O Canada! Churchill, Manitoba — Day 7 — 2014-07-09

Day 7 – Today’s field trips found us hugging the shoreline of Hudson Bay looking for wildflowers and wildlife.

The shore of Hudson Bay is quite rugged. In many places, it’s easy to see the high water mark of high tide — the rocks are a different color:

As you see, the rocks are quite smooth with few jagged edges. I believe the blue/gray color is their natural color. The tan color comes from weathering and oxidation of the minerals found in the rocks.

Here is another shot taken from a different, less protected area of the shoreline. Broken and chipped pieces are caused by smaller rocks being tossed in the surf during the fierce storms which occur from time to time:

One place we stopped along the coast showed us a few beautiful wildflowers such as Epilobium angustifolium or Fireweed. This is a common wildflower found in all provinces of Canada and the northern and western states in the U.S. Today, it was in perfect form:

Here is another wildflower, Potentilla multifida or Branched Cinquefoil, that dotted the rocky shoreline just above the high tide mark:

We went to another site where Lorne had seen a rare, beach plant called Mertensia maritima or Seaside Lungwort. But to get there, we had to walk past this warning sign. (Please ignore the tilt in the clouds and distant bay — I wanted to have leaning sign appear to be upright). Nancy Goodman is saying, “I don’t see any Polar Bears.”:

After some careful searching, we did find a handful of the Seaside Lungwort plants also known as Oysterleaf growing directly in the sand just above the high tide mark:

This species can be found along the coastline of the New England states, but it is quite rare.

Here is a picture of Walter and me sitting on an Inukshuk. These towers of rock are often built by the native hunters on the tundra to mark a special place such as a good hunting spot, a site to venerate ancestors, or a trail marker. Sometimes, as trail markers, several are placed in line so that the next one can be seen on the horizon.

We eventually drove back to the Centre for lunch, keeping an eye open for more critters along the way. After lunch, we headed southwest to an area of beautiful meadows and creeks. This was a place where Lorne had seen wildflowers on previous trips.

We parked, gathered our gear, and headed toward a shallow valley. Crossing the small creek, we scoured the creek side for wildflowers. The first one we spotted was Platanthera aquilonis or Northern Green orchid. This is a species, commonly found in the Hudson Bay region. It does not form large patches of blooming plants as do some of the other orchid species. From a distance it doesn’t look very special, but up close, its tiny yellow-green flowers are filled with much detail:

Another orchid species I had been hoping to see on this trip was Spiranthes romanzoffiana or Hooded Ladies’-tresses orchid. Although it was a bit early to find it in full bloom, we did see a four-plant clump which had some buds that were almost open — nice enough for me to photograph:

Another plant we saw had lots of white flowers and grew quite low to the ground. It is Vaccinium vitis-idaea or Dry-ground Cranberry. As its name implies, it tends to grow on the higher and drier portions of the meadows:

Having seen several other Saxifrages on the trip, I was pleased to find Saxifraga aizoides or Yellow Mountain Saxafrage, just coming into bloom — not that impressive, but a new one to add to my Saxifrage list.

Finally, as we were about to head back to the van, Lorne found a Anemone parviflora or Small Wood Anemone, just coming into flower:

We walked back down the creek side, and eventually reached the van. Lorne had some ideas about going back to an area along the coast where foxes had recently been spotted. So, off we go on another adventure…

Not far from the coast, we spotted a brown, shadowy figure out in the tundra. Turns out, it was a Rangifer tarandus or Woodland Caribou also known as Reindeer. There was only that one animal, and I was later to learn that they are solitary creatures for the most part, until it is time for migration to better food sources. I searched the horizon for Santa Claus, but he was nowhere to be found:

From time to time, one has to stop and scratch that itchy spot — not so easy when you have antlers and long, clumsy legs:

We made our way toward the peninsula where we often end up looking for Polar Bears. This time, as we were approaching the point, we looked out over the tundra and saw a brown speck, darting back and forth. As it got closer, we realized that it was a Vulpes lagopus or Arctic Fox in her spring attire. She was moving so fast and darting so randomly, that I had a difficult time focusing and getting a decent shot:

Eventually, she began to approach us, I suppose her curiosity got the best of her. A couple of minutes later, she was within 20 feet (6 meters), and we were able to get some fairly good shots of her:

In a few minutes, she realize that either we were no danger to her or else she was just bored with our company. In any case, she finally turned, and headed toward the rocks:

Another exciting day out on the tundra! We seriously owe Lorne and Joan a big “Thank You!” for providing such a great trip into the far reaches of Manitoba. I realize that I would never have the opportunity, on my own, to find and photograph such beautiful natural wonders…

–Jim