Spring Orchids and Wildflowers of the Bruce Peninsula

Getaway to the Bruce Peninsula in the spring and enjoy the diversity of orchids and wildflowers

Springtime is the most promising of all seasons and nature awakes after the cold days of winter. It may be one of the
best times to enjoy the varied nature on the Bruce Peninsula

 

RARE PLANTS OF THE BRUCE PENINSULA - ORCHIDS OF THE BRUCE PENINSULA

 

WILDFLOWERS AND GARDENS OF THE BRUCE PENINSULA

Spring on the Bruce Peninsula lets you relax in beautiful natural surroundings, just 3.5 hours northwest of Toronto. Hike on the famous Bruce Trail, enjoy spectacular sunsets, watch birds and admire an abundance of wildflowers. When your day is done, the warm and friendly atmosphere of your B&B accommodation welcomes you!

Numerous varieties of plants are welcoming the sun, beginning with Indian Paintbrush, Marsh Marigolds, Trilliums, Marsh Iris and many more.
A walk on the famous Bruce Trail in spring is a feast for your eyes – white and red Trilliums, different coloured Violas and an enormous number of other flowers in all colours are covering the forest grounds!

For information on gardens in the Bruce Peninsula please visit :

RARE FLOWERS AND FERNS OF THE BRUCE PENINSULA
Some of the rarest flowers and ferns in Ontario can be found growing in the Bruce Peninsula:

Lakeside Daisy (Hymenoxys acaulis var. glabra)
This is one Ontario's rarest plants.  This showy member of the sun flower or daisy family grows at five sites on the Bruce Peninsula, in a destinctive and unusual habitat, alvar.  Lakeside Daisy (or Rubberweed, as it is sometimes called) is a showy, spring blooming, perennial which arises from a short, thick taproot.  It has dark green leaves and bright yellow flowers on stalks which reach a maximum height of about 40cm.  In Ontario its habitat is alkaline, seasonally wet in spring and fall and moderately to extemely drougthy in summer.

Dwarf Lake Iris

Dwarf Lake Iris (iris lacustris)
      The Dwarf Lake Iris  only grows in very special sites, one being the northern shores of Lake Huron on the Bruce Peninsula. This wildflower is appreciated for its beauty, extreme rarity and for its genetic potential.The Dwarf Lake Iris thrives on the shorelines in the cool air that flows off the lake, enjoys moist, sandy or rocky soil with the right amount of sun penetrating to the forest floor.  It has deep blue to purple blossoms enhanced by bright-yellow crests.  Bloom  period is late May and early June.

Northern Holly Fern (Polypodium Lonchitis)
    An evergreen fern of the north, to be looked for on the cliffs of the Bruce Peninsula.  The leaf stalk is densely scaly and gradually diminishing in size toward the tip.  The roots are short, stout and very scaly.  No other fern in the north country has both  once-cut fronds and spiny edges.  The Northern Holly Fern is found in rock crevices or at the base of  boulders, mostly in boreal and subalpine coniferous forests.

ORCHIDS OF THE BRUCE PENINSULA

Pink Ladies Slipper

In the end of May enjoy the Orchid Festival organized by the Bruce Peninsula National Park. It gives you the opportunity to experience a guided tour of the bloom of some of the 44 wild orchid species growing on the Bruce Peninsula. Yellow Lady Slippers and the tiny Ram’s Head Lady Slippers are just an example of what there is to see. The number of tickets is limited; make sure to book your accommodation package in good time!

Be prepared for a weekend out in the nature - don’t forget your camera and good shoes, a binocular could be handy too!

For a checklist of orchids and more information on the Annual Orchid Festival click here

Wild Orchids of the Bruce Peninsula Ontario

Located only a little over 3 hours drive from the metropolis of Toronto is a world where wild orchids are thriving. The Bruce Peninsula is located between Georgian Bay and Lake Huron, creating an environment where these beautiful flowers flourish. 44 species of orchids live in the Bruce Peninsula giving the Bruce Peninsula the distinction of having one of the greatest varieties of natural orchids in North America - especially for such a small area.

Globally - there are more than 30 000 orchid species. Canada is home to 77 species of these orchids. Ontario has 61 varieties of orchids - and of these - 44 can be found in the Bruce Peninsula

The orchids of the Bruce Peninsula bloom throughout spring and summer. Their exact bloom dates depends on the weather. The Bruce Peninsula's unique location provides these delicate flowers with the perfect enviroment for their survival. Wild orchids depend on a specific habitat to sustain them and the Bruce Peninsula has an unusually rich diversity of habitats, from the rugged cliffs of the Niagara Escarpment, to flat, dry rock plains called alvars, to various types of swampy wetlands.

Some orchids flourish more than others in the Bruce Peninsula. The Yellow Ladies Slipper can be seen growing on the sides of the roads in the Bruce like dandelions! On the other hand - the Calypso orchid is found only on Flower Pot Island within Fathom Five National Marine Park. Some orchids grow very slow. The Showy Ladies Slipper orchid take years to come to bloom.

	Yellow Ladies Slipper

Removing these precious flowers from the Bruce peninsula is usually a death sentence to them. Orchids generally grow utilizing the medium that surrounds them. They require this medium to grow and survive. They can not live in a garden in Toronto for this reason.

A selection of the most interesting orchids on the Bruce Peninsula:

Yellow Lady's Slipper - Cypripedium parviflorum
-   Common, native orchid, classified 'secure'
-   Blooms May to June
-   Prefers drier soil than other Lady's slippers
-   Easy to find along roadsides as Johnston Harbour Road
-   Remarkable: produces the smallest seeds by any group of flowers!
-   Link: www.osrbg.ca

Nodding Ladies' Tresses - Spiranthes cernua
-   Common, native orchid, classified 'secure'
-   Blooms late August and September, or until a heavy frost
-   Prefers moist and sandy soil
-   Link: www.osrbg.ca

Eastern Prairie Fringed Orchid - Platanthera leucophaea
-   Very uncommon orchid, grows only in Ontario,
     classified as 'special concern' since 1986
-   Blooms late June to early August
-   Prefers wettest parts of fens
-   To find at the fens at Singing Sands
-   Link: www.osrbg.ca

Ram's Head Lady Slipper

Ram's Head Lady Slipper - Cypripedium arietinum
-   Quite common, native orchid, classified 'sensitive'
-   Blooms the last 10 days of May to mid. June
-   Prefers woodland environment
-   To find at Singing Sands
-   Link: www.osrbg.ca

European Common Twayblade - Listera ovata
-   Very unusual, not native orchid, grows only in Ontario,
     classified as 'exotic'
-   Blooms June and July
-   Prefers wet soil, over dolomite area, cedar woodlands
-   Link: www.osrbg.ca/files/

Helleborine - Epipactis helleborine
-   Relative usual, not native orchid, classified as 'exotic'
-   Blooms late July to August; rarely, into October
-   Prefers swamps and stream edges, gravelly roadsides, sheltered sandy beaches, open woodlands
-   To find at Singing Sands
-   Link: www.osrbg.ca

 

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