November Adventure

 

I set off in my kayak on a day that had a very low chance of rain (10%) to do a late season plant survey. Dale took this shot of me setting off, as graupel/soft hail began to fall - I guess checking for rain is a separate category from other kinds of precipitation?

I wasn't deterred, though at one point in my expedition, I had to take shelter under some trees, since my pants were getting wet. I resorted to covering them with my life vest.

Sometimes it was rain and sometimes soft hail. It looked bleak, but I could also see blue sky, so I persisted.

I came out onto beautiful, shallow wetlands, where the blades of Carex lasiocarpa (woolly fruited sedge) created languorous curves.  

More and more blue sky appeared and the sun came out. It felt wonderful. But then I started finding more and more of this invasive plant, Utricularia inflata, an exquisitely alien-looking plant that checks all the boxes for best survival strategy!

I'd been putting my hands in the water to examine the underwater foliage and my hands were freezing. The species has clearly been established there for some time. My mood sunk even lower as the flower count in the survey went up - at 35, I decided to stop and head home to drown my devastated spirits in spirits.

And thank goodness for sunsets! I was cheered by this glorious light on my way home.

And here's me, back at home, on the phone to the Lake Stewards to tell the director of my awful discovery.