Indian Pipe wildflowers have no chlorophyll so they get their nutrients from decaying matter. They have whitish, waxy scaly stalks with nodding, waxy 1″ bell-shaped flowers. They grow solo or in clumps and only from 4″-10″ tall. (Click on blog link for other photo.)
They bloom from July to September in the woods, so if you’re out on a hike in the woods, maybe you will see one. Just look for the white stalks sticking out of the ground!
If you’re not looking at the ground while you walk by these little beauties on the side of the road, you will probably miss them as they are only about 10-12mm across. I saw them a couple of years ago in the same place, but missed them last year.
So, it was a big treat to see them again. They are just stunning with their bright orange petals and purple center and bright yellow anthers. Have you ever seen a Scarlet Pimpernel wildflower?
The little, white Canada Mayflowers are blooming all along the sides of the woodland trails here on Cape Cod. I’ve seen many of them in Provincetown and Fort Hill. (Click on blog link for other photo.)
The Canada Mayflower is a small woodland plant, only 3-6 inches, with tiny 4-petaled flowers that look like little bottle brushes. The flowers are only 1/4 inch .
So pretty and so delicate… Have you ever seen a Canada Mayflower?
The little, bell-shaped pinkish-white, waxy flowers on the Bearberry plants on Cape Cod are so pretty… and so delicate. These pretty little flowers turn into bright red berries in the fall and winter.
Bearberry is a low-growing ground cover that you can find along the roadsides and many of the trails on Cape Cod. Its teardrop-shaped, leathery leaves are dark green. You can find the white or pale pink flowers between March and June, so you still have a little time.
The Beech Forest Trail, part of the National Seashore, is a wonderful trail to hike any time of the year. There is always something to see and the trail is wide enough so you don’t have to worry about poison ivy and ticks in the summer. (Click on blog link for other photos.)
You walk around a good-sized pond with another pond off the trail. There’s a boardwalk to meander on that you can see in the 3rd photo.
Most of the trail is sand with the dunes nearby.
Have you ever hiked the Beech Forest Trail? Well worth the hike as you never know what you will see… birds, wildflowers, wildlife, butterflies. Its different each time!
The Wild Roses are blooming all along the trails at Fort Hill. I loved this photograph of the trail overlooking Nauset Marsh with the tall cattails waving in the breeze and the pretty pink roses.
What do you think?
