Walking in the Woods

text and photos : Norma A. Hubbard (June 2012)
Robert Frost’s poem The Road Not Taken always comes to mind when I walk in my woods. The poem is about choices in life and how he takes the other road “because it was grassy and wanted wear”. And I recall this poem not because I have the choice between two actual paths (even though I do have a choice of trails to walk in our woods) it is because of the choice Ron and I made to take the path of living in the country. A day does not go by without one of us commenting on how great it is to live in the country … which brings me to this edition’s focus, the incredible flora we have in our area and the need to protect our wildflowers.

I love walking in our woods in all seasons as each season holds something special. The spring, however, offers the most change as the forest comes back to life after the winter. As a child walking in the woods, I saw many flowers and I could even name a few, but I did not think about conservation. One of my favourite flowers was and still is the beautiful but illusive Columbine (aquilegia canadensis). As with many plants there are some suggested medical uses for this plant; also it is said that the seeds work as a love charm when crushed on the hands of men. While I do not know if this is true, these are beautiful flowers that are endangered in some areas, so please, as with all wildflowers, enjoy them, but do not remove them. There are plenty of cultivated Columbine varieties available at nurseries which can be planted in our gardens and the hummingbirds love those varieties just as much as the wild versions.

Another incredible wildflower found in this area is the Moccasin flower, sometimes referred to as a Pink Lady`s Slipper (cyripedium acaule). As part of the Orchid family (orchidaceae) these flowers are quite a sight to come upon in the woods. This showy plant is the provincial flower of PEI. These wild orchids can be plentiful in some areas of Canada, but in our area they are rare. If you, like I am, are fortunate enough to have them growing in your woods, do not pick them or try to transplant them. I know it is tempting; I want- ed to transplant them when I first saw them. However, they will not transplant nor will they return if you pick the flowers. Now Ron and I just enjoy them on our walks and make sure we walk around their area and not on the flowers!

These are just two of the many wonderful wildflowers we can find in our area. We have Trout lily, Periwinkle, Trillium, Lily of the Valley, False Solomon’s Seal, Stitchwort, and numerous other flowers in our woods. We need to appreciate nature as we walk our trails, so when you walk in the woods of our area and feel like Robert Frost and doubt “if [you] should ever come back”, do not pick the flowers to remember, but leave them for others to enjoy and that will “make all the difference”.