Brantford Perched Prairie Fen

I took a couple of friends to see the Brantford Perched Prairie Fen last July.  This rich prairie site, about 1.3ha in size, is fed by calcium-rich groundwater which makes for some unique flora.  In fact, this community (ranked S1 in Ontario) has only 2 known occurrences in the province.  Literature prepared by the Michigan Natural Features Inventory provides further detail about this rare habitat.

A few highlights from our excursion included a healthy population of Ohio Goldenrod (Solidago ohioensis).  The succulent leaves of this goldenrod kind of resemble those of Seaside Goldenrod (Solidago sempervirens), an exotic species which is a halophyte, meaning it flourishes under saline conditions.  Where you would find Ohio Goldenrod in high quality habitats, Seaside Goldenrod is largely limited to the ditches of the 401 from Windsor through to Woodstock and continuing further east.  I've started to see it popping up away from the 401 along farm laneways and areas you wouldn't think are subject to a whole lot of salt.

Swamp Thistle (Cirsium muticum) with it's purple leaf midrib. 

Sticky False Asphodel (Tofieldia glutinosa ssp. brevistyla).  Homer's Odyssey speaks of  "indifferent and ordinary souls" being sent to  "asphodel meadows" in the afterlife.  As tempting as it is to imagine botanizing a perched prairie fen in the afterlife, the asphodel meadows Homer was referring to were in the Greek Underworld, so maybe not my first pick.

White Camas (Anticlea elegans) was nice to see in bloom.  I hope to make it back here this year, if not for some informal Dorca's Copper surveys, then maybe to track down some Yellow Stargrass (Hypoxis hirsuta).