Sundew Triptych

Day 267: Between weather and schedule, it had been a while since I got out and about in a boat (kayak), so my choice of destination was a given: visit the Sundews on Lake St. Clair. I thought I might have missed their blooming period, and when I arrived at Jack's dock at 10 AM, it seemed my suspicions had been correct. But wait...those look like buds, not pods. Could it be that I just need to wait until later in the day for them to open up? I took photos of the foliage and then paddled off to pull Jewelweed from one of the few pieces of shoreline I can access from the 'yak. Jewelweed is a nasty invasive. I'm winning the war on a 2000' stretch, but the lake is heavily infested, and I'm essentially trying to dip the ocean dry with a teaspoon.

So, bow full of jewelweed, I returned to Jack's dock about an hour and a half later. Sure enough, some of the Sundews' cute little shepherd's-crook stems had open flowers. Now that I understand the daily phenology a little better, I can plan subsequent trips accordingly. Currently, Jack's dock represents the only population of Sundews on the lake, but they are amazingly healthy. In fact, when I spoke with Jack and said I was checking on "my kids," he replied, "I babysit them every day!" Despite the fact that he calls them "those Venus fly-trap things," he realizes he has something special.

It was a rather social outing for me. My other lakeshore friend Jim invited me up for lemonade. We sat for half an hour, looking out over the lake from his porch, skirting any mention of the woes of the world the better to enjoy the peace of the moment.

Drosera Rotundifolia

Day 351: I've still had no luck finding the remains of the original Sundew Island at Lake St. Clair, nor have I turned up any new locations for them in any of the lake's four arms. Their last remaining sanctuary is homeowner Jack's log breakwater, but oh, they are happy there! Two logs, one on either side of Jack's dock, help prevent the shoreline erosion caused by boat wake. There are clearly posted speed limits (variable depending on water level) but some boat owners ignore them or pilot ungainly craft which generate a wake at any speed, and many homes along the shoreline have some form of wake mitigation. Jack keeps his logs clear of young alders and invasive pseudacorus, creating a perfect maintained habitat for these insectivorous plants. While I was checking on them a few weeks ago, he stepped down to the dock and hallooed at me, "How are they doing?" "Just fine, Jack," I replied. "You're keeping them very happy. Thank you!" Never mind that he refers to them as "those Venus fly-trap things." His heart's in the right place, even if he doesn't fully understand what a rarity he has.

Visiting The Kids

Day 350: Before the good weather slips away, I wanted to pay one more visit to my kids at Lake St. Clair, so I put the rack back on the car yesterday and loaded the 'yak this morning while there was still frost on the ground. I figured the water would still be warm enough that I didn't need waders and I was right, but the air still had a nip in it when I launched.

There's a closer ramp to the Sundew colony I call Jack's Lot, but my intention was to stay out for several hours and put some miles on the paddles. I didn't realize until I got home that the last time I'd been in the 'yak was at the end of July. Where did summer go? Oh, that's right...I was chasing rare plants in the Park and ironically, the Park's colony of Sundews never made an appearance. I checked for them on several occasions, scouring the area where they are known to occur, and never found leaf, flower or seed head.

At Lake St. Clair, Jack's Lot are doing fine, but I can't say as much for Sundew Island, a decrepit raft of logs and lumber. The one Sundew-bearing log of the raft has apparently come adrift and although I patrolled five miles of shoreline, I failed to turn it up. You may recall that the island drifted free from the northwest arm of the lake a couple of years ago, and was captured by a homeowner and chained in place in a shady cove. The resident Sundews weren't happy in the new location, so I hope they've sailed to a more pleasant harbour. However, as I said, Jack's Lot are receiving exceptional care. Jack has cut back all the alder seedlings on their two logs, exposing them to the light they love, and examination of their pads demonstrated a widely varied diet ranging from beetles to spiders and even several fairly large moths.

I only spent three and a half hours on the water today, and an hour of that was visiting the kids. I wonder if Jack has told his neighbours to be on the watch for that crazy naturalist who flies the Jolly Roger on the back of her bright orange kayak?

Jack's Lot

Day 289: Warm weather saw me out and about in a boat again today, kayaking around Lake St. Clair and checking on my little Sundews in three locations. Jack's lot are by far the most abundant and healthy, and Jack (the homeowner whose floating logs they inhabit) is now quite aware of how special they are. He was home today, the first time I've seen him in a year, and he happily informed me that the local newspaper ran an article about the species some time last fall, although it only mentioned that they occur in Alaska. So much the better! I don't want word getting out, because unscrupulous collectors would make short work of these delicate carnivorous plants.

Seeing that I was having trouble getting into position to take photos of the flowers, Jack assisted me onto his dock for better stability. From that vantage point, I was able to get in closer with my Hoya macro filters to capture the "dew" which gives Drosera its common name. I was surprised to see that many were still in flower; most were forming seed pods, an encouraging sight. I'm happy to know that Jack has taken the stewardship of my little friends to heart.