I absolutely fell in love with these Black-Eyed Susan’s. A storm was dropping in on me and the wind was blowing the afternoon when I took this photo on Pelee Island. I wanted to travel down the pathway that stretched deep into the Stone Road Alvar on the island but didn’t have time. This area was designated as a provincially significant Area of Natural and Scientific Interest (ANSI) in Canada. It is a “globally unique limestone plain” or alvar not represented elsewhere in Ontario and is separated from other limestone plains in the Great Lakes basin by several hundred miles. From what I read, over 50 provincially rare plant species have been recorded at Stone Road Alvar, making it one of the most botanically significant sites in Ontario. Nothing is planted. It is an area of wild flowers like nothing I have seen.

Alvar is an Estonian word that describes a limestone plain covered with scattered vegetation that endures extreme wet and dry conditions. They have their own unique flora that take advantage of the extreme variations in moisture and the highly calcified soil and bedrock openings. I just know the colors of summer were outstanding, and the memory of being in this area has not left me. I definitely want to go back with my camera. This trip seemed way too quick.

And of course, there was lots of Queen Anne’s Lace, which we have in Georgia. So far, I have only posted a representation of half of the photos that I took while vacationing on Pelee this summer.

 

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