As I've said, I have visited Dorcas, or what Parks Canada is calling Singing Sands, numerous times over the past. Once we brought university students up here for a week long field course. So I have a few pictures from the past; pretend you're a botanist and see if you're fascinated by these plants!.
'Singing Sands' by the way refers to the squeaking sound the sand makes when you walk across it. This is due to the uniform size of the quartz grains and only occurs a few places in the world.
This map was posted in the years when Parks Canada had taken over management, but before all the recent changes to access had been made. You can see the narrow access lane that led in off the sideroad, and behind that the open fen, half covered by map labels. The sandy shore was very wide at this point, and you can see the forest beyond the access point.
This is Fringed Polygala, found typically under the Jack Pine forest.
Indian Paintbrush is found on the dry sands, but in slightly more open areas.
Thios is a terrible picture of Fringed Gentian, but it's the only one I've got. This beautiful flower typically grows on the open sandy shore.
In slightly ,more damp areas you can find the Grass of Parnassus, not a grass at all, but a flowering plant. It looks like little white lanterns across the fen.
And now we come to the fascinating Pitcher Plant, this picture taken in the spring when the leaves (pitchers) were still green.
The flower, which hangs down, is stunning, in real life a brighter red than this.
But it's in the 'pitchers' that the plant gets its reputation, for sharp downward pointing hairs trap insects which drown in the fluids at the bottom, providing nutrients for this carnivorous plant.
I hope these photos from past blog posts in 2015 help show the uniqueness of this habitat.
I love the blue flowers. Interesting to see the insect-catching plants.
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