Last year in mid June we found a few orchids at Garry Fen near Alexandria. So we thought we'd head out and see what was there. The boardwalk, and the forest trail, was certainly vastly different than a month ago (See Garry Fen May 2026) . The spring flowers had all disappeared and summer had arrived.
The reeds alongside the aging boardwalk were up 4-6 feet tall (or more). The space for orchids or flowers of any kind was very limited at the edge of the boardwalk.
Blue flag (2x), meadow hawkweed, marsh cinquefoil, dames rocket
If there were orchids there, we missed them. But pitcher plants were quite plentiful. Most, but not all, of their flowers had lost their petals.
Sun dews, carnivorous plants, were at the boardwalk edge in very damp areas. They are only about 1-1.5" tall.
Also blooming:
spurreys (¼") , tufted loosestrife, labrador tea, cotton deergrass (sodden from rain), fleabane
A few insects were easily spotted. Metarranthis moth (yes I had to look that one up), common blue damselfly, chalk-fronted corporal dragonfly, dusky clubtail dragonfly.
And a few insects I only spotted at home looking at the photos. These are very tight crops and enlarged so the quality might not be as good as I had I seen them while there and used my macro lens.
Fork-tailed bush katydid, , black-footed click beetle, long-jawed orb weaver spider
Just off the boardwalk heading back to the car - fungus - look closely and for a slug.
Several good sized garter snakes crossed the boardwalk, but too quickly for photos. On the roads nearby we had to be careful as snapping turtles were crossing. It was egg laying time.
We then headed south to Coopers Marsh on the St Lawrence River.
Painted turtles, large snapping turtle, bull frog, leopard frog
Blue flag, yellow iris, buttercup, red clover, white clover, fleabane, guelder-rose (a new name to me), cow parsley (2x)
The chicks had hatched on the osprey nest but were too small to be seen. We assumed the same would be at the Iroquois locks osprey nest, so we headed home.