 Shenk's
Ferry II
Lancaster County, PA
5/14/08
Mark Burchick
5/14/08
Shenk's
Ferry II
Holtwood
Environmental
Preserve on
the
Susquehanna
River
Lancaster
County, PA
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I've always
grabbed on to
sweet cicely
seed pods when
walking by
them. When you
crush them in
your hand they
release a strong
licorice odor,
with all parts
of the plant
containing anise
oil. You can
even lick your
fingers and
think
Good-and-Plenty. |
 |
Along with
the wild
geranium,
the wild
blue phlox
were common
within the
woods and
ran a range
of colors
from nearly
white to a
rich light
blue. |
 |
Virginia
waterleaf
has leaves
that can be
mottled with
light green
patches and
are
interesting
just by
themselves.
The light
citrus
scented
flowers have
fuzzy
interiors
and grew in
dense
aggregates
along the
flats and
shelves of
the
preserve. |
 |
We noted
several
varieties of
violet, purple
oriented to
the wetlands
and white
violet on
the dry side
slopes. |
 |
We scampered
down along a
stream
tunnel in
the hopes
that the
cold air and
water would
allow us to
find some
wildflowers
that were
suppressed/retarded
in flower,
hopefully
finding a
trillium or
two still in
bloom.
Nothing
doing, but
we did find
masses of
hydrangea
and
maidenhair
fern. |
 |
Michelle
found these
first, and
said
"these look
nice, what
are they?"
Wow, the
highlight of
the day,
Showy Orchid
(Orchis
spectabilis).
Any/all
orchids are
significant,
uncommon to
rare and
should never
be picked.
I've seen
several
types in
flower, but
never the
Showy.
Until today
the only
person that
I know that
has
photographed
a Showy is
Leslie Wood
of ESA, Inc.
who took a
photo of
this plant
from a work
site, near
LaPlata, Charles
County, MD. |
 |
The showy
orchid
deserves a
second
photo. |
 |
Several
areas of
wet, rock
outcrops
contained
columbine in
flower. |
 |
We found one
large
aggregate of
golden
ragwort, a
wetland
plant.
|
In total we
observed
columbine,
waterleaf,
chickweed,
cleavers,
miterwort, dwarf
ginsing,
saxifrage,
Solomon seal,
hepatica,
mayapple, rue
anemone, sweet
cicely, violet,
stoncrop,
clearweed, false
nettle,
jack-in-the-pulpit,
skunk cabbage,
aster,
toothwort,
geranium,
cinquefoil,
colts foot,
golden ragwort,
jewelweed,
wild ginger,
paw, daylily,
bluebells,
phlox,
mega-trilliums
everywhere
and dozen
plus herbaceous
plants that I
could not key
out because they
were not in
flower and most
likely limestone
dependant.
I'd recommend a
field day at
Shenk's Ferry to
everyone, but
make sure to
time it for
mid-April,
during the peak
of the trillium
show.
Submitted by Mark
Burchick
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