Posts Tagged ‘waterways’
A botanical life list first
Today, we drove to St. Stephen from our home near Fredericton (New Brunswick). We traveled some back roads, getting some great glimpses of the St, Croix River. The St. Croix is an international waterway, so when we look across the river, we see the United States.
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Along one stream in the drainage, we found a beyond-bright red flower I knew right away but have never seen except in photos.
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The cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis) was one of the first flowers I read about when I moved to New Brunswick, but this is the first time I have seen it in bloom.
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The red colour is so bright against the darker colours of the water and leaves. The plant is pollinated by hummingbirds.
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In New Brunswick, the cardinal flower grows in wet areas, along shores and on rocky islands in streams.
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The plant is about a half-metre or more in height and bears its flowers in terminal spikes. The flower has three spreading lower petals and two upper petals; all are united into a tube at the base. The stem is erect with pointed elliptical leaves.
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Like birders, most botanists keep track of the plants they know and have seen in the field. I am delighted to add this to my list of known plants!
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Have a great day! Stay cool!
Jane
sculpting land and trees
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sculptured trees in La Grève-sur-Mignon (image from Street View)
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map showing distance travelled (map from Google Earth)
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During my virtual travels in France, I have noticed the way nature has been modified to suit people. We do this in North America too, pruning trees to take elaborate shapes, pulling weeds and planting domesticated plants, modifying the edges of lakes to be more ‘beach-like’, straightening watercourses, and so on.
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In France, I have particularly noticed how canal-like the watercourses are in the area of La Venise Verte. This is a result of the area’s history. When the marshes of the Marais Poitevin were settled, people needed dry land to farm and live. In the tenth century, there was a huge effort to dig canals and reclaim the land. The result is the canal system I am seeing on my virtual bike ride. The waterways are straight and their banks are steep. Canals intersect at right angles …
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intersecting waterways (image from Street View)
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Other elements of the natural landscape are also shaped by human hands. For example, older trees are pruned to take on unnatural shapes. This may be in order to rejuvenate older trees by encouraging new growth. It may also be for aesthetics …
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some weirdly pruned trees near Balanger
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A man was out pruning these trees as I ‘drove’ by …
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man working on trees near Balanger – he has removed all the sucker branches on the tree nearest the camera (image from Street View)
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I saw some of the most bizarre of these pruned trees in Niort …
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weird trees in Niort (image from Street View)
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I have no idea which tree species these are. they could be willow, or even olive …
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severely pruned tree in rural area near Irleau
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Do you know which species of tree is being pruned?
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Best View: pruned trees near La Grève-Sur-Mignon …
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Copyright Jane Tims 2013
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