If you go hiking near a fresh water spring or marsh such as The Spring Trail at the Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary or the marshes on Red Maple Swamp Trail at Fort Hill, the chances of seeing a Water-Willow are very good. They like to grow in shallow water in July and August.
Water-Willow wildflowers are an aquatic shrub with magenta flowers whose 5 petals grow in whorls where the leaves join the stem. They are native to this area. The flowers are small, only 1/2″ to 1″ while the plant grows from 3-9 feet. You can see in the 2nd photograph how the flowers grow almost where the leaves join the stems.
This is such a delicate little flower…so pretty. Have you ever seen a Water-Willow?
The new wildflower garden at the Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary is just spectacular! The wildflower species are numerous and the butterflies are everywhere! There are even walking paths through the garden so you can get “up close and personal” with the flowers and get that perfect photo-op of a Monarch butterfly.
If you haven’t been to the Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary lately, it’s well worth the stop. Not only are the wildflowers and butterflies gorgeous, the shore birds are abundant out on the beach at low tide.
I saw this blue star-shaped wildflower just outside the Visitor’s Center at the Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary a few days ago. It was so pretty but I have no idea what kind of wildflower it is. I’ve looked in my wildflower books and searched on the internet, but to no avail.
Does anyone know what kind of wildflower this Is?? So pretty, don’t you think?
I took this photograph of this Painted Lady butterfly last September at the Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary when they were so prolific in this area. They were everywhere! I thought the side view was so cool. I even like that you can only see its camouflage colors.
What do you think?
Cape Cod daily articles on the wonderful Cape Cod places to hike, experience and photograph. A Cape Cod Outdoor Adventure Series.
