Petrel Point - Part II

After we had gone a short distance through the forested swamp, the boardwalk abruptly turned and came out to the open fen.  This is the unique wetland that supports carnivorous plants like Pitcher Plant and Sundew.  A thin film of nutrient-rich water continually flows across these fens, heading toward the shoreline, but creating a very unusual habitat as it goes.

There's a distinct edge to the forested swamp where the open coastal fen begins, but the boardwalk continues.

These are the Pitcher Plant flowers from behind.

And this is the flower from the front.

These are the 'pitchers', hollow plant structures covered in downward-pointing hairs on the inside. so insects landing are quickly captured, providing nutrients for the plant.

And here, surrounding some of those pitchers, is a carpet of Linear-leaved Sundew.  The sticky drops on each leaf catch insects and the hairs hold them there while they get digested.

This is a carnivorous plant not many people recognize as such, Bladderwort.  The 'leaves' are underwater, but they function effectively at trapping and holding aquatic insects.

There are lots of other plants in the fen.  One of the most common is this rush.  I'm not capable of telling you the species; there are many different rush species in Ontario.

The white feathers of Cotton Grass show up as white dots across the fen.  It's not actually a grass, but a sedge, and it's a good indicator of a healthy wetland.

One species we did not see was the Grass Pink, a beautiful little flower in the orchid family, with a stunning colour.  This picture was taken here several years ago.

I was surprised to see this bench was dedicated to Bill Klein and his wife.  I knew him when I was a teenager, and he developed a passion for the Bruce Peninsula and shared his photos at the local naturalists club.

Here and there there were interesting clumps of dead Cedar trees, probably killed by the harsh winters.

And here is yours truly, the wiggly boardwalk extending behind him.