennaria neglecta

Alum root Heuchera richardsoni

Alum root Heuchera richardsoni

Evening primrose Oenothera biennis

Slender ladies' tresses orchid Spiranthes gracilis

Fragrant cliff fern Oryopteris fragrans

50 I Rock ridge and cliff

Sweet fern Myrica asplenilolia

Smooth sumach Rhus glabra

Bearberry Arctostaphylos uva-ursi

Northern pin oak Quercus ellipsoidalis

Pin cherry Prunus pensylvanica

Plants of tbe bog

Of all plant communities in Quetico the bog is the most fascinating . Here one can actually walk on top of a lake, standing on a quaking, floating mat of deep, soft, sphagnum moss. Here also one finds insect-eating plants, some that drown their victims in a leaf modified to hold water, others that catch their prey with leaves as sticky as flypaper. Probably the greatest concentration of flower colour that may be observed at any one time occurs in the bog about the third week of May. At this time three heath shrubs - leatherleaf, bog laurel, and bog rosemary - and hare's-tail cotton grass (Eriophorum spissum) are in bloom simultaneously, producing a dazzling display of pinks and whites. Orchid lovers should visit the bog in late June or early July to see rose pogonia, swamp pink, and grass pink, some of the most beautiful of Ontario orchids. Good bogs can be seen at the following locations: Hurlburt Creek between Williams Ponds between Reid and Silence and Keewatin lakes lakes Pond between Fauquier and Pond between North Bay of BassLouisa lakes wood and Nest Lake Along Quetico-Badwater portage Pond between Fishhook and Along Conmee-Poohbah portage Brent lakes Pond north of Beaverhouse fire tower

52/The bog

Sedge mat with pitcher plant and cotton grass

The bog/53

Leatherleaf sea

Leatherleaf Chamaedaphne calyculata

54/The bog

Leatherleaf Chamaedaphne ca/yculata

Balsam willow Salix pyrifolia

Bog rosemary Andromeda glaucophyl/a

The bog /55

Hare's-tail cotton grass Eriophorum spissum

Labrador tea Ledum groenlandicum

Marsh bellflower Campanula aparinoides

Delicate cotton grass Eriophorum tenellum

56 / The bog

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