The Cranesville Swamp, Part 2

Me at the Cranesville Swamp.

 

The Cranesville Swamp consists of a flat expanse surrounded by low hills, populated by trees here and there. A convenient boardwalk allows one to walk without interfering with the vegetation or sinking into the bog, though there were some places farther along submerged under several inches of water. I believe one would call it technically a fen, as the water does flow, albeit very slowly, through the terrain.

 

Skunk cabbage among hillocks of mosses

 

We'd hoped to see the pitcher plants that grew here that we'd read about, and perhaps some of the sundews, but the skunk cabbage had overgrown everything so much that any pitcher plants and sundews were totally obscured. There were plenty of large Cranberry bushes (Vaccinium macrocarpon) with flower buds on them, their leaves still showing red. The name seems deceptive, these plants grew very low in height.

 

 

 

Large Cranberries (Vaccinium macrocarpon)

 

 

The lowbush and highbush blueberries were a bit taller, but it was hard to distinguish between the two--I'm not sure I have these correctly identified, but it seemed the flowers of the lowbush were paler, as its botanical name indicates, and the highbush blueberry redder.

 

 

 

Lowbush Blueberry (Vaccinium pallidum) 

 

Highbush Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum)

 

As we ambled along the boardwalk some Viburnums in bloom were visible, perhaps wild raisin, (Viburnum cassinoides), or highbush cranberry (Viburnum edulis), hard for me--a non-botanist--to tell. I wish I'd been able to go on the earlier Wildflower Festival walk with some experts, to learn the differences.

 

Viburnum cassinoides?

 

The array of low-growing plants along the boardwalk was fascinating, the tiny berries of Wintergreen, the unfurling fiddleheads of ferns (Bracken?)  and fruiting mosses were just lovely.

 

Low growth along the boardwalk

 

Mosses with spore heads

At the north end of the boardwalk, a few tall tamarack trees (Larix laricina), also known as the American larch, could be seen, only one had rather skimpy foliage. Here is the southernmost occurrence of this deciduous conifer more typical of northern latitudes such as Canada and the upper midwest, and they didn't seem to be prospering. I understand there are a number of insects that can damage these trees, it seemed the few here could use some help.

  

 

Tamarack trees (Larix laricina)

The plants in this setting were so beautiful to my eye, that I'd like to try a painting depicting several of them in their environment later on.

 

 

Fern fronds unfurling

 

Small trees or shrubs

Drooping sedge (Carex crinita)

Maleberry (Lyonia ligustrina)

Towards the northern end the boardwalk was submerged in several inches of water, and when we re-entered the woods, the ground there was so soggy one had to tread with care. The recent rains had really waterlogged this part of the preserve and we were really glad we had waterproof boots!

 

Skunk cabbage among the ferns and cranberries

 

I'd love to visit the Cranesville Swamp again at another time of the year, like in the fall, to observe how the landscape changes with the seasons. I imagine it would be covered in the bloom of goldenrods and native asters, ripe berries, and some colorful foliage in the background... perhaps this coming fall.

The Cranesville Swamp, Part 1

 

Entering the Cranesville Swamp

Towards the end of a very rainy period in late May, a friend and I decided to visit the Cranesville Swamp. We'd  missed the walk in early May during the West Virginia Wildflower Festival, and wanted to see this unusual botanical site. Straddling the edge of western Maryland and upper WV, this site is considered botanically unique because it's a "frost pocket", where the cold mountain air collects, making for a much colder environment than its latitude would indicate. The poorly-draining soil has created a classic high-altitude bog that contains some very unusual plants.

 

Hemlock forest

 

The woods leading up to the boardwalk of the bog were lush--mostly tall hemlocks and white pine, with remnants of a red spruce forest that was heavily logged up until the 1950's. Today, hundreds of red spruce saplings have been planted by the Nature Conservancy, who owns the site, in an effort to restore the original forest.

 

Large specimen of red spruce.

 

There are several varieties of club mosses found in this forest: ground cedar (Lycopodium digitatum), Tree clubmoss ( Lycopodium obscurum), which we photographed--the two others we probably saw, but could not identify.

 

Tree Club Moss (Lycopodium obscurum) with wild strawberry

Ground cedar (Lycopodium digitatum)

 

Patches of tiny Bluets bloomed among the wild strawberries covering the ground, and White Beakrush here and there.

 

 

 

Bluets (Houstonia caerulea) and wild strawberries

 

White Beakrush (Rhynchospora alba)

 

 

 Cinnamon ferns abounded in the moist forest, with lady ferns and Oak ferns.

 

 

 

Cinnamon ferns (Osmunda cinnamomea)

 

Oak ferns (Gymnocarpium dryopteris) among club mosses

 

Butterfly among ferns

 

After a short walk through the forest, the trees cleared out and we were out in the open, arriving at the Cranesville Swamp. 

End of Part 1, see next post for Part 2.

 

 

May 2026 Bloom day

 

White iris

I's been such a cruel spring this year, with drought and wild swings in temperatures in my Zone 6B Virginia garden! The mid-April frost coming after an abnormally warm week not only blasted the emerging leaves and buds from my flowering trees, but the irises that were in spike as well. Only the patch of irises in the front yard, protected by the house, managed to bloom. As of a few days ago only the white ones, later than the rest, persisted. My peonies, which would be blooming about now, have only a few viable buds, and are late.

Me too--I'm late with this May Bloom Day, hosted by Carol Michel's May Dreams Garden blog, because I was taking an intense in-person painting workshop for four days, and had no time to write or post my photos. What you see were taken last week and/or some days ago; welcome to my May garden, such as it is.

 

Amaryllis on the porch

 

The Amaryllis I got as a gift a couple of Christmases ago re-bloomed, and decorates my front porch. In the front yard a friend found and brought me some lovely rocks to build up a border edge for the bed under the trees, and I think it adds a little something to the overall look.

 

Front yard with new stone edging

I like to plant some annuals in this front bed in an effort to camouflage the dying foliage of the daffodils and have something growing there during the summer, but usually deer come and eat most of the plants anyway. This year I'm hoping to foil them with a new deer repellent, but its effectiveness remains to be seen. I bought a few new perennials to add to the Gaillardia I planted a few years ago--a blue-flowered Lithodora, and a blue Pincushion flower (Scabiosa) at the edges of the trees where they'll get some sun.  

Recently I planted three bare-root Astilbes under the dogwood tree to the left, but they'll take a while to emerge and bloom during the summer. I'll probably plant some Coleus later on when the daffodil foliage has died out completely.

 

Lithodora

 

Gaillardia 'Arizona Sun' getting ready to make a show

Blue Pincushion flower (Scabiosa)

My Viburnum 'Brandywine'  on the east side of the house did not sustain any damage, but the climbing rose 'New Dawn' and Clematis 'Etoile Violette' don't look very happy in the prolonged drought, with leaf miners blighting the rose. Neither does the Filicoides Cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa filicoides). Only the dwarf blue spruce seems to have retained its normal lovely spring foliage.

 

Viburnum 'Brandywine' with blue spruce, Hinocki cypress and 

 

In the east woodland garden all three Japanese maples and the Virginia Fringe tree were blighted and are only now starting to put forth some foliage, but surely there won't be any flowers here this year. The flowers of the two Rhododendrons and the Pagoda dogwood were also blighted. Usually this part of my garden is so lovely during this season, but this year, only the 'Blue Barlow' columbines, which have spread everywhere, are blooming. 

 

'Blue Barlow' Columbines

Rhododendron 'Southgate Brandi' under Japanese maple 'Bloodgood'

I keep adding native plants to my woodland garden: this spring some wild ginger under the Carolina Silverbell tree, next to the Pink Turtlehead planted last year. And, I finally bought a reasonably-priced Helleborus niger, which I planted between the Japanese Full Moon maple and the Virginia Fringe tree. I acquired one bare-root plant of Trillium grandiflora I hope to plant as soon as I find some time.

Moving down to the back yard, the Foxglove Pentstemons are proving indestructible, and the Ninebark Tree 'Coppertina' in the badlands has some decent blooms, though not like in other years.

 

Foxglove Pentstemon

Ninebark Tree 'Coppertina'

 

A nice surprise in the back bed--one of the Snapdragons I planted last year survived the winter and is blooming--it seems taller this year, and definitely taller than the ones I just planted, which I think are exactly the same variety. I've learned that deer don't eat Snapdragons, so they're a  good choice for my garden. So is Verbascum. 

  

Snapdragons

Verbascum 'Southern Charm'

The red honeysuckle 'Major Wheeler' has been very floriferous, and providing nourishment for the hummingbirds migrating north. The native red Columbines also attract the hummers.

 

Red Honeysuckle 'Major Wheeler'

 

Red Columbines (Aquilegia canadensis)

Another shrub that won't be flowering this year is the Philadephus 'Cheyenne'; the shrubs in that bed are so sad-looking! The Beautyberries died down to the ground and are just starting to re-sprout from their bases. The Honeylocust tree was looking dead, but seems to be sprouting some foliage now. Not worth photographing.

On the west side of the house the Salvia "May Night' is blooming with the round-leaved Coreopsis. The pink-flowered Sweetspire (Clethra alnifolia) behind the deer barrier is re-sprouting, but the Clematis I planted there last fall was eaten right down to the ground. Probably not a bad thing--this site is too hot for the 'Betty Corning' Clematis I'd purchased on sale. I bought a replacement, but I'm still trying to figure out where to plant it out of the reach of the deer, where the fragrance can be enjoyed.

 

Salvia 'May Night' with Coreopsis

Clematis montana 'Appleblossom'

The other Clematis on this side of the house has not performed well either--only a few blooms this spring. It badly needs pruning, but that will have to wait until after it's finished blooming.

This morning I spent an hour digging up a dead Ilex bush that was in front of the Clematis, preparing the ground for a new shrub--a dwarf Smokebush. It was back-breaking work in this heat (the outdoor thermometer is marking 96 degrees F as I write), digging up big rocks and the yellow clover taking over--I'm getting too old for this! I wish I could afford to hire two laborers to do this stuff for me, but my budget doesn't permit it, so I try to enjoy it, despite the backaches.

 

Dutch Iris

Purple Dutch Iris

 

The pale Dutch Iris flowers also got blighted, but the later-blooming purple ones are making a good show now. The Allium Moly is always dependable.

 

Allium  moly

 

 That's about it for now, awaiting rain. Thanks for visiting!

 

Early May

Iris in the front yard

 

It's been a crazy spring, with unseasonable heat spells in late March and early April, and two killing frosts in-between. The emerging flower buds and leaves of the trees were blasted by the first frost, only to be burned again as they were starting to recover and resume growth. The worst-hit were my Japanese maples and the Redbuds, which are still looking very sad.  Many other trees too--the lack of rain hasn't helped.

My iris blooms are much reduced this spring--the patch of yellow bearded iris on the left of the driveway was brimming with flower spikes getting ready to open, even the Dutch iris. The other varieties in the back yard--'Victoria Falls,' 'Blatant,' and the old-fashioned iris from my mother's garden were just putting out their flowering spikes when the second frost hit, and were all blighted--I cut off the pathetic-looking, desiccated stalks. The only flowers to survive were in this small patch right in front of the house.

 

Bicolor iris

 

Yellow iris

White iris

A small patch of mom's old-fashioned iris growing under the stairs to the deck was protected enough to survive--not exactly a scenic setting, but the scent is lovely.

 

Mom's old-fashioned iris under the back stairs

 

At this time of the year, the east woodland garden is usually remarkably beautiful, with the Virginia Fringe tree in bloom against the pinkish-yellow of the Full Moon maple, 'Blue Barlow' columbines, and the Pagoda Dogwood getting ready to bloom. The 'Berry Poppins' hollies in this bed also got blasted, it may take them the rest of the season to recover enough to put out some leaves. This year, with the fringe tree denuded of its buds, and the burnt foliage of the Japanese maples, only the columbines are blooming, making for a much diminished display.

 

'Blue Barlow' Columbines

 

Dwarf Colorado Blue Spruce

In all, I have fewer flowers than usual for this time of the year, when my garden normally looks its best. One Rhododendron in the woodland garden had a few buds, but it's doubtful that they'll open--they seem to be damaged.

 

Salvia 'May Night'

There are some Salvias and a yellow flower whose name I forget blooming on the west side of the house. 

My 'Coral Charm' Peony put out four blossoms a week or so back, but their glory was short-lived, and the blooms are now gone. I hope my other peonies, which bloom later, will put on a better display, but who knows?

 

Peony 'Coral Charm'

 

I hope we'll get a good tropical rainstorm soon, so that my garden can begin to recover from this very cruel spring!